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.
The Middle East Studies Association’s 59th annual meeting was held in Washington DC from November 22-25, 2025.
The MESA 2026 Call for Papers for our 60th annual meeting in Boston MA from November 21-24, 2026, will open in January.
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, and the MESA Global Academy.
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.
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MESA has announced a virtual research workshop to be held in summer 2026. For details and to submit, please see the call for proposals here.
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.
To access, select the Publications tab in your myMESA account then click the publication image. 
New report from MESA and AAUP: “Discriminating Against Dissent: The Weaponization of Civil Rights Law to Repress Campus Speech on Palestine,” which is the first systematic empirical study of government investigations and private lawsuits against US colleges and universities alleging antisemitism under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
MESA's Task Force has created a new advocacy resource center for our members to consult in response to the repression of rights on campuses across North America and beyond.
The Annual Research Workshop 2026 invites papers exploring the connections between Iran, the Holocaust, and World War II.
IEHS invites applications for two awards for graduate dissertation research on U.S. immigration, emigration, or ethnic history.
The Department of Political Studies and Public Administration (PSPA) invites applications for the position of Department Chair and the inaugural Philip K. Hitti Endowed Chair in Middle Eastern Studies.
Information on submitting proposals to participate in MESA's First Virtual Research Workshop to be held in June 2026. The deadline to submit is January 9, 2026.
Our letter expressing concern about the decision of UMass Amherst to pause, and then cancel, a search under way for a tenure-track assistant professor of the history of the modern Middle East, and to launch, in fall 2025, an entirely new search for the same position
The African and Middle Eastern Division (AMED) invites applications for short-term fellowships on the theme of religious culture and technology, defined in its broadest sense from stone tools to AI.
The Global Studies Department invites applications for a two-year position at the Visiting Assistant Professor rank in Global Studies with a focus on race and global inequality, broadly conceived.
The Hoover Institution at Stanford University invites applications for postdoctoral Research Fellow positions in the Hoover History Lab.
The University Center for International Studies (UCIS) invites participants and proposal submissions to its conference "Future(s) of International and Area Studies: Challenges, Opportunities, Goals."
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is seeking a lecturer in Arabic and French or Spanish.
On November 23, 2025, MESA awarded 19 individuals for excellence in scholarship, mentoring, and service.
Our letter expressing concern about the University of Guelph’s last-minute decision to cancel the second annual People’s Conference for Palestinian Solidarity which was to convene on 29 November 2025
The History Department invites applications for a nine-month tenure-system appointment expected to start on September 1, 2026, at the rank of Assistant Professor in the History of the Modern Middle East.
MESA has issued a statement expressing deep concern over the detention of Dr. Abedini, a MESA member.
Our letter to vehemently protest the harassment of the eminent international legal scholar and emeritus professor at Princeton University, Richard Falk by the Canadian border security agency at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on 13 November 2025 as he was on his way to participate in the “Gaza Tribunal” and Canada's Responsibility” in Ottawa, Ontario (14-15 November).
The NYU Abu Dhabi Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World (HRF) invites applications for a residential postdoctoral fellowship with a research specialization in the Arab World.
The Department of Comparative Literature invites applications for a SUNY PRODiG+ Postdoctoral Fellowship with a research specialization in Diaspora Studies.
The 2026 edition of the KFLC invites submissions of abstracts and panels.
The Committee on Academic Freedom received a response from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chancellor in response to our letter regarding Professor Tamar Shirinian
The Arabic Section of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures invites applications for a full-time position as Lecturer of Arabic.
The Department of History invites applications for the USS Midway Chair in Modern U.S. Military History, an open-rank, endowed position.
The Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia (TRI) invites applications for Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) positions in the study of modern Palestine and Israel.
Our letter jointly issued by BRISMES, DAVO, SeSaMO and MESA regarding the cancellation of the symposium “Palestine and Europe” organized by the Chair of Contemporary History of the Arab World at the Collège de France and the CAREP (Arab Center for Research and Political Studies)