The debut issues of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)' two refereed academic periodicals, Omran[1] in the Social Sciences and Tabbayyun[2] in the Humanities, have already been printed. Published by the ACRPS, the periodicals are headed and edited by separate, independent advisory boards, comprised of a select group of Arab academics, researchers, and intellectuals who are widely accepted as authorities in their fields of study.
However, following lengthy discussions with the Center's friends, researchers, and scholars during the Center's First Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities, it was decided that the remit of Omran would be expanded in scope to encompass the Social Sciences and Humanities as a whole, while Tabbayun would evolve into a more tertiary magazine tackling the theoretical and intellectual aspects of social sciences and philosophy, cultural studies, literary criticism, and issues related to Arab and human thought. Tabayyun will also be committed to scientific methodology adopted in research. This move is intended to be a reflection of the Center's commitment to the inherently interdisciplinary nature of intellectual pursuits.
Forthcoming issues will be published at the beginning of each season; the first full issues, after the initial publication, will be printed in the middle of June 2012, the Summer 2012 issue.
While each future issue of these journals will be centered on a theme selected by its editorial board, a wide range of topics in the broader social sciences and humanities will also be considered for publication as either papers or articles. For the first issue of both publications, researchers with an interest in having their work published in either one of these two journals have until May 30, 2012 to submit their work. After this time, some research papers may be considered for publication in later editions of the journal during the coming year.
As described in the opening editorial of its pilot issue, the message behind Omran was inspired by the original theory of the famous sociologist and historiographer Ibn Khaldoun, from which the name Omran was taken. Omran also stands to build on the traditions of other prominent journals and periodicals that have been successful in producing scholarly and intellectual trends, movements, and schools of thought.
By emphasizing the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the social sciences, Omran blazes a new path in Arab scholarship, forming an integral, multidisciplinary unit that covers anthropology, sociology, social history, political science, political economy, population science, environment, and development studies..
The journal also attempts to free sciences from the burden of exclusionary and orientalist concepts, and seeks to strike a balance between the overly zealous reductionist and quantified approaches to the social sciences, which have received too much prominence in recent decades, and those approaches which are unduly theoretical and sophistic, without being scientifically justifiable.
The central theme of Omran's pilot issue is "Arab Tribalism and Politics," and carries three separate research papers on this topic. A further six topics are also carried in the same issue, reflecting the : pay discrepancies between the private and public sectors in selected Arab countries, youth religiosity, technology and hegemony, labor migration, Arab economic cooperation, and the contemporary history of Syria. The same issue will: (a) carry three book reviews on titles, covering the social conditions in Israel, the Coptic issue in Egypt, and church-state relations; and (b) contain highlights of two academic symposia organized by the ACRPS, one focusing on the Yemeni revolution and the other on relations between the Arab states and the Horn of Africa.
The ACRPS looks forward to contributions from Arab writers and researchers seeking to help further knowledge in the Humanities and Social Sciences and invites them to submit their work to these peer-reviewed periodicals. The task before us will not be easy, but we believe that Arab culture will be better served if these challenges are met.
Call for Papers
The ACRPS invites academics and scholars to contribute in both periodicals with in-depth, serious scholarly and academic research. The periodicals will include both theoretical and applied research. The ACRPS welcomes exceptional contributions in English alongside Arabic (please contact us about submissions in other languages). All submitted research work to either of the journals will be thoroughly refereed.
The periodicals will feature book reviews serious debate on topics previously covered. In order to encourage intellectual debate, priority will be given to studies discussing or criticizing papers that were previously published in either periodical.
While each issue of the journals Omran and Tabayyun will have a specific theme (see below for details of forthcoming issues), there will be space for writings that do not fit neatly within these themes. After peer review (and possible revision), manuscripts will undergo an editorial process, both scientific and linguistic.
Upcoming issues of Omran:
Issue 1, to be released on June 15, 2012: "From Hindered Growth to Sustainable Development: Which Social and Economic Policies for Arab countries?"
Issue 2, September 15, 2012: "Changes in Religiosity Patterns in the Arab Homeland". Submissions accepted until July 15, 2012.
Issue 3, December 15, 2012: "Demographic Changes in the Arab Homeland and the Impact on Development". Submissions accepted until October 15, 2012.
Issue 4, March 15, 2013: "Social Integration: The Nation-State and Nation-building". Submissions accepted until January 15, 2013.
Interested authors may send their manuscripts to the Editor: umran@dohainstitute.org
Upcoming issues of Tabbayyun:
Issue 1, to be released on June 15, 2012: "Language and Identity in the Arab Homeland".
Issue 2, September 15, 2012: "The Arab Novel in a Context of Social and Cultural Transformations". Submissions accepted until July 15, 2012.
Issue 3, December 15, 2012: "Constitutions in Modern Arab Thought". Submissions accepted until October 15, 2012.
Issue 4, March 15, 2013: "What is Justice?". Submissions accepted until January 15, 2013.
Interested authors may send their manuscripts to the Editor: tabbayun@dohainstitute.org
Submission Guidelines:
The ACRPS journals will consider publishing original, previously unpublished materials, and adopt all generally agreed upon standards for academic publishing.
Length: General research papers are to be between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length, inclusive of a bibliography, footnotes, and tables. Only in exceptional cases will longer pieces be accepted.
Book reviews: Should cover books that have been published within the last three years. Generally, the articles should run between 2,000 and 3,000 words although there is some scope for longer review pieces to be considered as critical studies to be published in the journals.
Peer review: All submitted papers will be submitted to a peer review process that will be by qualified scholars. The author concerned may be asked to revise and re-submit the submitted paper in light of any comments and suggestions made by the reviewers prior to publication.
Curriculum Vitae, indexing and abstract: The author shall submit a list of keywords, a complete abstract no longer than 250 words, and a brief biographical entry about him/herself.
Diagrams, graphs, line drawings, maps and photographs: Figures (i.e. diagrams, graphs, line drawings, maps, and photographs) should be sent in their original format (such as Excel, Word, or Power Point). Images alone are not acceptable.
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[1] Omran means prosperity in Arabic and it is the title of Ibn Khaldoun's theory of civilizations and inter-civilization relationships.
[2] Tabayyun means discernment in Arabic.
