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The new MESA Academic Freedom Initiative website offers datasets tracking threats to academic freedom in the U.S. and Canada. It also provides research and analysis of campus climate, academic freedom, and related policy changes at universities and colleges across North America since October 7, 2023.
Our letter expressing concern about the launching of an investigation by New York University’s Title VI Office of a number of NYU students and faculty for alleged violation of the university’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy (NDAH)
The 55th Annual Conference of the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies invites paper submissions around the annual theme “Islam, Ethics and Environment”
Our letter expressing concern about Dean Alberto Cuitiño’s decision to cancel the graduation address that Arcellx chair and CEO Rami Elghandour had been invited to deliver on 15 May 2026 at Rutgers University’s School of Engineering
The Department of Middle Eastern South Asian and African Studies at invites applications for a position in Hebrew language instruction to be filled at the rank of Lecturer in Discipline, beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2029
Aarhus U invites chapter proposals for an author workshop and edited volume exploring humanistic ap-proaches to the Sharia in Islamic fiqh and theology.
DSJ invites submissions for its 2026 issue, seeking original research on Druze history, society, culture, faith, and politics.
The conference welcomes applications from both scholars and practitioners working in the field of cross-border cooperation.
The Middle East Institute invites applications for the Arcapita Visiting Professorship in Modern Arab Studies for the spring 2027 semester.
MESA Past President Aslı Bâli has written an article in the latest issue of MERIP entitled "Fighting the Campus Crackdown: Why the Middle East Studies Association Took the Trump Administration to Court."
Our letter expressing cconcern about the decision of the University of Washington to remove Associate Professor Aria Fani, who holds the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Professorship in Persian and Iranian Studies, from his position as director of the Middle East Center at the University’s Jackson School of International Studies
The Department of Political Science and Public Administration invites applications for two open rank (Assistant/Associate/Full Professor) positions in Turkish Politics and in Political Theory (with a specialization in contemporary political theory).
The institute invites applications for its Annual PhD Dissertation Award competition.
Our letter to U.N., E.U. and U.S. officials expressing urgent concern about Iran’s educational and academic institutions becoming a frontline in the U.S.-Israel war against the country.
MESA’s Task Force on Civil and Human Rights established the Academic Freedom Initiative (AFI) in October 2024 to produce analysis and resources for MESA members and the wider public to support academic freedom and to challenge repression on North American campuses. The AFI website includes data on topics such as Title VI lawsuits, congressional hearings of higher education representatives, cases of retaliation against employees on university and college campuses, and information about interference with campus events related to Palestine since October 7, 2023. The website also features resources for academic freedom advocacy and Know Your Rights and FAQ documents about visa and immigration issues.
The German, Russian, Italian and Arabic Department invites applications for a one-year visiting position with the possibility of a one-year renewal in Arabic beginning July 1, 2026.
Our letter expressing concern regarding the University of Arkansas’s decision to dismiss tenured Professor Shirin Saeidi despite the unanimous recommendation of the Faculty Hearing Committee that Professor Saeidi not be fired.
Our letter expressing concern about the forced resignation of Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute-Foundation (AGMI), following her hosting of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the museum in February 2026, calling for her immediate reinstatement and urging the Armenian government to restore the AGMI's institutional independence and uphold its commitment to academic freedom.
The Program in Judaic Studies invites applications for a Visiting Lecturer in Modern Hebrew Language for the Fall 2026 semester.
The Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies invites applications for a part-time lecturer position to teach Modern Arabic Literature.
The Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Oklahoma invites submissions for the 2026 Jafar and Shokoh Farzaneh Prize for Best Article on Persian Literature.
Our letter expressing concern about the sudden and arbitrary removal of Professor Azza Basarudin from her role as faculty advisor to the CSULB student organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Our letter protesting the recent targeted killings by Israel's armed forces of two Lebanese professors and calling upon international organizations and actors to to condemn this egregious violation of international law by the government of Israel and demand the immediate cessation of such deliberate attack.
The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations seeks applications for a lecturer in Yiddish Studies.
Our letter expressing concern about the recently announced policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that permits the university to record classes without providing notice to, or obtaining consent from, the instructor