Arabic podcast ‘Connecting Social Research to Society’ marks one year, commits to broader inclusion

An academic podcast (predominantly) in Arabic that completed its first successful year in May 2025 is poised to expand its scope.

Founded and launched by Professor Sari Hanafi of the American University of Beirut (AUB), the podcast is called ‘Connecting Social Research to Society’, and is part of the Portal for Social Impact of Scientific Research (also called the Athar platform). Hanafi had also founded the Athar platform (in October 2018).

This is a screenshot of Professor Sari Hanafi's
email--dated June 4, 2025--to the Sociology of Islam listserv, founded and managed by Tuğrul Keskin.

Launching the podcast last year on Athar, Hanafi had posted a statement referring to the series as a component of AUB’s ‘Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, and the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies’; he had also noted the collaborative roles of 'the Faaloun Center and the Arab Council for the Social Sciences' in its production. The same statement had also promised that the series would have additional episodes hosted by Mabrouk Boutkhoukha—also spelt as Mabrouk Bou Takouka—'a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Batna 1, and Director of the Faaloun Center'.

In a June 4, 2025 message posted on the Sociology of Islam listerv, Hanafi celebrated the completion of the podcast’s first anniversary, noting that the series had put out 55 interviews with researchers from a range of countries—including non-Arabic countries ‘such as France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Malaysia, the UK, Australia, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.’

His message also mentions the podcast’s ‘aim to expand’ the geographic and disciplinary diversity of its guests—and to have more female researchers as invitees to the episodes. Hanafi aims to increase the portion of female invitees from the existing ‘one-third to at least half of our featured guests.’

The podcast—accessible here—puts out new episodes every Wednesday, the message also notes.

A highly respected researcher, writer, and teacher, Hanafi has authored a number of articles and books, including Studying Islam in the Arab World: The Rupture Between Religion and the Social Sciences (Routledge, 2025).

Connecting Social Research to Society (Podcast): https://science-and-society.captivate.fm/listen