MESA 2026
November 21-24, 2026
Hilton Boston Park Plaza

 

We Invite You to Join Us in Boston

We can’t wait to welcome you to Boston in a few months! Every MESA meeting is unique, but this one marks a special milestone. This is the Association’s 60th annual meeting. Middle East studies today looks nothing like it did in 1966. Developments in our field of study and the growth of MESA over the past six decades stand as a testament to the dedication of thousands of scholars, the MESA staff, and all of us invested in MESA.

As at every meeting since 1966, this year’s attendees will find over 300 sessions representing the vast breadth of the work being done by our colleagues, as well as displays of new books and screenings of new films.

To mark this occasion, we will also have several special events reflecting on the past and where we might go from here. These include a special session featuring past presidents of MESA discussing how they led the organization through major events involving the region in the past 30 years, the challenges they faced, how MESA responded, and the effects of those responses. A special session, MESA at 60: The Past, Present, and Future of Middle East Studies, is about the evolution of the field and where we might go from here. A roundtable, Teaching MES in Different Generations: Culture Wars, Geopolitics, Retaliation, and the Teacher, will discuss 60 years of undergraduate teaching

We will also be celebrating this anniversary in other ways, including through a special exhibit, and at the awards ceremony and reception. It will be an excellent time to reflect on how far we have come as a field and organization, and to think about our collective future.

Boston has always been one of our more popular meeting sites, so you are likely to find many of your friends and colleagues there. If you’d like some fresh air, you might venture out to explore Boston’s Little Syria, to visit the Armenian Museum of America, to take in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s Arts of Islamic Cultures Gallery, or to sample any of the fine fare around town. Of course, MESA is, perhaps primarily, a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues in the halls before and after sessions and over coffee or a meal. And of course, let’s not forget the dance party!

None of this happens on its own. We are particularly grateful for the incredibly dedicated staff of MESA for making the organization run so smoothly, this year and for the past sixty years. We also want to thank the Program Committee for this year’s conference who volunteered their time and expertise with such a formidable task. And we want to thank members of the 60th Anniversary Committee and the MESA Executive Board for making this a meeting to remember.

In this year marking the semiquincentennial of the United States, and in Boston no less, it is worth reflecting on the fact that MESA has existed for 24% of these 250 years. MESA is a vital organization—to North America and the Middle East and to the world. On behalf of the Program Committee, the 60th Anniversary Committee, and the MESA staff, we wish you a stimulating and enjoyable conference.

Alan Mikhail
Chair, Program Committee

Jessica Winegar
Chair, MESA 60th Anniversary Committee
 

Registration

All are invited to register for the MESA's 60th Annual Meeting. Please see the registration page for further details on rates, policies, and deadlines. The conference is the largest of its kind with an estimated 2000 attendees. The deadline to pre-register and receive the discounted rates is October 23, 2026. 

Hotel

Hilton Boston Park Plaza
50 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116
The room rate is $209 for single occupancy (before taxes and fees).
Please make your reservation in MESA's room block through this link.  
Reserve by October 27, 2026, to receive the discounted rate.

 

Questions?

Email [email protected] with your questions or inquiries.

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