The International Journal of Levant Studies (IJLS) is the academic journal of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization headquartered in Bucharest, Romania. The periodical is published on an annual basis.
The motivation behind the creation of the International Journal of Levant Studies was couched on the observation that the study of Levantine history, archaeology and linguistics, of its sciences, arts, cultures and civilizations, of cultural diplomacy and of Mediterranean politics, sociology and religions was hardly being approached in a unified manner by existing national and international academic publications.
The project of our Journal aims to encapsulate the perspectives of contemporary academic experts undertaking research on the Levant in order to provide new insights into current developments in the region, as well as potential solutions to conflicts underpinned by historical and cultural motivations. The IJLS aims to develop a holistic, forward-looking perspective on the region, starting from specific analyses of its tangible and intangible heritage, of the traditions and religious myths born in this area, as well as identifying potential conflicts approached through the prism of cultural diplomacy. These editorial objectives have long been a desired goal in scholarly research, both in Romania and many other Central and South-Eastern European countries. The theories underpinning the historical sciences, as well as current geopolitical developments, in intersection with practical field studies in the disciplines of cultural geology, geography, biology, archaeology, sociology and ethnology, shall constitute the main avenues of evaluation and research, pathways open to both established specialists and to those from younger generations interested in coming to know the broader context of the Levantine region on whose stability world peace has historically depended.
The IJLS addresses the Levantine cultural agenda and its global engagement from an interdisciplinary perspective, one that can both serve to identify solutions to current crises and anticipate their evolution, with the aim of shaping a vision and strategy for sustainable regional development predicated on analyses and continuities from distant history to the modern period.
The Journal advocates for the abandonment of cultural and ethnic stereotypes and for the reconsecration of the Levantine space as a coherent and sustainable region whose stability is closely intertwined with that of the cultures and traditions that comprise it. Our Journal encourages research into both the history and the present of communities with Levantine origins, our impetus in this endeavour stemming from the real need to offer an alternative to the lack of vision towards and global cultural and diplomatic engagement with the Levantine region.
The far-reaching cultural themes and the many points of convergence that the IJLS proposes to append to the international scholarly research agenda can best find their expression in the links, ties and routes that range between the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans and the Caucasus. These regions have shaped their cultural image and identity under the influence of the many currents generated by the biblical Levant of the distant past (defined, today, by the geographical and cultural space of Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon), and have coexisted under successive imperial authorities. Through its proceedings, the Journal seeks to explore historical glimpses and present-day realities highlighting the cultural richness of this region that has been home to countless peoples who have passed down their culture, religion, philosophy, science and democracy to this day.