Middle East Studies Association

March 24, 2020
Letters and Statements from the Board

Review and Reappointment Processes For Tenure Line and Contingent Faculty During the COVID-19 Crisis

The Middle East Studies Association (MESA), in collaboration with scholarly societies led by the American Sociological Association (ASA), commends institutions of higher education for quickly taking steps to deal with the COVID-19 crisis and encourages all universities and colleges to consider appropriate temporary adjustments to their review and reappointment processes for tenure line and contingent faculty.

- Interventions

March 05, 2020
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA Board letter to Durham University concerning BRISMES

The Board of Directors has issued an open letter to Durham University regarding the Vice Chancellor's decision to withdraw administrative services from the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES), following the society’s vote on a resolution in favor of supporting the academic boycott of Israel last year. MESA is gravely concerned over the implications for academic freedom and freedom of expression over controversial issues — not only for our colleagues engaged in Middle East studies in Britain, but also for British academia more broadly.

February 14, 2020
Letters and Statements from the Board

Open letter to the SGDSN concerning archival declassification in France

MESA joins 16 other associations from across the globe in concern for the recent policy changes by the Secrétariat général de la défense et de la sécurité nationale (SGDSN), imposing limitations on access to documents from 1940 to present, which includes all those held at the French Ministry of Defense Archives at Vincennes, and the possible extension to other archives with previously classified documents.

February 10, 2020
Letters and Statements from the Board

Joint Statement on Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Investigations into NYU and UCLA

The Middle East Studies Association is joined by seven fellow associations of the American Council of Learned Societies in deep concern over the continued politicization of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the threat that its ongoing investigations into New York University and the University of California, Los Angeles represents to academic freedom. Political speech is and must remain constitutionally protected in the United States, and should not be conflated with bigotry for partisan political purposes. We condemn racism in all forms, and oppose in the strongest possible terms any form of discrimination against or harassment of Jewish students. The government's instrumentalization and abuse of the issue of anti-Semitism is an unwelcome intrusion at our institutions of higher education, intending to intimidate faculty and police political debates on campuses.

February 06, 2020
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA signs open letter by SAH in opposition to proposed EO “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again”

MESA joins SAH statement as a signatory with other concerned academic associations following the proposed Executive Order regarding design and structure of federal buildings.

January 07, 2020
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA signs joint letter from the AAA opposing American presidential threats to commit war crimes by targeting cultural sites in Iran

MESA joins AAA statement "Targeting Cultural Sites is a War Crime" as a signatory with other concerned academic associations following recent presidential threats to Iran.

November 14, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA Board Statement Condemns Anti-Semitism and Affirms the Protection of Free Speech

November 14, 2019 MESA Board statement concerning the protection of academic freedom, condemning anti-Semitism and all other forms of discrimination and illegal harassment, while affirming the constitutional protection of free speech.

- US

November 07, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

House Committee on Education and Labor expresses concern and requests information from the DoE regarding Duke-UNC Consortium investigation

House Committee on Education and Labor requests documents and further information from the Department of Education and expresses deep concern over the implications for academic freedom of its public threats to the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies over its Title VI funding as a National Resource Center for area studies.

- Updates

October 14, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA cosigns open letter to Emirati authorities on behalf of Ahmed Mansoor

MESA has joined other organizations in an open letter to Emirati authorities on behalf of human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor.

September 25, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

18 major scholarly societies join MESA in expressing concern about the Department of Education’s interpretation of Title VI

MESA and 18 other academic associations, representing over 100,000 concerned members, issue letter in response to allegations made by the DoE against the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, calling attention to the overly narrow and partisan conception of international studies contained in the letter, and pointing to past successes of Title VI programs in educating students and training experts with the needed depth and breadth in languages and regional and international studies.

September 12, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

Letter to Israel authorities about restrictions on international academics working in Palestinian universities

MESA and other scholarly societies issue letter that calls upon Israel authorities to issue a transparent policy that allows entry and the presence of foreign faculty and staff on Palestinian university campuses in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.

August 27, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA endorses the Statement from AHA on Domestic Terrorism, Bigotry, and History

MESA has endorsed the Statement from AHA on Domestic Terrorism, Bigotry, and History. The AHA expects the statement to “stimulate more questions than answers, with hopes these questions make their way into classrooms, libraries, museums, city council meetings, community centers, and even coffee shops, wherever people are trying to connect with each other to make historical sense of our current moment.”

July 26, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

Turkish Court rules in favor of academics’ rights who signed Peace Petition

In a narrow vote (8-8 with the Chief Justice casting a tie breaking vote) the Turkish Constitutional Court found that the rights of the Peace Petitioners had been violated. The decision should have precedential effect that will impact all the trials of petition signatories, bringing great relief to hundreds of Turkish academics. MESA’s joint letter of 24 July 2019 to the Constitutional Court of Turkey expressed support of the signatories’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly. MESA’s Committee on Academic Freedom has written numerous letters regarding the persecution of the Peace Petition signatories.

July 24, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA joins letter in support of Peace Petition signatories

MESA along with other academic associations in the social sciences and humanities have written to the Constitutional Court of Turkey in support of the right of scholars and academics who signed the Academics for Peace Petition. The Court will take up the issue of the Peace Petition signatories on 26 July.

June 05, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA Statement on the mass execution and continuing suppression of free speech in Saudi Arabia

MESA deplores the most recent mass execution of 37 detainees in Saudi Arabia on 23 April 2019. It has noted with deep concern that among those executed were an academic and at least one student.

May 20, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA’s Board Urges Stanford University to Continue Support of its University Press

Letter from MESA Board to Stanford University expressing deep disappointment and dismay over the decision to drastically cut support of its university press.

May 13, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA Signs Joint Letter to Stanford University Regarding Funding Its Press

MESA joined as a signer with other professional societies on a letter to Stanford University's administration about the recent decision to drastically cut support of their university press.

March 20, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA’S Board of Directors Calls for Immediate Release of Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi

March 20, 2019 – The MESA Board deplores the ongoing detention of Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi who has been detained since June 21, 2018, by the government of Saudi Arabia. Dr. al-Fassi was among ten Saudi women brought to a closed-door court hearing on March 13, 2019 on unknown charges.

March 18, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA joins other societies in a letter regarding academic inquiry and scholarly research in Hungary

MESA joined in a letter to the Prime Minister of Hungary regarding academic inquiry and scholarly research in Hungary.

March 04, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA joins other societies in a letter to Alaskan officials regarding funding cuts to higher education

In response to Alaska Governor Dunleavy's proposed funding cuts for higher education, 32 professional societies signed-on to a letter expressing concern about the damage such cuts would impose.

February 27, 2019
Letters and Statements from the Board

MESA’s Board of Directors and Committee on Academic Freedom Express Concern Over Deteriorating Condition of Academic and Personal Freedom in Sudan

February 27, 2019 – The Board of Directors of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and its Committee on Academic Freedom strongly condemn the Sudanese government’s violent suppression of peaceful public protests since December 2018, and the arbitrary detention of protestors, including many academics.