Academic Self-Censorship Is a ‘Brain Drag’ on Arab Universities and Societies
Academic self-censorship not only hinders individuals’ intellectual output and creativity but comes at a cost to whole societies.
Self-Censorship in Arab Higher Education: an Untold Problem
Arab professors routinely practice self-censorship, which limits academic discourse, a survey by Al-Fanar Media and Scholars at Risk found.
Preserving the Vanishing Heritage of East Africa’s Swahili Coast
Traces of a culture once at the center of exchange between Islam and East Africa are in danger of disappearing. Two authors hope to change that.
U. of Khartoum Students Protest Violence and Poor Housing Conditions
University of Khartoum students protest unsafe conditions on the campus, but officials disagree over who is responsible for improvement.
Sudanese Writer in Exile Knows Life’s ‘Violent Reality,’ and Its Flashes of Joy
Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin fled Sudan to escape persecution. His 2009 novel The Jungo, once banned, has won praise and prizes—in Arabic and in French translation.
Somalian and Sudanese Girls’ Lives Were Difficult Enough. They’re Getting Worse.
In Somalia, Sudan, and regions of Ethiopia that host refugees from those countries, girls face a harsh life that often keeps them out of schools. The pandemic has made things worse.
Teaching Gender and Women’s Studies in the Middle East
Four scholars of gender and women’s studies reflect on the challenges of teaching gender politics in the Middle East and North Africa.
For Students With Disabilities, the Pandemic Adds Another Barrier
Covid-19 has largely heightened the inequality that disabled students already face, although for a small proportion of students, it has moved education to their homes and let them study more at their own pace.
Scholars Confront a Silence About Blackness in Middle East Studies
In a digital conversation, a panel of professors and students challenged the persistent notion that race is “somehow beyond the scope” of Middle East studies.
A Survey Reveals How the Pandemic Has Hurt MENA Research
A survey of scholars done in the late spring and early summer that included researchers who study the MENA region showed the pandemic’s adverse effects and the occasional beneficial ones on research, the authors of the survey say.
