About Us
NACSS works with researchers and scholarly institutions based in North America and works in tandem with the Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) a regional non-profit organization based in Beirut, Lebanon dedicated to the promotion and support of the social sciences and humanities in the Arab Region. The close relationship between NAACSS and the ACSS enables building strong, equitable global research communities and practices, with a special focus on linking diaspora scholars and scholarship to regional research communities.
NAACSS provides grants and fellowships to individuals and institutions, organizes training, networking and dissemination events and provides opportunities for collaboration and exchange between scholars of/on the Arab region and the larger Middle East.
Supporting research and academic collaborations for better understandings of the Arab region & Middle East
Commitment to Knowledge
NAACSS believes that building knowledge societies requires the promotion of high-quality, independent, and innovative social science research. Our work strengthens scholarship while contributing to informed public debate on key issues.
Collaboration & Capacity-Building
NAACSS supports individual scholars, institutions, and research communities focused on the Arab region and its diasporas. By enhancing their capacity, we encourage independent research, create forums for exchange, and promote the role of the social sciences in serving the public interest.
Academic Freedom & Integrity
NAACSS is committed to upholding independent thought, critical inquiry, and academic freedom, believing that global networks must be restructured to ensure fairness, ethics, and shared responsibility.
Board of Directors
NAACSS Board of Directors is composed of 14 members who represent different disciplinary, geographical, gender and generational backgrounds. Importantly, the Board shares many common members with the ACSS Board of Trustees, ensuring good communication and synergy between the missions and programs of the two organizations.
The Board meets at least once a year and is responsible for, among other tasks, appointing the Chair of the Board and overseeing the Executive Director’s performance. Furthermore, the Board oversees and approves the general financial and administrative policies of NAACSS and engages in strategic planning and fundraising. The Board’s Audit & Finance sub-committee makes recommendations that are then shared with the full Board for final approval.
2025-2027
Board Members
Mohammed Bamyeh
Chair
Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh
Driss Maghraoui
Vice-Chair
Associate Professor of history and international relations at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco
Abaher El Sakka
Associate Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Birzeit University.
Fadma Ait Mous
Professor of Sociology at Aïn Chock Faculty of Letters and the Humanities (University Hassan II of Casablanca)
Rima Majed
Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB)
Mona Fawaz
Professor in Urban Studies and Planning at the American University of Beirut
Amina El Mekaoui
Secretary
Conacyt Chair at the Dr. Hideyo Noguchi Regional Research Center, Social Sciences Unit, Autonomous University of Yucatan
Suad Joseph
Distinguished Research Professor at the University of California, Davis
Mounir Saidani
Professor of Sociology and full-time researcher in Sociology at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies and Researches (CERES)
Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab
Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Dina Rizk Khoury
Treasurer
Professor Emeritus of History at George Washington University
Akeel Almarai
University for Foreigners of Siena
Afrah Jasim
Baghdad University
Saker El Nour
Reseau TANMO
Staff
Seteney Shami
Executive Director
Holly Danzeisen
Senior Administrator and Program Manager
Partnerships and Funders
We are proud to recognize the institutional supporters who help further our work
Partnerships are vital to our mission of restructuring global networks to ensure they are more equitable and collaborative.
Individual donations
For further information on becoming a donor, please contact Holly Danzeisen at danzeisen@naacss.org