The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) is pleased to host the MESA Global Academy, an interdisciplinary initiative that sustains essential research collaborations and knowledge production among MENA-focused scholars from the region of the Middle East and North Africa and their counterparts outside the region. 

By awarding competitive scholarships to displaced scholars from the MENA region primarily located in North America to conduct research and attend meetings, workshops, and conferences, the project harnesses the strengths of MESA’s institutional and individual members to support the careers of individual researchers who study the Middle East and North Africa, but whose academic trajectory has been adversely affected by developments in their home countries. 

 

Go To MESA Global AcadEmy Website 

 

The programming supported by the MESA Global Academy falls within seven research clusters, essentially thematic areas within the broader field of Middle East studies:

• Migration and Transnational Networks
• Global Artistic Heritage, Digital Humanities and Cultural Renewal
• Governance, Accountability and the Rule of Law
• Rights, Justice and Citizenship
• Fairness and Economic Equality
• Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
• Medicine, Technology and the Environment

The MESA Global Academy is led by a committee composed of MESA leadership, past and present, and programming is determined and is sustained through critical support from faculty at the following participating universities:

• American University
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• George Mason University
• George Washington University
• Georgetown University
• The Graduate Center at the City University of New York
• Harvard University
• New York University
• Northeastern University
• Northwestern University
• Princeton University
• Rutgers University
• The State University of New York, Binghamton
• Syracuse University
• University of California, Los Angeles
• The University of Chicago
• The University of Illinois at Chicago
• The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
• The University of Michigan – Flint
• University of Southern California

The MESA Global Academy is supported by the Carnegie Corporation and sustained through a vast university network and key relationships with organizations such as the Arab Studies Institute, the Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund, the New School’s University in Exile, and the Scholars-at-Risk network.

Please email mimi@mesana.org to be kept informed of opportunities through MESA’s Global Academy. 

FAQ

Who is eligible to apply for opportunities and scholarships through the MESA Global Academy?

Displaced scholars from the Middle East and North Africa, primarily those residing in North America. Additionally, the work of MESA Global Academy Scholars must fall within Middle East studies, broadly defined. The work of the 2023-2024 Global Academy scholars falls within two of the above seven research clusters: Governance, Accountability, and the Rule of Law and Fairness and Economic Equality. 

Who funds the MESA Global Academy?

Funding for this project is provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, one of America’s oldest grantmaking foundations, which focuses on issues of international peace and promotes the advancement and diffusion of education, knowledge, and understanding. Additional funding is provided by the Ellis L. Phillips Foundation, the Persian Heritage Foundation, and individual donors. 

How do I apply?

The deadline for applications for the 2023-2024 academic year has passed. Please check back in the spring of 2024 for the next grant cycle. For more information, visit the Global Academy website: https://mesaglobalacademy.org/grant-opportunities/.

Documents & Links

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• Global_Academy_Committee_Protocol_
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