La Manouba International Summer School
Human Rights & Democratic Transition: Between Hopes & Risks
18 - 23 August 2013, Université de la Manouba, Carthage, Tunisia

The second GR:EEN – GEM PhD Summer School, organised by the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) will be held in Carthage (Tunisia), in partnership with the Manouba University in Tunisia. The chosen topic is 'The Arab Spring, Domestic Democratic Transitions and the Evolving Euro-Mediterranean Framework'.

The choice of the host university – Manouba University in Tunisia – will provide students with direct access to a political and intellectual environment in the midst of its own transition. The association of high level global research networks will provide a Summer School with the scope, resources and quality to be expected from a world class international doctoral training and research exercise. GR:EEN – as an integrated research programme involving 16 universities – and GEM – as an Erasmus Mundus global PhD School – will further enhance the diversity, profile and expertise of the participating researchers and academics.


The summer school’s inter-disciplinary approach implies the inclusion of a broad range of perspectives. Interventions are to be given by: EU and Area Studies experts, historians, political scientists, economists, lawyers, Security Analysts and sociologists will provide participants with complementary insights. Overall, the expertise garnered by the Summer School will help participants to further their own work, as well as better understand the complex and multidimensional changes affecting the Arab world.

Mornings are devoted to a set of topical panels on the regional and global implications of the Arab Spring. Afternoons will include doctoral workshops focussing on the international implications and comparative lessons to be drawn from the experience of transition in the Arab world and beyond.

Doctoral workshops
The themes of the four doctoral workshops are:
• The Politics and Policies of Transition: Ensuing Human Security Challenges
• Transitional Polities and Norms: Human and Fundamental Rights Protection
• Regime Building and the Politics of Transition: Challenges facing Democratisation
• Transition and Uncertainties: Hopes & Risks for the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Moving Forward

The workshops are designed to meet the needs of maximum 25 PhD students.

Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English, as it is the PhD Summer School’s working language. Participants are expected to attend all sessions and auxiliary events of the seminar. The programme has foreseen a limited mobility fund to provide a select number of students with some financial support towards travel & housing costs. Those seeking such financial aid must make a specific request upon applying.

Application process
Selected PhD Students can be withheld as either 'paper-givers' or 'participants':
• 'Paper-givers' will be expected to present the suggested paper – after having circulated it at least one week in advance. Both an attending academic and a fellow student will discuss the presented research. Subsequently, presented work will be published in the GREEN-GEM Working Papers Series.
• 'Participating students' will be given a variety of roles, be it as discussant for presentations submitted by their peers, or in a range of other capacities aimed at fostering interaction between the participants.
Selection critera
• Academic profile
• Relevance of the Suggested Presentation

Content of applications
• An academic CV
• Title of the Fellow’s ongoing Thesis project - Incl. Supervisor(s)
• A 1 page long abstract describing the candidate’s suggested presentation
• An indication whether the candidate requires any financial assistance to cover their costs. If this is the case, applicants are expected to justify their request and provide an estimate of the needed support.

All applications should be sent to erasmusmundus-gem@ulb.ac.be.

Deadline for applications: 28 June 2013

Download full programme.