Mission Statement

The Centre’s mandate is to foster understanding of the cultural, political and social context of the MENA region. Through the research activities, we promote dialogue across disciplinary boundaries, but also between the University and the wider community of which we are a part. The primary mandate of the Centre is thus to educate and to enable greater learning and understanding, as well as strengthen interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration among researchers and members of the community.

Our mission is to emphasize the MENA region as a diverse, complex and pluralistic space and to explore new perspectives for understanding the region and its interdependence with other cultures across the globe. 

The Centre is organized around three core themes:

• Urban cultures, histories, literatures and politics
• Diasporic communities of the MENA region
• Sustainable development