The Arab Council for the Social Sciences took part in the 15th General Assembly of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), which was held on December 17-21, 2018 in Senegal, Dakar.
The theme of the 15th Assembly was “Africa and the Crisis of Globalisation” (”L’Afrique et la crise de la globalisation”). The Assembly, which meets every 3 years, was attended by over 340 participants from universities and research institutes in over 30 countries, most of which in the African continent.
In addition to taking part in the general proceedings of the Assembly, the ACSS sponsored a panel titled “Environmentalism, Rural-Urban Dynamics and Globalization in North Africa” (“Environnementalisme, dynamique rurale-urbaine et mondialisation en Afrique du Nord”), during which two ACSS grantees presented their ACSS-funded research.
At the beginning of the session, Nada Chaya, the Project Leader of the Arab Social Science Monitor (ASSM) at the ACSS, gave an overview of the organization and its mission, showcasing the work of the ASSM, which is an observatory dedicated to surveying the landscape and assessing the trajectory of social science research in Arab countries.
ACSS grantee Fouzia Borj from Hassan II University in Morocco presented her research on the development crisis in Moroccan oases, focusing on the transformation of agricultural practices and the conflicts arising from the managemment of water access in the context of globalization. Her fellow grantee Lahcen Ameziane from the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at Mohammed V University in Morocco presented his research on social justice, environmentalism and mega-projects in Moroccan cities.
The papers started a discussion on the impact of globalization on access to and redistribution of resources and space in Morocco in rural and urban settings.