Al-Nahda Thought Center
The Center is an independent think tank based in Jordan that operates within the organizational framework of 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. Al-Nahda, which translates as “renaissance” or “rebirth”, is not affiliated with any government or political movement.
Al-Nahda stands for 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. Al-Nahda 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 its other conflicts, and policies that effectively address the climate emergency.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Participating in the education and training of the next generation of Arab leaders, professionals and practitioners.
- Utilizing its diverse networks to bridge within and between states and societies in the Arab world, and between it and other geographic regions.
The Center's Team
The work of the Al-Nahda Center is structured around seven programs, each led by a Senior Advisor who together with ARDD’s CEO constitute the Center’s Executive Committee. In addition to the Senior Advisors, the Center comprises a Coordinator and several (Senior) Research Officers and Research Assistants (including interns).
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.
