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 will be held in Washington DC from November 22-25, 2025.
The MESA 2025 Call for Papers is now closed. Decisions will be announced by May 1. The hotel room block is now open for reservations.
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.
Join or renew today!
MESA's Board of Directors and Task Force on Civil and Human Rights have issued a new advisory regarding the latest travel restrictions enacted by the Trump Administration.
To book your room, please see here.
To access, select the Publications tab in your myMESA account then click the publication image. 
There are two active security alerts issued by MESA’s Board of Directors for those embarking on research in Egypt and UAE.
MESA has been building out the Academic Freedom Initiative (AFI), a project funded by the Mellon Foundation, to identify and track trends regarding academic freedom and repression on campuses across North America. Two initial datasets focus on recent immigration actions affecting higher education, and adverse employment outcomes for university employees since October 2023.
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 Department of Modern Languages and Literatures invites applications for a tenure-track position in Francophone Studies, with a secondary specialization in postcolonial, decolonial, or neocolonial studies.
GRC invites workshop proposals for its annual Gulf Research Meeting (GRM)
The program invites applications from international doctoral students for its upcoming Graduate Student Research Workshop to be held from February 11-13, 2026 at NYU Abu Dhabi.
The Department of Arabic announces an opening for a three-year Visiting Assistant Professor position in Arabic beginning the Fall semester of 2026.
Our letter expressing deep concern over the reinstatement of presidential authority to appoint university rectors—a move that defies a Constitutional Court ruling and threatens academic freedom and university autonomy in Turkey.
Our letter expressing concern at the decision of Occidental College to subject three students to investigation and disciplinary action for seeking to exercise their constitutionally protected right to protest
The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations in the Faculty of Arts and Science invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position in Palestinian Literature and Culture
Applications are now open for over 380 awards for the 2026–2027 academic year
The Faculty of Arts is seeking a postdoctoral researcher in comparative area studies
The workshop invites submissions exploring dynamics and evolving experiences of diaspora communities in/of the MENA region
Letter to the City University of New York protesting the non-reappointment of four adjunct faculty members and the suspension of a student.
Our letter expressing grave concern at the decision of the Harvard Educational Publishing Group (HEPG), which publishes the Harvard Educational Review (HER), to cancel a planned special issue on the topic of education and Palestine.
The Faculty of Arts seeks applications for a Researcher in Comparative Area Studies
The Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures invites applications for an Assistant Professor position in Modern Arabic Literature and Culture, tenure track.
The Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World invites distinguished scholars to apply for its Research Writing Retreat, to be held in Winter 2026 and Spring 2026
The Department of Religious Studies invites applicants for a tenure-track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor beginning September 2026
The center invites applications for interdisciplinary research fellowships at the intersection of religion and the arts beginning Fall 2026
The Department of Political Science invites applications for a tenure-track position in International Relations starting Fall 2026
Our letter expressing concern regarding the new policy about boycotts of companies as a serious threat to academic freedom and to the free speech rights of University of California students, faculty and staff.
The conference invites abstract submissions from the fields of literature, linguistics, history, and education that explore the intersections between psychology and the humanities.
Our letter expressing concern about Georgetown University’s punitive actions and statements against Professor Jonathan A. C. Brown, the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service
Hartford International University invites applications for a full-time or half-time faculty position in Islamic Chaplaincy (open rank) to begin July 1, 2026
Hartford International University invites applications for a full-time faculty position in Islamic Studies (open rank) which carries a simultaneous appointment of Co-Director of the Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations to begin July 1, 2026