The American Political Science Association (APSA) is pleased to announce a Call for Applications from early-career scholars who would like to participate in the 2020 MENA Workshop. The program is an opportunity to network with colleagues from across the Arab MENA region and advance research on security and international relations of the region. The deadline for applications is Saturday March 14, 2020.

The workshop will be held from May 29 to June 4, 2020 in partnership with the faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences-Souissi (FSJES) at Mohammed V University in Rabat. The organizers will cover participation costs (including travel, lodging, and materials) for up to 20 qualified applicants. Following the workshop, a select group of fellows will be invited to present their research at the September 2020 APSA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

This opportunity is intended for PhD students and post-doctoral fellows who are citizens of countries in the Arab MENA region, especially those who are currently based at universities or research institutes in the region. Non-citizens of Arab MENA countries who are currently based at universities or research institutes in the Arab MENA region may also apply. The program is open to scholars in political science and other social science disciplines undertaking research related to the workshop theme. Scholars should apply with a manuscript or research project in progress that they will present at the workshop. Professional fluency in English is required.

The 2020 MENA Workshop will be led by Samer Abboud (Villanova University, USA), Zaynab El Bernoussi (Al Akhawayn University, Morocco), Omar Dahi (Hampshire College, USA), and Salim Hmimnat (Mohamed V University, Morocco). Together with selected workshop fellows, the co-leaders aim to engage academic and policy debates about security and international relations of the MENA region and consider alternative understandings of insecurity that focus on the research projects of scholars within the region. In particular, the workshop will be theoretically grounded in critical approaches to Security Studies and International Relations, with discussions structured around two central themes: Insecurity will be framed through the question of what makes people insecure, rather than what makes them secure. Discussions of securitization will reflect on how new patterns of securitization are emerging in the region. By widening the agents of securitization beyond the state, this approach highlights how private companies, social movements, political parties, and even municipalities, are implicated in contemporary securitization in the MENA region. The workshop will also include opportunities for research presentation and feedback as well as sessions on professional development topics. Following their participation in the full program, alumni will receive 3 years’ membership to APSA and will be eligible to apply for small research grants.

Applications should be submitted via the online form: https://apsa.wufoo.com/forms/2020-mena-workshop-application-form.

For more information about the APSA MENA project, visit web.apsanet.org/mena or e-mail us at menaworkshops@apsanet.org.

Applications Now Open for 2020-2021 Middle East Initiative Research Fellowships 

Deadline: Wednesday, January 15, 11:59 PM EST

Learn more and apply.

The Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School is now accepting applications for the 2020-2021 Middle East Initiative Research Fellowship Program. The application deadline is January 15, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST.

The Middle East Initiative Research Fellowship Program, part of the Emirates Leadership Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School, offers one-year fellowships for researchers at the pre-doctoral, postdoctoral, and junior faculty level for research related to Middle Eastern governance and public policy. All fellowships carry a stipend. Eligible candidates include advanced doctoral candidates, recent recipients of a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, and untenured faculty members. Applicants for pre-doctoral fellowships must have passed general examinations, advanced to candidacy, received dissertation prospectus approval, and concluded all necessary fieldwork for the dissertation by the time of application. The strong expectation is that pre-doctoral fellows will defend their dissertations at the end of their residency with us. We welcome applications from political scientists, historians, economists, sociologists, and other social scientists. We also encourage applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries.

Priority will be given to applications pursuing one of these six primary areas of focus:

• Improving Governance: Promoting the inclusivity, accountability, responsiveness, and efficiency of governing institutions and empowering the region’s citizens.
• Building Peace: Addressing the sources of domestic and interstate conflict and generating durable political settlements.
• Revitalizing the State: Improving the capacity of state institutions and reforming social service delivery systems, with a special emphasis on health, education, and social protection.
• Broadening Financial and Labor Markets: Working to ensure that financial and labor markets in the Middle East are open, competitive, and inclusive.
• Governing Technology: Assessing how governments in the Middle East adapt to and integrate technological changes such as the growth of cyberspace, automation, and artificial intelligence, as well as how these advances in technology have shaped governance.
• Adapting to Environmental Challenges: Exploring how the governments of the region can cope and are coping with the challenges of water scarcity and climate change.

This program is made possible through funding from the Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. All application materials must be submitted in PDF format through the official application portal. For more information regarding the program and application process, please visit: www.belfercenter.org/fellowship/middle-east-initiative

Please submit inquiries to Julia Martin, Assistant Director of the Middle East Initiative, by e-mail at Julia_Martin@hks.harvard.edu.