In the context of this project it is intended to organize a workshop on the so-called Area Studies Controversy, which represents one of the most controversial and most relevant interdisciplinary academic debates over the last three decades. The long shadow of this controversy, which dealt with the relationship of conceptually-oriented social sciences on the one hand and culturally-focused regional studies on the other, still affects present-day research. This project intends to engage with this debate through a workshop, bringing together experts who have addressed the controversy and its implications in their own research. Thereby, the workshop aims at generating insights about how the two seemingly opposing views relate to each other and how innovative research can contribute to overcoming the alleged differences. In this regard, the project specifically addresses the potentials offered by post-positivist, interpretative approaches in their analysis of diverse political and societal dynamics of the Middle East and North Africa.    «

In the context of this project it is intended to organize a workshop on the so-called Area Studies Controversy, which represents one of the most controversial and most relevant interdisciplinary academic debates over the last three decades. The long shadow of this controversy, which dealt with the relationship of conceptually-oriented social sciences on the one hand and culturally-focused regional studies on the other, still affects present-day research. This project intends to engage with th...    »