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Arab Spring's impact on science through the lens of scholarly attention, funding, and migration
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Arab Spring's impact on science through the lens of scholarly attention, funding, and migration

Yasaman Asgari, Hongyu Zhou, Ozgur Kadir Ozer, Rezvaneh Rezapour, Mary Ellen Sloane and Alexandre Bovet
Scientometrics, Forthcoming
30 May 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-026-05615-z
url
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-026-05615-zView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications Information Science & Library Science Science & Technology Computer Science Technology
The 2010-2011 Arab Spring reverberated far beyond politics, reshaping how the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is studied. Analyzing 3.6 million Scopus-indexed articles published between 2002 and 2019, we find that mentions of ten of these countries in titles or abstracts rose significantly after 2011 relative to the global baseline, with Egypt receiving the greatest attention in the region. We link this surge to two intertwined mechanisms: an increase in research funding directed to the MENA region and the emigration of researchers who continued publishing about their countries of origin. Our analysis reveals that Saudi Arabia has emerged as a regional hub for research on the target countries, providing funding and attracting scholars and thereby playing a significant role in shaping the scientific narrative on the region. These findings demonstrate how political upheaval can reshape global knowledge flows by altering who studies whom, with what resources, and in which disciplines.

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