The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) held its Sixth Summer Institute on Critical Security Studies in the Arab Region, from July 6 to 11, 2025, at Al-Bustan Hotel in Beit Meri, Lebanon.
The institute brought together early-career researchers from across the region with a team of faculty for six days of thematic sessions, workshops, mentorship, and research presentations. This year’s edition focused on critical approaches to security, covering topics such as state violence, energy justice, everyday forms of insecurity, and feminist methodologies.
The program featured sessions led by prominent faculty including Drs. Omar Dahi (Hampshire College), Sami Hermez (Northwestern University in Qatar), Nada Ali (University of Massachusetts Boston), Alaa Shehabi (University College London), and Jamil Mouawad (American University of Beirut). The institute also included a guest lecture by Dr. Zina Sawaf (Lebanese American University) and a workshop by Dr. Kareman Baknam Sedki (Cairo University).
Through a mix of academic exchange, mentoring, and collective reflection, the institute reaffirmed the importance of critical, locally grounded scholarship on security in the Arab region.
