German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

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Merian Center for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM): Imagining Futures - Dealing with Disparity, Phase I

  • The "Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb" (MECAM), founded in 2020, is a platform for regional and international scientific exchange in Tunisia based on the central theme "Imagining Futures - Dealing with Disparity". The centre is located at the renowned Université de Tunis in the Tunisian capital. Its research work focuses on the effects of multidimensional disparity on models, visions and ideas about political, social, economic, and cultural futures.
    BMFTR, 2020-2023

    Team

    Cooperation Partners

    Head

    Dr. André Bank

    Senior Research Fellow

    Prof. Dr. Thomas Richter

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Accountability and Participation"

    Research Questions

    The research programme of the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb encompasses the five thematic clusters "Inequality & Mobility", "Memory & Justice", "Aesthetics & Cultural Practice", "Resources & Sustainability", "Identities & Beliefs" (the latter one under GIGA's coordination) as well as two transversal axes "Comparative Historical and Regional Perspectives" and "Digital Methods".

    Contribution to International Research

    MECAM's contributes to international research excellence in a number of ways: First, it strengthens the perception of the Maghreb as a geopolitical interface of different world regions, among them Africa, Europe, and the Middle East (Mashriq). Second and related, it thereby aims to overcome the often-held, limited perspective of the Maghreb as a "triple periphery". This is done, third, by connecting with a long tradition of Maghrebi theorizing in different fields. Fourth, MECAM substantially enhances German scholarly engagement with the Maghreb. Fifth and more generally, it contributes to tackling persisting asymmetries in knowledge production.

    Research Design and Methods

    The Merian Center for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) considers itself an interdisciplinary, interregional and intergenerational research platform on the Maghreb, the Middle East and beyond. Under the guiding theme "Imagining Futures - Dealing with Disparity", MECAM examines the complex processes of (re-)negotiating future models of society ('imagining futures’) in the region about a decade after the beginning of the "Arab Spring", all within the context of unequal starting conditions ('disparity').

    The German Institute for Global and Area Studies is a partner within the MECAM consortium, along with the University of Marburg, the University of Leipzig and the Forum Transregional Studies in Berlin. In addition to the Université de Tunis, the regional partners are the University of Sfax and the Institut Tunisien des Études Stratégiques (ITES) in Tunisia, as well as other partners from Morocco and Lebanon.

    Project Publications

    GIGA Focus Middle East | 1/2026

    Ten Things to Watch in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026

    Europe plays a limited role in Gulf investments and the geopolitical considerations behind them. International mediation is urgently required in Gaza and Sudan. Lebanon and Syria are threatened by fragmentation. We present ten things set to inform events in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026.

    Dima Abu Alkheir

    Hager Ali

    Dr. André Bank

    Ardahan Özkan Gedikli

    Houssein Al Malla

    Diba Mirzaei

    Elianne Shewring

    Dr. Hakkı Taş

    Prof. Dr. Eckart Woertz

    MECAM Papers English | 11/2025

    Ghannouchi’s Concept of Ḥurriyya and Its Realisation in Transitional Tunisia

    The ḥurriyya framework offers Muslim societies a way to overcome ideological divides by linking universal values with Islamic ethics. It provides an alternative to rigid secularism and literalist traditions while respecting modern values developed outside Islam.

    Dr. Julius Dihstelhoff

    Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Marburg

    Ph.D. Imad Alsoos

    Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

    MECAM Papers English | 10/2025

    The Executioner’s Office in Algeria and Tunisia (1842–1962)

    Nowadays, the profession of executioner is still relevant. Concerning Algeria and Tunisia, once they gained independence the new rulers kept their own executioners on duty. They simply replaced French executioners with “local” ones. Today the abolition of the death penalty is not in prospect.

    Dr. Hend Guirat

    University of Tunis

    MECAM Papers English | 06/2025

    Tunisia and Ghana: Parallel Histories, Diverging Democracies

    Ghana and Tunisia have often been framed as beacons of democracy in their respective regions. However, as Ghana’s democracy matured over decades, Tunisia’s experiment ultimately collapsed. This paper examines diverse factors shaping their paths, offering lessons on the risks of democratic backsliding.

    Youssef Cherif

    Columbia Global Center Tunis

    MECAM Papers English | 04/2025

    Freedom and Subjection in Islam through the Prism of Salafism in Tunisia

    This paper examines the concept of freedom in Islam, focusing on the Islamic doctrine of retreatist Salafism in Tunisia. Within Salafist Islam, freedom means strict adherence to religious purity and devotion. In contrast to Western conceptions, this religious movement frames freedom and subjection as intertwined conditions.

    Ph.D. Jaballah Sofiane

    Related Content

    Understanding the Life Cycle of Academic Publishing: From Journal Targeting to Decision Letters and Response Memos

    Workshop | 27/02/2024 - 29/02/2024

    Understanding the Life Cycle of Academic Publishing: From Journal Targeting to Decision Letters and Response Memos

    Publication Workshop at the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM), Centre Merian pour les études avancées au Maghreb, Tunis Organisers: Merian Center for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Dr. Julia Grauvogel (Speaker)

    This presentation is designed to demystify the submission and review process of journals and discuss publication strategies with the participants. It covers key aspects of publishing scholarly work from journal targeting to understanding decisions letters and writing response memos.

    Dr. Julia Grauvogel

    Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

    MECAM Travelling Academy "Solidarities in/between the Middle East & North Africa”

    Workshop | 20/02/2023 - 24/02/2023

    MECAM Travelling Academy "Solidarities in/between the Middle East & North Africa”

    MECAM Travelling Academy "Solidarities in/between the Middle East & North Africa”, Orient Institut Beirut, Beirut Organisers: Merian Center for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb Prof. Dr. Thomas Richter (Panelist)

    Prof. Dr. Thomas Richter

    Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Accountability and Participation"

    New Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in Tunis

    Cooperation | 20/04/2020

    New Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in Tunis

    The GIGA is taking part in the establishment of a Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) in the capital of Tunisia. This research centre will be dedicated to the study of processes of social change that have come about as a result of the Arab protest movements of 2011.

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