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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 60th annual meeting will be held in Boston, MA from November 21-24, 2026.
The MESA 2026 Program Committee decisions are now available. To be included on the program, accepted participants should pre-register by May 15.
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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The 60th MESA Annual Meeting will be held November 21-24, 2026, at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza.
Program decisions are now available in myMESA; accepted participants must preregister in myMESA by May 15.
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.
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. 
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.
The Middle East Institute invites applications for the Arcapita Visiting Professorship in Modern Arab Studies for the spring 2027 semester.
MESA Past President Aslı Bâli has written an article in the latest issue of MERIP entitled "Fighting the Campus Crackdown: Why the Middle East Studies Association Took the Trump Administration to Court."
Our letter expressing cconcern about the decision of the University of Washington to remove Associate Professor Aria Fani, who holds the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Professorship in Persian and Iranian Studies, from his position as director of the Middle East Center at the University’s Jackson School of International Studies
The Department of Political Science and Public Administration invites applications for two open rank (Assistant/Associate/Full Professor) positions in Turkish Politics and in Political Theory (with a specialization in contemporary political theory).
The institute invites applications for its Annual PhD Dissertation Award competition.
Our letter to U.N., E.U. and U.S. officials expressing urgent concern about Iran’s educational and academic institutions becoming a frontline in the U.S.-Israel war against the country.
MESA’s Task Force on Civil and Human Rights established the Academic Freedom Initiative (AFI) in October 2024 to produce analysis and resources for MESA members and the wider public to support academic freedom and to challenge repression on North American campuses. The AFI website includes data on topics such as Title VI lawsuits, congressional hearings of higher education representatives, cases of retaliation against employees on university and college campuses, and information about interference with campus events related to Palestine since October 7, 2023. The website also features resources for academic freedom advocacy and Know Your Rights and FAQ documents about visa and immigration issues.
The German, Russian, Italian and Arabic Department invites applications for a one-year visiting position with the possibility of a one-year renewal in Arabic beginning July 1, 2026.
Our letter expressing concern regarding the University of Arkansas’s decision to dismiss tenured Professor Shirin Saeidi despite the unanimous recommendation of the Faculty Hearing Committee that Professor Saeidi not be fired.
Our letter expressing concern about the forced resignation of Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute-Foundation (AGMI), following her hosting of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the museum in February 2026, calling for her immediate reinstatement and urging the Armenian government to restore the AGMI's institutional independence and uphold its commitment to academic freedom.
The Program in Judaic Studies invites applications for a Visiting Lecturer in Modern Hebrew Language for the Fall 2026 semester.
The Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies invites applications for a part-time lecturer position to teach Modern Arabic Literature.
The Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Oklahoma invites submissions for the 2026 Jafar and Shokoh Farzaneh Prize for Best Article on Persian Literature.
Our letter expressing concern about the sudden and arbitrary removal of Professor Azza Basarudin from her role as faculty advisor to the CSULB student organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Our letter protesting the recent targeted killings by Israel's armed forces of two Lebanese professors and calling upon international organizations and actors to to condemn this egregious violation of international law by the government of Israel and demand the immediate cessation of such deliberate attack.
The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations seeks applications for a lecturer in Yiddish Studies.
Our letter expressing concern about the recently announced policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that permits the university to record classes without providing notice to, or obtaining consent from, the instructor
MESA expresses deep concern and dismay regarding the ongoing and intensified travel bans implanted by the Trump administration.
Our letter expressing dismay concerning the Los Angeles Public Library’s decision to cancel an event featuring the writers Jenan Matari and Nora Lester Murad that was slated for the library’s 2025 Read Palestine Week, scheduled for 29 November-5 December 2025.
Our letter expressing concern about the university administration's improper demand that Professor Mohja Kahf remove two posters from her office door because they are allegedly discriminatory
The Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies invites applications for the Monterey Summer Symposium 2026.
Following the September 30 ruling by Judge William G. Young regarding the lawsuit AAUP v. Rubio lawsuit in which MESA is a plaintiff, Judge Young's order makes it clear that the administration’s ideological deportation policy must stop.
Our letter expressing concern about the unprecedented lethal state violence against the nationwide protests in Iran since 28 December 2025, including the killing of over 3,700 civilians and thousands of arrests, among them many students and faculty members, and calling for an immediate end to violence and arrests, and the restoration of internet access.
Joint letter with CAF regarding Israel’s relentless assaults on Palestinian universities and its targeting of students and faculty in the occupied West Bank.