Dr. Karim Ouaras is an Algerian sociolinguist and an associate professor in the French department at the University of Oran 2 in Algeria. He is also the associate director of the Centre d’Études Maghrébines en Algérie, a research center affiliated with the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS), which is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). 

He currently teaches sociolinguistics, semiotics, (critical) discourse analysis, and research methodology. His research interests include graffiti and public space in Algeria, language variation and language practices in time and space, culture, identity and Nation-State in North Africa, Spoken Arabic and Berber languages, language planning and legislation, multilingualism, and language in contact. His central focus is on understanding the complex relationship between languages, signs, public space, discourse, and power in North Africa.