Research Program Structure

Research Training and Instruments (WP2)

DECRIPT's research programs rest on a toolkit of qualitative and mixed research methods common to social sciences, including discourse analysis, lexicometry, genealogy of concepts, ethnographic fieldwork, and semi-structured interviews. Given the current geopolitical tensions surrounding data collection and management, DECRIPT will leverage the consortium's technological capacity to analyze information from regions that have become inaccessible or difficult to access with politically sensitive research agendas. This approach builds on the consortium's expertise in Linguistic and automatic language processing in written and oral speech, allowing the analysis of political discourse and emotions (ERTIM); on the geography of data flows and data control (GEODE); and on the mining of multiple data-bases combined with storage of essential digital data (HumaNum)

Decript will also develop online training modules for doctoral and experienced researchers. Based on the result of Inalco's survey assessing researchers' methodological needs in the face of field access restrictions, the modules will incorporate developments on the tracing of digital footprints and AI applications in language and area studies, as well as in open-source data collection, processing and visualization. Data management, research integrity and the prevention of foreign interference will be addressed through dedicated modules.

Cross-functional Program on Multilateral Governance and Civilizational Narratives (WP3)

WP3 serves as DECRIPT's backbone. It examines macro-level changes in the international system and compares the political and institutional effects of specific civilizational narratives on the world stage. Led by Inalco in collaboration with Paris Panthéon-Assas and Sciences Po Paris, WP3 brings together scholars from fields including political science, international relations, law, history, economics and communication studies to develop a typology of contestations against the international system and universal norms, moving beyond simplistic "Global South" vs. "West" categorisations; to assess the evolution of civilizational narratives within various international arenas (UN-system institutions, OIC, BRICS, etc.) to highlight how contestations of universalism impact collective efforts to address global challenges such as conflict resolution, weapons control, development, climate change, natural resources management, and migration; and to examine North American and European actors' projection of values, exploring how it faces increasing criticism on the ground of neo-imperialism and investigating Western actors’s shift from universalist to more civilizational narratives.

Indo-Pacific program - Focus on China (WP4)

WP4 examines the Indo-Pacific region as a crucible of competing worldviews. It explores the spectrum of civilizational narratives underpinning conflicting geopolitical agendas, from those presented as compatible with the current world order while drawing on reinvented "local" references (e.g. India's incorporation of Hindu concepts in foreign policy) to more differentialist perspectives (e.g. China's use of historical references to reshape regional and global order). The program investigates how such narratives legitimize emerging nations' reformist claims on global governance structures, concrete geopolitical objectives, and political or economic models. This work package places a particular emphasis on China as a key actor in shaping civilizational discourse in international relations.

Africa program - Focus on Sahel (WP5)

WP5 explores how civilizational narratives actualize post-colonial divides in political discourse, considering their interplay with resurging sovereignty claims in African societies and international relations, local conflict dynamics, and governance models. It pays attention to the role of religious beliefs and local institutions in shaping these narratives, and how they are also fueled both by local and external actors, notably China and Russia, to challenge Western-led development and presence, and to legitimize non-democratic governance practices. This work package focuses particularly on the Sahel region as a focal point for competing narratives and external influences, while examining their broader continental and international implications.

Middle East Program - Focus on the Near East (WP6)

WP6 studies the Middle East as a juncture of multilevel tensions involving civilizational narratives that have also influenced global imaginaries. It examines the changing and contested nature of civilizational and identity politics in the region, from Pan-Arabism and (neo)-Ottomanism to pan-Islamist perspectives. The Israeli-Arab conflict and its neighboring developments, notably in Lebanon, serves as a focal point, exploring how it has generated transnational solidarities, shaped discourses of justice and legitimacy and influenced mobilization practices beyond the region.

Eastern Europe-Russia-Central Asia-Caucasus Program - Focus on Ukraine (WP7)

WP7 covers a region marked by a shared past of multinational empires, socialist experimentation, and challenging integration into the liberal international order. It examines the development of contrasting civilizational narratives across States, reflecting a spectrum of worldviews that range from embracing European identity and political liberalism (e.g. Baltic states, Ukraine) to a wide range of anti-liberal postures (e.g., Hungary, Poland, Russia, Serbia). The program explores how civilizationism has been weaponized in regional conflicts, notably in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but also in tensions such as Armenia-Azerbaijan, Georgia-Russia, or Serbia-Kosovo-Albania. Placing a particular emphasis on Ukraine, this WP also investigates how these narratives bridge contestations of the liberal world order from the Global South with internal challenges to liberal democracy in Western societies, blending left-wing and right-wing anticolonial traditions.