LACNAD research projects

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The research group Langues et Cultures du Nord de l’Afrique et Diasporas (EA 4092) is dedicated to the study of the languages and cultures of North Africa—specifically the Berber, Maghrebian Arabic, and Judeo-Maghrebian fields—both in their original contexts and within diasporic settings, particularly in the western Mediterranean and Europe. Its members conduct research in the fields of linguistics, sociolinguistics, literature, and cultural studies, including cultural anthropology, history, sociology of culture, and the arts.

History of Berber literary studies (Daniela Merolla) (CRT research leave in 2024 and CNRS delegation welcome in 2025).

Encyclopédie berbère: the last volumes V - Z are in preparation (https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/)
Publication director: Salem CHAKER 
Scientific advisory board - Editorial board:  
D. Abrous (Univ. Bejaia): sociocultural anthropology
A. Bounfour (Inalco): literature
H. Claudot-Hawad (Cnrs, Aix): ethnology - anthropology (Tuaregs)
J. Desanges (Ephe): ancient history; historical geography
S. Hachi (Cnrpah, Algiers): prehistory 
J.-P. Laporte (Paris): ancient history
D. Merolla (INALCO, Paris): literature
A. Mettouchi (Ephe, Paris): linguistics
K. Naït-Zerrad (Inalco): language and linguistics
J. Onrubia Pintado (UCLM, Madrid): protohistory
C. Roubet (Iph, Paris): prehistory
L. Serra (Univ. "L'Orientale", Naples): linguistics
P. Trousset (CCJ, Univ. Aix-Marseille): ancient history


The electronic series "Verba Africana" www.verbafricana.org
The central premise of the Verba Africana series is that both textual content and performance are fundamental to the classification, description, and interpretation of oral literatures, as well as to the appreciation of their aesthetic qualities and modes of reception. Elements such as intonation and gesture, musical accompaniment, interaction between poet or storyteller and audience, attire, setting, and the broader performance context are integral to the study and teaching of (North) African languages and literatures. These aspects can now, at least in part, be captured through audiovisual recordings, thereby enriching both textual and contextual analysis. The Verba Africana series seeks to achieve this by offering a combined textual and audiovisual presentation of performances and scholarly research on oral literature.
Direction: Daniela Merolla

Projet cinéma berbère : This research project explores the continuity and distinctive features of Amazigh cinema across the various languages spoken in Algeria and Morocco. Simultaneously, it seeks to situate these films within the broader contexts of African cinema—both north and south of the Sahara—and global cinema. Direction: Daniela Merolla
 

Patrimonio sociolingüístico en el Magreb: tradición oral y capital cultural, directed by Ángeles Vicente (Universidad de Zaragoza). Project funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad / Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (España).


Tunisia's Linguistic Terra Incognita: An Investigation into the Arabic Varieties of Northwestern and Central Tunisia, directed by Veronika Ritt-Benmimoun (Universität Wien). Project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): https ://tunocent.acdh.oeaw.ac.at/
 

SOCIOFEM - Sociolectos femeninos en el mundo arabófono: especificidad y variación del Magreb al Mashreq led by Ángeles Vicente (Universidad de Zaragoza). Project funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad / Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (España).
 

LIST of full team members

Abrous, Dahbia, MCF emeritus

Aït Ferroukh, Farida MCF

Atlan, Gabrielle, MCF

Barontini, Alexandrine, MCF

Bounfour, Abdellah, PU, emeritus

Caubet, Dominique, PU, emeritus

Chaker, Salem, Pu, emeritus (Aix-MArseille)

Merolla, Daniela, PU

Naït Zerad, KAmal, PU

Ouaksel, Ouzna, Staff

Pereira, Christophe, PU

Tedghi, Joseph, PU

Yelles, Mourad, PU, emeritus