Academic international research teams: Chances and limitations of equal collaboration

Academic international research projects serve as a crucial method in promoting inclusion, diversity and equity of communication researchers across various nations. However, empirical research on the involvement of Arab researchers in these academic international research teams is limited, despite the growing emphasis on de-westernizing media studies and encouraging academic cosmopolitanism within the field of communication studies. This chapter addresses this gap by examining the multifaceted factors that influence the involvement of Arab communication researchers in international collaborations. The chapter discusses these factors at three levels: structural, individual, institutional and contextual. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part provides an overview of the opportunities and potential benefits of involving Arab communication researchers to represent their countries in international research projects. In contrast, the second part discusses the challenges that Arab communication researchers encounter when participating in international research teams.