Maydan is the first Italian journal of studies on the Arab, Semitic and Islamic worlds run by PhD students, graduates and master students, whose main purpose is to encourage the production of first research articles by young scholars.

This platform stands as a continuous training path that involves authors and editors, encouraging them to reflect on research and develop the skills necessary for the production, editing and dissemination of scientific articles. In this way, Maydan wants to support the entry of young scholars into the world of research and encourage contacts and dialogue.

Maydan revolves around a broad conception of the Arab, Semitic and Islamic worlds, which includes the geographical areas of the Middle-East, North Africa, the Sahel region, Caucasus, Central and South-East Asia. Maydan also invites submissions regarding the connections between these geographical areas and Europe, North America and other continents. In addition, the journal aims to explore the presence, and the experiences of the Arab, Semitic and Islamic Worlds outside the regions traditionally characterised as “Arab” or “Islamic” and highlight differences within these worlds. Maydan welcomes contributions focused on the connections between these areas and other communities and the globalised world’s political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics.

Furthermore, the journal aims to support a critical reflection on the concept of Area Studies, problematising culturalist approaches that reproduce an essentialist and colonialist vision of the Arab, Semitic and Islamic Worlds. Therefore, Maydan welcomes contributions capable of deconstructing these research methodologies and proposing innovative methods and research questions. Besides the problematisation of culturalist approaches often used in Area Studies, the journal calls to reflect on research approaches focusing on the dynamics of interconnection and interdependence existing in different contexts. It is fundamental for Maydan 's vision to capture these Worlds’ specificities, analyse its internal dynamics and historical periods, and avoid “exceptionalist” definitions.

Maydan is published annually. The articles submitted are subjected to a double peer review process, which also envisages, when necessary, the help of an international scientific committee, made up of academics from various disciplines. The accepted languages ​​are Italian, English and French, in order to promote the international profile and circulation of the magazine.

The magazine accepts contributions from PhD students, graduates and master students from foreign and Italian universities.