The Arab Political Science Network (APSN) and the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) organized a public meeting during the MESA Annual meeting in Montreal, Canada, titled “Engaging Researcher and Enhancing Scholarship in the Arab World.” The event discussed the opportunities and constraints for engaged scholarship, knowledge production and pathways for researchers to strengthen the influence of their scientific knowledge to contribute to better policy and research outcomes in Arab societies.

Attendees explored how scholarship about the Arab region can also be useful for people in the region. This included discussions on knowledge translation, participatory research methodologies, and public engagement. The participants also reflected on how research can be made relevant to non-academic communities, like activists and civil society actors, and to achieve policy influence.

The participants exchanged their experiences of engaged scholarship, the barriers encountered in trying to combat the extractive tendencies of academic research and publication, and how research can be leveraged to develop solutions to the most pressing civic, social, economic, and political problems the region faces today.

As part of the discussion, ARI and APSN presented their institutional experiences in the production and dissemination of knowledge; how scholars can get involved with both organizations and invited the attendees to reach out with ideas for possible collaborations.