Northwestern University in Qatar will establish a new research institute focused on the Global South, NUQ’s Dean and CEO Marwan Kraidy announced in January. 

The Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South will focus on four broad research themes: ways of knowing in the Global South, geopolitics, information and culture, the global future and media work in the Global South. Kraidy said one of the institute’s goals is to distribute Global South-related research in Arabic, English and “another relevant language.” 

“The local creation of globally relevant knowledge and the establishment of South-to-South intellectual, creative and educational exchanges are vital to successful knowledge-based societies and sustainable communities,” Kraidy said.

He added IAS_NUQ will partner with the Qatar Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on furthering global initiatives, and the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern, an NU organization that fosters connections worldwide.

To encourage research within NUQ, the Institute will provide one-year global fellowships to students and host fellows that work on either individual or collaborative multilingual and multi-modal publications. 

Fellows would also have the opportunity to work on creative media and organize lectures, screenings, workshops and conferences. The institute’s focus on the multimedia-side of research is exemplified through the Digital Advancement and Media Applications Lab at NUQ, a group dedicated to conveying multimodal methods of content distribution to journalistic education. 

“The future of education is global, interdisciplinary and digital,” Kraidy said. “The Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South positions Northwestern Qatar at the forefront of shaping that future.”

Clovis Bergère will be the assistant director for research at IAS_NUQ and will work with undergraduate and postdoctoral fellows in developing their research projects. Kraidy also appointed Marina Krikorian as the research manager for programs and projects at the institute. Krikorian will work with IAS_NUQ press and will lead other administrative and outreach efforts. 

The establishment of the institute will increase inclusivity by acknowledging global diversity and inequality, Kraidy said. 

“(The institute) is designed to amplify the reach and impact of our faculty and student research and mediamaking and to enhance our reputation as a distinctive contributor to Northwestern University, the Qatar Foundation, and knowledge more broadly,” Kraidy said. 

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Twitter: @swarthout_iris

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