Deadline: 27 November 2017
The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) is seeking proposals for the fifth cycle of its Research Grants Program on the theme “Environmentalism, Impoverishment and Social Justice Movements: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.” The aim of the grants is to support multidisciplinary research across disciplinary boundaries and methodological approaches on key themes of concern to the Arab region.
This competition is funded by a grant provided to the ACSS by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
Grant Information
- Grants will be available to individual researchers (up to USD 20,000) and teams of researchers (up to USD 50,000) whose research focuses primarily on Arab societies.
- Grants are intended to support a maximum timeline of 18 months, starting in April 2018 and ending in October 2019.
Topics
- The interplay between environmental, political and economic factors in shaping and reshaping life conditions including situations of displacement, marginality and de-development.
- The distribution of resources (especially scarce resources such as water) that create new ecologies shaped by political as much as ‘natural’ factors.
- The relationships between development policies, environmental impacts and the well-being of communities.
- Issues concerning environmental justice: this refers to equity, or the distribution of environmental ills and benefits, with the recognition of the diversity of the experiences in affected communities, according to class, gender, age and other factors.
- The relationship between environmental degradation and violence.
- The spatial dimensions of new ecologies and territories, such as the production of refugee encampments, no fly zones, safe havens, nature reserves, protected sites, etc.
- Political processes which create and manage environmental policies and approaches to sustainability.
- Transborder and global aspects of environmental change, environmental hazards and socio-ecological movements.
- The human relationship with the non-human world.
- Connections between work, labor and the environment with particular interest in the gendered nature of these relationships.
- Perceptions of science, technology and nature and the ways in which these perceptions affect understandings of risk and trust.
- Ecojustice education and the development of pedagogies that serve to conserve and sustain cultural diversity and the biodiversity of ecosystems.
- Changing urban and rural environments, including changing forms of land tenure and property ownership.
- Tangible and intangible cultural heritage and its relationships with environmental sustainability and economic well-being.
- Representation of environment, poverty, and social justice movements in expressive culture, literature, art, music, and performance.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nationality/Residence: Applicants must be citizens of an Arab country (defined as a member of the League of Arab States) or nationals of an Arab country (defined as long-term residents, even if they don’t hold citizenship as in the case of refugees or stateless residents). Researchers whose origin is from one of the Arab countries but are residing outside the region are also eligible but priority in selection will be given to those who are currently residents in an Arab country.
- Educational Degree: Applicants must hold a PhD degree in a social science field. Individual researchers in the early stages of their professional post-PhD careers are especially encouraged to apply. Individuals who expect to obtain their doctoral degree by January 2018 are also eligible. In case of collaborative research, the team’s principal investigator must hold a PhD degree in a social science field and demonstrate successful research experience. Researchers with a master’s degree may only join research teams as co-investigators, but may not apply individually.
- Discipline: This program is open to any social science field and allied fields. The core social science fields include disciplines such as anthropology, demography, economics, history, political science, psychology and sociology. Allied disciplines include art, architecture, geography, law, literature, linguistics, philosophy and public health. Interdisciplinary fields include gender studies, cultural studies, media studies, development studies and urban studies. Interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.
- Individuals and Teams: The competition is open to both individual researchers and teams of researchers of up to four members, including a principal investigator and three co-investigators and encourages collaborative research, especially teams composed of researchers residing in and out of the region.
- ACSS grantees (principal and co-investigators) who have benefited previously from the Research Grants Program are only eligible if their grants were closed before March 2016.
How to Apply
Interested applicants must apply online via given website.
Eligible Countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
For more information, please visit ACSS Research Grants Program.