The First Virtual Research Workshop organized by the Middle East Studies Association will be held online from June 2-4, 2026.
Note: The 60th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association will be held in person in Boston, MA on November 21-24, 2026. This is a separate submission process.
All are invited to submit proposals for the First Virtual Research Workshop held by MESA online. Proposals should relate to MESA’s mission of scholarship and advocacy primarily concerning the region of the Middle East (including Southwest Asia, the Arab world, and North Africa) from the seventh century to today, though not at the exclusion of earlier time periods. Other areas of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas—including diaspora communities—are also included as part of the study of the transnational dimensions of the societies of the Middle East in an interdisciplinary and comparative context.
Questions about the call for proposals are always welcome. Please email [email protected].
Category of proposals for the 2026 MESA Virtual Research Workshop:
One category of proposals may be submitted to the Committee for review through the submission form.
Individual paper abstracts: One abstract to be placed on a session by the Committee if accepted. Selected individual abstracts will be combined with other similar proposals to create put-together panels.
Criteria for acceptance of paper proposals:
Proposals will be reviewed on the basis of the following three criteria:
Contribution to the field.
Does the proposal indicate clearly the contribution that the author(s) aim to make in their discipline(s)? This contribution may involve a novel approach, original source material, an intriguing argument or finding, or (in the case of pre-organized panels and roundtables) a gathering of experts to examine an important subject.
Source material.
Does the proposal indicate clearly the source material that the author(s) draw on? This may take the form of archival collections, published or unpublished texts, datasets, interviews, ethnographic observations, pedagogical interventions, experiments, or other forms of evidence.
Findings.
Does the proposal indicate clearly the original conclusions that the author(s) have drawn? Because space in the proposal is limited, conclusions might include general insights combined with one or two specific instances that illustrate the texture of the presentation being proposed for the workshop.
Artificial Intelligence Policy:
MESA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI), except for refining your own text, such as through spelling or grammar checks. Authors are responsible for their own submissions. Use of AI beyond these guidelines is grounds for rejection. MESA is currently developing a more detailed policy on the use of artificial intelligence, based on the principles of accountability, transparency, and academic integrity.
Procedures for submissions:
- Portal: All submissions must be made through the submission form, beginning on December 9, 2025.
- Deadline: Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 AM (Noon), Eastern Standard Time, on Friday, January 9, 2026.
- Word limit: Proposals are limited to a maximum of 400 words.
- Anonymity: Proposals should be written anonymously so that they can be reviewed “blind.” Proposals will be automatically disqualified if they include the name of the author(s) or the name of any participant associated with the proposal. Other identifying information, such as references to the submitter’s publications, should not be included.
- MESA membership: Membership is not required of proposal author(s).
- Co-authors: Since the proposal is reviewed without identifying names, co-authors can be added later. Please note that to be listed as a co-presenter, the co-author must also be registered for the workshop.
- Discipline: The proposal submission portal will offer checkbox lists for the primary discipline(s) associated with each proposal, in order to assist the Committee in assigning reviewers.
- Participation limits: Each submitter may propose only one paper per year.
- Notification: The review committee plans to send out decision letters by email on or before February 27, 2026.
- Participation deadline: Participants whose proposals are accepted by the Committee must confirm participation by March 30, 2026, in order to participate.
Further information:
- Additional opportunities to participate in the MESA Annual Meeting: This is not the way to submit proposals for the 60th MESA Annual Meeting, which is in person, and has different requirements and deadlines. To do so, please see the 2026 Call for Papers, which will open in January.
- Final papers: In order to facilitate high-quality panels, all presenters are asked to share draft papers with their panel chair and/or discussant no later than three weeks before the workshop. Papers do not need to be complete with footnotes and bibliography; only a working paper is required to allow chairs and discussants to do their job adequately.
- Presentation guidelines: Presenters should not read their papers, but rather should present them in summary only, with an emphasis on the most notable of the paper’s findings. Generally, 15 minutes will be allowed for each presentation. The moderator is responsible for strict adherence to this rule. The remainder of the time should be devoted to discussion among the panelists and audience.
- No-show policy: Program participants must notify MESA and the chair of their session in advance of their scheduled presentation if they are not able to attend. Individuals who do not attend a session without giving prior notice will be deemed a “no-show” and will not be eligible to participate in future workshops.