1Égypte Soudan Mondes arabes (ESMA) promotes empirically grounded social science research on contemporary Egypt and Sudan and other countries of the MENA region.

2ESMA is a continuation of Égypte/Monde arabe (EMA), a journal published by the Center for Economic, Legal and Social Studies and Documentation (CEDEJ) since 1990. With 63 issues, EMA enjoys a solid scientific reputation among researchers working on the Arab region. The journal published innovative articles by authors with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and academic careers. Many of these pieces have become key references in the literature on Egypt and the region. All articles published are available online for free.

3In 2019, after consulting with colleagues from Egypt, Sudan, and other parts of the region, the research team of CEDEJ evaluated the journal and carefully considered its editorial line and development prospects. The team restructured the journal's governance bodies, institutionalized a double-blind peer review process, and gave a greater place to research conducted on and in Sudan, which until now was underrepresented, even though CEDEJ has a branch in Khartoum. We decided to publish more texts in English and Arabic and to distribute the journal more widely to diversify both the readership and the authors we select.

4To add Sudan to the name of the journal is a way to pursue the scientific adventure that we began in the 1990s when we opened a branch of CEDEJ in Khartoum. Past issues of Égypte/Monde arabe featured Sudan as the subject of several special dossiers and articles. However, the study of Sudan remained marginal in the journal, as it indeed remains in studies of the region. ESMA breaks with this tradition, frees itself from the arbitrary divisions we inherited from centuries of subordination, and treats Sudan on a par with Egypt.

5To reflect this new orientation we created an Editorial Board that includes thirty colleagues from various nationalities and academic backgrounds (see the Board composition). The Board decided to change the name of the journal to Égypte Soudan Mondes arabes to emphasize the connected histories that link the region’s societies, economies, and cultures through multiple networks of exchange. ESMA recognizes that common questions preoccupy both countries, from the climate catastrophe to the politics of water, land grabs, urbanization, class, and race. The relations between Egypt and Sudan are the result of multiple circulations of populations, material goods, ideas, and political practices that ESMA will examine in their diversity and continuity. By referring to the “Arab worlds” in a plural form, the journal’s new name also stresses the unity and plurality of the Arab region.

6This new version of the journal is organized in different sections that explore various strands of research and encourage creativity among the region’s junior and senior scholars.

7Special Feature gathers five to seven research articles around a common theme.

8Varia welcomes articles that either offer an original theoretical contribution or examine an undocumented topic: ESMA values informative papers based on rich empirical research. This section also welcomes articles that sum up recent advances in a field or subfield of inquiry.

9To these two signature sections, we added less conventional approaches. Research Notes are brief reports on a new idea, theoretical perspective, research program, methodological approach, or addition to the literature. The short format allows for effective communication, without extended theoretical apparatus or detailed analysis.

10Sources and Materials open a space to discuss research sources and materials: these may be annotated chronologies, translated documents, visual materials, interviews, ethnographic descriptions, and all other materials that allow researchers to make sense of the social world. In this section junior and senior scholars may test their research toolkits and receive early feedback on them. This section contributes to the ongoing conversation on what an archive is. At a time when official archives in the region have become nearly inaccessible, researchers need to access or create alternative archives, thus renewing our understanding of sources and history.

11Finally, a Reviews section welcomes critical reviews of books, edited volumes, special issues of journals, documentary films, and exhibitions. We will accept and encourage reviews of older books and articles, provided that they speak to research in a new fashion.

12We wish you a pleasant reading and writing experience, welcome to ESMA!