Renaissance Strategic Center
The Al-Nahda Thought Center is an independent think tank based in Jordan that operates within the organizational framework of the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD). It was established by ARDD in 2018 to promote new thinking and policy initiatives to address the multiple challenges confronting the contemporary Arab world. The center is a house of knowledge that enables and hosts inclusive dialogue on various issues pertinent to the Arab world to stimulate innovative social solutions.
Al-Nahda, which translates as “renaissance” or “rebirth”, is not affiliated with any government or political movement. It stands for systems of government committed to the elimination of poverty and inequality, for governance that is inclusive and free of discrimination, and that promotes the rights of marginalized and vulnerable groups. Al-Nahda is committed to a region free of external domination, a just resolution of the Question of Palestine, which remains a central concern of the Arab world, the peaceful resolution of all other conflicts, and policies that effectively address the climate emergency. Al-Nahda envisages an Arab world in which the rule of law is fully respected and applied to all who reside within it, with an emphasis on the individual rights of citizenship and participation, and the collective right to self-determination.
Our Aims
The Al-Nahda Center is committed to addressing the region’s needs, interests, and priorities by:
- Localizing and increasing opportunities for knowledge production in the Arab world.
- Engaging with all relevant stakeholders, and working with public, private, popular, community-based, and marginalized groups, as well as international organizations and agencies.
- Providing a free and open forum for dialogue and debate, thereby contributing to freedom of speech, opinion, and participation.
- Utilizing its diverse networks to bridge within and between states and societies in the Arab world, and between it and other geographic regions.
- Enhancing access to information and encouraging collective thinking and collective actions based on research.
- Mobilizing national, regional, and international resources and expertise.
- Promoting a holistic approach to transformation through inclusive participation in its programs.
- Participating in the education and training of the next generation of Arab leaders, professionals and practitioners.
The Center's Team
The work of the Renaissance Center revolves around seven programs led by a strong and highly professional team; its executive committee consists of a group of senior advisors, and a Board of Advisors has total oversight of its work. Senior researchers and research assistants work together with and benefit from the support of interns from various universities, thus giving young people the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the field of research on the Arab world. The center seeks to include the diverse experience of researchers to ensure that it represents different ages, cultural groups, and fields of expertise to stimulate creativity, expand thought, and search for new solutions for many of the issues that need to be addressed.
Our approach
The center´s various programs collectively promote its organizational objectives through the following activities:
- Localized research and publications in both Arabic and English on themes and issues where there is a gap in data and analysis.
- Direct engagement, advocacy, and campaigning.
- Networking and entering partnerships that establish and expand communities of participation in the public sphere and can function as catalysts for new initiatives and joint action.
- Provision of a convening space for discussion, dialogue, and debate.
- Education, capacity building, and raising awareness in the center’s fields of expertise.
- Youth empowerment and leadership development, including mentoring junior scholars, professionals, and practitioners.
Al Nahda Guide
ARDD and The American University of Beirut signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase outreach among interested readers about Al-Nahda. The Al-Nahda (Arabic Renaissance) Guide was created to help those interested in the study of the Arabic Renaissance that began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The bilingual guide (Arabic and English) includes resources about the pioneers of al-Nahda, publications, books by al-Nahda writers as well as those about al-Nahda, societies from the time period, and the Feminist Renaissance. Great thinkers and intellectuals of the Arabic Renaissance, from Rafi’a al-Tahtawi to Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, provide the inspirational basis for ARDD’s mission. By making their works, impacts, and personalities known, their legacy lives on and so that we can pick up where they left off.