Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda
A collection of seven policy papers that takes stock of civil society mobilization in the MENA region.
7 minute read – August 11, 2026
Home / Publications / Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda
What does it take to reclaim civic space in times of shrinking freedoms and democratic backsliding?
Against this backdrop, a new collection of MENA policy papers has been published under the title “Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda.”
The collection brings together seven policy papers that take stock of civil society mobilization in the Middle East and North Africa since the Arab Spring uprisings and chart a bold, homegrown research agenda to reclaim civic spaces that respect fundamental rights and freedoms and strengthen evidence-based activism.
The papers dive into regional trends, the Syrian and Palestinian contexts, and the challenges and opportunities of knowledge production in times of shrinking civic space, war, displacement, and democratic backsliding. They also seek to reimagine donor engagement and make key recommendations for programming that is targeted and useful in supporting civic spaces in the region.
The policy papers were commissioned by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Asfari Foundation through a competitive call. The process entailed an intentional participatory process from beginning to end with experts and scholars from the region. It also included the organization of a key meeting in Cyprus in June 2025, held at the American University of Beirut campus in Paphos.
This collection offers an important resource for researchers, activists, and donors seeking to support transformative civil society action rooted in local priorities and contexts across the Middle East and North Africa.
About the Policy Papers Collection
All papers relied on literature reviews and empirical research. By design, they all provide key recommendations to donor agencies, both about critical research entry points as well as ways and processes of working and funding in the region.
The first three papers broadly discuss and assess civil society knowledge production processes in the MENA region and their evolution since the Arab Spring uprisings.
Paper 1
Paper 1, authored by Sami Atallah and Sami Zoughaib from the Policy Initiative, proposes a new conceptual framework for understanding civil society’s knowledge ecosystem in MENA and proposes critical shifts to ensure the sustainability and impact of that ecosystem.
Paper 2
Paper 2, authored by Georges Fahmi from the Arab Forum for Alternatives, uses six country case studies in the region to understand how the Arab Spring, in its two waves, influenced civil society evolution in the MENA region. The paper proposes new conceptual tools to understand these changes.
Paper 3
Paper 3, authored by Timothy Kaldas, Nadine Kheshen, and Mai El-Sadany from the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, addresses three key questions: What are the primary barriers to knowledge production and dissemination? What are innovative and responsive ways in which knowledge producers mitigated challenges? And what should donors and knowledge producers do to advance knowledge production and dissemination?
Papers 4 and 5: The Syrian Context
Papers 4 and 5 focus on the specific Syrian civil society context.
Paper 4, authored by Rabie Nasser from the Syrian Center for Policy Research, assesses the challenges and opportunities facing key civic space and civil society institutions in the transitional process and outlines possible transformative strategies to foster a more effective contribution to peace and democracy.
Paper 5, authored by Basileus Zeno from Trent University, Katty Alhayek from Toronto Metropolitan University, and Mimi Kirk from Georgetown University, investigates the challenges of knowledge production among displaced Syrian scholars, activists, and civil society actors living in diaspora. It also proposes ways to foster inclusive knowledge networks that connect diaspora scholars with peers inside Syria and support locally driven research priorities.
Paper 6
Paper 6, authored by Mudar Kassis from Birzeit University, discusses how Palestinian civil society conceptualizes self-determination. It argues that self-determination must be redefined to be seen not merely as a national project but rather within a framework that encompasses individual, communal, and national levels.
The paper identifies a growing demand for Palestinian civil society to reassert its moral and political role in designing post-colonial futures. It suggests that for knowledge production to be a key tool for transformation, it must be organic, participatory, and strategic.
Paper 7
Finally, Paper 7, authored by Nur Arafeh, a non-resident fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, proposes a new framework for donors engaged in supporting knowledge production and civil society in the MENA region. The paper annexes the policy recommendations of the other six papers.
– August 11, 2026
Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda
Click here to read the full papers:
Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda
A collection of seven policy papers that takes stock of civil society mobilization in the MENA region.
7 minute read – August 11, 2026
What does it take to reclaim civic space in times of shrinking freedoms and democratic backsliding?
Against this backdrop, a new collection of MENA policy papers has been published under the title “Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda.”
The collection brings together seven policy papers that take stock of civil society mobilization in the Middle East and North Africa since the Arab Spring uprisings and chart a bold, homegrown research agenda to reclaim civic spaces that respect fundamental rights and freedoms and strengthen evidence-based activism.
The papers dive into regional trends, the Syrian and Palestinian contexts, and the challenges and opportunities of knowledge production in times of shrinking civic space, war, displacement, and democratic backsliding. They also seek to reimagine donor engagement and make key recommendations for programming that is targeted and useful in supporting civic spaces in the region.
The policy papers were commissioned by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Asfari Foundation through a competitive call. The process entailed an intentional participatory process from beginning to end with experts and scholars from the region. It also included the organization of a key meeting in Cyprus in June 2025, held at the American University of Beirut campus in Paphos.
This collection offers an important resource for researchers, activists, and donors seeking to support transformative civil society action rooted in local priorities and contexts across the Middle East and North Africa.
About the Policy Papers Collection
All papers relied on literature reviews and empirical research. By design, they all provide key recommendations to donor agencies, both about critical research entry points as well as ways and processes of working and funding in the region.
The first three papers broadly discuss and assess civil society knowledge production processes in the MENA region and their evolution since the Arab Spring uprisings.
Paper 1
Paper 1, authored by Sami Atallah and Sami Zoughaib from the Policy Initiative, proposes a new conceptual framework for understanding civil society’s knowledge ecosystem in MENA and proposes critical shifts to ensure the sustainability and impact of that ecosystem.
Paper 2
Paper 2, authored by Georges Fahmi from the Arab Forum for Alternatives, uses six country case studies in the region to understand how the Arab Spring, in its two waves, influenced civil society evolution in the MENA region. The paper proposes new conceptual tools to understand these changes.
Paper 3
Paper 3, authored by Timothy Kaldas, Nadine Kheshen, and Mai El-Sadany from the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, addresses three key questions: What are the primary barriers to knowledge production and dissemination? What are innovative and responsive ways in which knowledge producers mitigated challenges? And what should donors and knowledge producers do to advance knowledge production and dissemination?
Papers 4 and 5: The Syrian Context
Papers 4 and 5 focus on the specific Syrian civil society context.
Paper 4, authored by Rabie Nasser from the Syrian Center for Policy Research, assesses the challenges and opportunities facing key civic space and civil society institutions in the transitional process and outlines possible transformative strategies to foster a more effective contribution to peace and democracy.
Paper 5, authored by Basileus Zeno from Trent University, Katty Alhayek from Toronto Metropolitan University, and Mimi Kirk from Georgetown University, investigates the challenges of knowledge production among displaced Syrian scholars, activists, and civil society actors living in diaspora. It also proposes ways to foster inclusive knowledge networks that connect diaspora scholars with peers inside Syria and support locally driven research priorities.
Paper 6
Paper 6, authored by Mudar Kassis from Birzeit University, discusses how Palestinian civil society conceptualizes self-determination. It argues that self-determination must be redefined to be seen not merely as a national project but rather within a framework that encompasses individual, communal, and national levels.
The paper identifies a growing demand for Palestinian civil society to reassert its moral and political role in designing post-colonial futures. It suggests that for knowledge production to be a key tool for transformation, it must be organic, participatory, and strategic.
Paper 7
Finally, Paper 7, authored by Nur Arafeh, a non-resident fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, proposes a new framework for donors engaged in supporting knowledge production and civil society in the MENA region. The paper annexes the policy recommendations of the other six papers.
Continue Reading
Related Articles
Event - Joint Position Paper - 14 November، 2025
