Disparities, Youth and Socio-spatial Reconfigurations in Morocco and Tunisia
The MECAM Traveling Academy takes place from June 4th to June 11th 2022.
In cooperation with MECAM’s partner institution Université Hassan II de Casablanca, Morocco, the University of Leipzig organises this Traveling Academy with a thematic focus on comparative social science perspectives on inequalities and societal transformations in contemporary Morocco and Tunisia. For this purpose, the Traveling Academy invites a group of Moroccan and international researchers to Tunisia, and is organised as an itinerant scientific workshop series that takes place in Nabeul, at MECAM, at the Université de Tunis and in a public event location in Tunis over the course of a full week. The Principal Investigators of this MECAM Traveling Academy are Prof. Jörg Gertel (Leipzig University), Prof. Fadma Ait Mous (Université Hassan II de Casablanca), Prof. Mourad Ben Jalloul (Université de Tunis) and Prof. Ali Bennasr (Université de Sfax).
The Traveling Academy’s different components are organised in cooperation with the Laboratoire Gouvernance et Développement Territorial (Université de Tunis), the Institut d’Études sur le Maghreb Contemporain (IRMC), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Tunisie (FES) and the Laboratoire SYFACTE (Université de Sfax).
The Traveling Academy’s Program is as follows:
June 4 – June 7 2022: Thematic research retreat in Nabeul, with the participation of 15 invited early-career researchers from Tunisia, Germany and the rest of the world. Prof. Jörg Gertel (Leipzig University) and Prof. Ali Bennasr (Université de Sfax) accompany the workshop as principal investigators, and Dr. Katharina Grüneisl (MECAM scientific coordinator/Leipzig University) and Dr. Maha Bouhlel (Université de la Manouba) moderate the workshop sessions.
June 8 2022: Workshop between Tunisian, Moroccan and international guest researchers at MECAM in Tunis: Comparative perspectives on disparities in contemporary Morocco and Tunisia. The workshop is introduced and led by Prof. Jörg Gertel (Leipzig University) and Prof. Fadma Ait Mous (Université Hassan II de Casablanca).
June 9 2022: Full-day research workshop at the Université de Tunis, organised in cooperation with the Laboratoire Gouvernance et Développement Territorial and IRMC, entitled Regards croisés sur les transformations socio-spatiales en Tunisie et au Maroc. Three thematic sessions invite Moroccan and Tunisian researchers to present and discuss their work, opening up comparative perspectives on on-going change processes in Morocco and Tunisia. Prof. Mourad Ben Jalloul (Université de Tunis), Dr. Hend Ben Othman (IRMC) and Dr. Katharina Grüneisl (MECAM scientific coordinator/Leipzig University) moderate the workshop, and researchers from the Université de Tunis and IRMC discuss the presented research.
June 10 2022: Internal morning workshop at Dar Ben Gacem Kahia, Tunis, on Avenues for the Promotion of Early Career Researchers from Morocco and Tunisia. The workshop is jointly moderated by Dr. Katharina Grüneisl (MECAM scientific coordinator/Leipzig University) and Dr. Maha Bouhlel (Université de la Manouba).
Public afternoon event entitled Jeunesses Maghrébines: Premiers résultats de la FES MENA Youth Study 2021 au Maroc, en Algérie et en Tunisie. This event is co-organised with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung en Tunisie and takes place from 3-6pm at the Hotel Majestic, Tunis. Prof. Fadma Ait Mous (Université de Casablanca), Khadidja Boussaïd (Université d’Alger) and Prof. Imed Melliti (Université de Tunis El-Manar) will present their analysis of the 2021 results for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia respectively. Prof. Jörg Gertel (Leipzig University) and Dr. Friederike Stolleis (FES Algérie) will then moderate a roundtable discussion on key challenges for youth in the contemporary Maghreb.