The American Political Science Association (APSA) is pleased to announce a Call for Applications from early-career scholars who would like to participate in a four-day in-person workshop that examines the theme of participatory and engaged research in the MENA region. Organized in partnership with the Doha Institute (DI), the program will be held from January 5-8, 2026 at DI in Doha, Qatar.
The workshop is part of a multi-year effort to support political science research among early-career scholars in the MENA region and to strengthen research networks linking Arab scholars with their colleagues overseas.
WORTH
The workshop organizers seek applications for projects that focus primarily on the following sub-themes:
- Approaches to participatory research, with discussion of different modes of participatory research,
the questions they can (and can’t) answer, and how to ground them in academic debates. - Real-world examples of successful participatory and/or engaged research projects.
- The promises and pitfalls of survey research in the MENA.
- The challenges of integrating diverse data sources (key-informant interviews, focus groups, survey data, participant observation).
- Reflections on research collaborations, with discussion of philosophical, ethical, and pragmatic considerations beyond formal ethics review.
- Reflection on positionality on and off the page and how it relates to political science research.
ELIGIBILITY
- Applications are open to advanced doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career scholars (those who received their PhDs within the past 5 years), as well as early-career PhD-holding practitioners who are citizens of countries in the MENA region.
- The program is tailored for scholars in political science and other social science disciplines including peace and conflict studies, international studies, development studies, and adjacent field undertaking research that seeks to consciously employ participatory and engaged research methods in the MENA region, particularly those working on projects that use in-country fieldwork, rely on original data collection, and explore methodological, ethical, and practical challenges of social science research in applied settings.
- Priority will be given to scholars currently based at universities or research institutes in the region. Professional fluency in English is required.
DEADLINE: September 14, 2025
To apply and for more information, visit here