CMPS videos and social media
Videos and posts on centers, programs, and interviews with directors of centers and programs in Middle East studies and links to our social media platforms.
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Mission Statement
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) is a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples through programs, publications and services that enhance education, further intellectual exchange, recognize professional distinction, and defend academic freedom in accordance with its status as a 501(c)(3) scientific, educational, literary, and charitable organization.
Annual Meeting
The Middle East Studies Association’s 60th annual meeting will be held in Boston, MA from November 21-24, 2026.
Attendees should pre-register by October 23; on-site registration applies after that deadline.
Advocacy
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) advocates on behalf of its members on issues that are central to its mission.
This includes statements and letters from MESA's Board of Directors, MESA's Committee on Academic Freedom, the Task Force on Civil and Human Rights, the MESA Global Academy, and the Committee on Middle East Studies in the Public Sphere (CMPS).
Become a Member
Be a part of a community of scholars who are passionate about the pursuit of academic knowledge on the MENA region. Help MESA defend academic freedoms. Share your research at the annual meeting. Access the best, cutting-edge scholarship in person at the conference or online in our journals.
Join or renew today!
Member Announcements
MESA 2026 Call for Papers
The 60th MESA Annual Meeting will be held November 21-24, 2026, at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza.
Book your stay at the meeting hotel here.
New MESA Academic Freedom Initiative website
MESA is proud to announce the launch of the new Academic Freedom Initiative website.
The MESA Academic Freedom Initiative tracks and analyzes threats to academic freedom on campuses since October 7, 2023 by offering datasets as well as research and analysis of campus climate, academic freedom, and related policy changes at universities and colleges across North America.
Advisory regarding U.S. Travel Ban
MESA's Board of Directors and Task Force on Civil and Human Rights have issued an advisory regarding the latest travel restrictions enacted by the Trump Administration.
Issues of IJMES, RoMES, and IMES available
To access, select the Publications tab in your myMESA account then click the publication image. 
Academic Freedom Initiative website
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.
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American Druze Foundation Fellowship
Georgetown University
The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) with the American Druze Foundation (ADF) invite applications to the ADF Fellowship in Druze and Arab Studies at CCAS.
MSCA Fellowships in Venice
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships invite applications for research across all scientific disciplines.
Assistant or Associate Professor, Palestinian Studies
Georgetown University
The Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) invites applications for a tenure-line faculty position in Palestinian Studies.
Fatimid Sicily: History, Memory, and Legacy
The Institute of Ismaili Studies
The Institute extends an invitation to a two-day conference on the history, memory, and legacy of Fatimid rule in Sicily.
Call for Authors: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Crime Fiction
Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Crime Fiction
The Encyclopedia is seeking authors for short encyclopedia entries on crime fiction from the Gulf States, Kurdistan, and Palestine.
CMPS engaging through traditional media
Sharing Middle East regional expertise through public-facing outlets.
George E. Pozzetta Dissertation Award
Immigration and Ethnic History Society
IEHS invites submissions for two awards to help graduate students with their dissertations on U.S. immigration, emigration, or ethnic history, broadly defined.
CFP: Radical History Review, The Politicized Premodern Past
Radical History Review
The issue invites contributions that interrogate the diverse ways in which premodern periods of history are used in the present to advance, legitimate, and contest politics of division and dominance around the world.
2027–2028 PARC Fellowships for U.S. Scholars Conducting Research on Palestine
Palestinian American Research Center
PARC invites applications to its 27th PARC U.S. research fellowship competition for research that will contribute to Palestinian Studies.
New Study Reveals Retaliation Against Higher Education Employees for Supporting Palestinian Rights
MESA's Academic Freedom Initiative has released a major new report, Lessons in Repression: Silencing Campus Workers on Palestine Since October 7, 2023. The report shows how higher education institutions converged with government and outside actors to retaliate against employees speaking out for Palestinian rights.
Call for Papers: A Century of Pioneers: Re-Imagining Saudi Histories of Technology and Innovation
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies
KFCRIS invites contributions to a conference and edited volume, A Century of Pioneers: Re-Imagining Saudi Histories of Technology and Innovation.
Letter regarding the prosecution of Dr. Güllistan Yarkın and denial of recognition of her doctoral degree
Our letter calling on Turkish authorities to end the prosecution of Dr. Güllistan Yarkın over passages in her doctoral dissertation and reconsider her degree-recognition application according to transparent academic criteria.
North American Syriac Symposium
Vanderbilt University
Scholars and the public are invited to participate in the 10th North American Syriac Symposium on June 27-July 1, 2027.
Position in Arabic Studies
American University of Sharjah
The Department of Arabic and Translation Studies invites applications for a faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in Fall 2027.
Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics/International Relations
University of Arkansas
The Department of Political Science invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Comparative Politics or International Relations with a geographical focus on the MENA region and Mediterranean.
Open Call for a Full-Time Assistant Professorship in Social/Cultural Anthropology
Ozyegin Unıversity
The Department of Anthropology invites applications for a full-time Assistant Professor position in Social/Cultural Anthropology.
Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology
University of Arkansas
The Department of Anthropology invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology to start in August 2027.
Open Search in Early Islamic History
Princeton University
The Department of Near Eastern Studies invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track faculty position in the field of Early Islamic History, with a primary focus on the period ca. 600–1300 CE
Response from Istanbul Bilgi University to our 14 August 2026 letter
The Committee on Academic Freedom received a response from the Istanbul Bilgi University Rector in response to our letter regarding Prof. Dr. Bülent Bilmez
Associate Professor or Professor of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
University of Virginia
The Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality invites applications for a tenured Associate or Full Professor position.
Assistant/Associate Professor, History of Artificial Intelligence
Rice University
The Department of History invites applications for a tenure-track assistant or associate professor in the history of artificial intelligence.
Letter regarding Iran’s New “Anti-Infiltration” Bill Infringes on Academic Activities and Freedoms
Our letter to the Iranian parliament urging them to withdraw the proposed “Bill to Counter the Infiltration of Foreign Intelligence Services, Governments, or Entities,” and arguing that its broad regulation of contact with foreign institutions and individuals would subject routine academic activities to registration, approval, and surveillance.
Assistant or Associate Professor – Mediterranean and its Hinterlands, 500-1500 CE
University of California Berkeley
The Department of History invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty appointment at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor.