K N O W L E D G E P R O D U C T I O N P R O J E C T ( K P P - U S )
The Knowledge Production Project (KPP) is a dynamic, open-access archive, search tool, and data visualization platform. This project, almost a decade in the making, endeavors to gather, organize, and make available for analysis all knowledge produced on the Middle East since 1979.
Our English-language archive, now composed of eight separate databases, systematically catalogues peer-reviewed journals, books, dissertations, translated books, book reviews, think tank papers, films and television programs, and websites.
Understanding that the production of and access to knowledge is never an impartial or equitable process, the Knowledge Production Project was founded to create new capacities for identifying and redressing these disparities. To that end, the platform encompasses five interactive search and data visualization tools that give users unprecedented access to sources of information about the Middle East, while simultaneously providing insight into the ways in which that knowledge is impacted by the conditions of its creation and transmission.
Our English-language archive, now composed of eight separate databases, systematically catalogues peer-reviewed journals, books, dissertations, translated books, book reviews, think tank papers, films and television programs, and websites.
Understanding that the production of and access to knowledge is never an impartial or equitable process, the Knowledge Production Project was founded to create new capacities for identifying and redressing these disparities. To that end, the platform encompasses five interactive search and data visualization tools that give users unprecedented access to sources of information about the Middle East, while simultaneously providing insight into the ways in which that knowledge is impacted by the conditions of its creation and transmission.
The Knowledge Production Project creates the opportunity for the general public, decision makers, scholars, and researchers to explore the data we accumulate and derive insight on the process of knowledge production. These datasets are integrated into five different visualizations, which combine ease of use with technical flexibility to encourage long-term user engagement.
D A T A V I S U A L I Z A T I O N
The KPP platform has five separate data visualization portals, which depict filtered searches within datasets to better demonstrate patterns and trends. Each portal combines a simple interface with well-developed databases and a carefully constructed coding structure.
T R E N D S I N K N O W L E D G E P R O D U C T I O N
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O N L I N E S O U R C E S O F K N O W L E D G E
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T H I N K T A N K E X P L O R E R
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C O N N E C T I O N S
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K N O W L E D G E P R O D U C T I O N O V E R T I M E
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K N O W L E D G E P R O D U C T I O N P R O J E C T D A T A B A S E S
P E E R - R E V I E W E D A R T I C L E S
The objective of the Peer-Reviewed Articles Database is to catalogue all peer-reviewed articles, as well as scholarly reviews of articles, books, and other works of knowledge production, published about the Arab and Muslim world from 1979 to the present. The database’s main sources are the JSTOR catalogue, Web-based searches, and third party lists of journals focusing on the Middle East.
B O O K S
The objective of the Books Database is to catalogue books published in the English language since 1979 that have produced knowledge about the Middle East. The sources used to identify entries for the database include well-known academic publishers, open-access Web searches, the Books In Print database, existing hubs and websites listing publishers, and academic institutions.
T R A N S L A T E D B O O K S
The objective of the Translated Books Database is to catalogue all Arabic-language books that have been translated into other languages from 1979 to the present. The database’s main sources are UNESCO’s Index Translationum (IT), which is self-described as “an international bibliography of translations” and the University of Rochester’s Three Percent website, which compiles an annual list of translated books in the United States. Other sources for data mining include publisher websites from North America and Great Britain.
T H I N K T A N K S
The objective of the Think Tanks Database is to collect and categorize data on US and European think tanks that work on issues related to the Middle East. This database is unique among the KPP databases in the way it seeks to represent broader and more comprehensive kinds of data regarding think tanks, other institutions of influence and power, the people who work for them, and the knowledge they produce. The database’s main sources include think tank websites, the US Government Publishing Office, and IRS Form 990s (used by nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations). The database of fifty-three think tanks was compiled after reviewing multiple studies on the topic of think tanks and policy.
M I D D L E E A S T I N C Y B E R S P A C E
The objective of the Middle East in Cyberspace Database (MECS) is to collect and categorize websites and blogs producing knowledge on the MENA region. Its ultimate purpose is to provide a framework for systematically understanding the conversation about the region occurring over the Internet. The Middle East in Cyberspace database is a catalogue of every website that produces knowledge written in English on the Middle East and North Africa since the 1990s. Since the Internet has no readily available systematic record or archive, the MECS team has used various informal sources and methods to identify websites that meet database criteria, including, but not limited to: blogrolls, word of mouth, extensive research using search engines, aggregates, and media outlets.
F I L M S / D O C U M E N T A R I E S / T E L E V I S I O N
The objective of the Films, Documentaries, and Television Database (FDTD) is to catalogue works (i.e., fictional feature films, television shows, and documentaries) that feature some kind of narrative on the Arab and/or Muslim worlds from 1979 to the present and that are funded or co-funded by Western production companies. The database’s main sources are open-source listings focusing on films, documentaries, and television shows (including serials) that feature the Arab and/or Muslim worlds in some capacity. Database listings are data mined from web-based searches that include journals, newspapers, film festivals, and reviews searches. Works are also gleaned from scholarship on the topic.
R E V I E W S
The objective of the Reviews Database is to catalogue reviews of works (i.e., books, articles, and cultural productions) on the Arab and Muslim world from 1979 to the present, published in peer-reviewed journals. The database’s main sources are the JSTOR catalogue, Web-based searches, and third party lists of journals focusing on the Middle East.
D I S S E R T A T I O N S
The objective of the Dissertations Database is to catalogue all English-language doctoral dissertations on subject matter related to the Middle East or the field of Middle East Studies from 1979 to the present. The database’s main source is the ProQuest archive, which allows data on dissertations to be downloaded from the website en masse. The database team has supplemented this archive with individual entries that have been referenced by our supporting network of scholars.
