Login
Login

Middle East Studies Association#Publications

{{merge from|MESA book awards|discuss=Talk:Middle East Studies Association#Merge proposal|date=April 2025}}

{{Short description|Learned society}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{more citations needed|date=May 2016}}

{{Infobox organization

| image = Middle East Studies Association Logo.png

| abbreviation = MESA

| motto =

| formation = 1966

| type = Learned society

| location = Tucson, Arizona

| leader_title = President

| leader_name = Aslı Ü. Bâli{{cite web|url=https://mesana.org/about/board-of-directors|title=MESA Board of Directors|access-date=2025-05-04}}

| website = [http://www.mesana.org/ mesana.org]

}}

Middle East Studies Association (often referred to as MESA) is a learned society, and according to its website, "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".{{cite web|url=http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/about/index.html|title=Middle East Studies Association|access-date=2014-12-02}}

Some critics{{who|date=April 2025}} have accused MESA of politicization and being dominated by academics critical of Israel and the United States. In 2007, the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa was founded as an ideological counterweight to MESA.

History

MESA was founded in 1966 with 51 original members.Anne Betteridge, ACLS Occasional Paper 28, 1993 http://archives.acls.org/op/op28betteridge.htm Its current membership exceeds 2,700 and it "serves as an umbrella organization for more than fifty institutional members and thirty-six affiliated organizations".{{Cite web|url=https://mesana.org/about|title=About|website=Middle East Studies Association}} It is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Council of Area Studies Associations, and a member of the National Humanities Alliance.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhalliance.org/members|title = Members}}

In 2007, Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami started Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) as a rival to MESA, as they saw MESA as "dominated by academics who have been critical of Israel and of America's role in the Middle East."{{cite news |last1=Karni |first1=Annie |title=Group Formed To Improve Middle East Scholarship |url=https://www.nysun.com/article/new-york-group-formed-to-improve-middle-east-scholarship |access-date=10 April 2022 |work=The New York Sun |date=8 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410231231/https://www.nysun.com/article/new-york-group-formed-to-improve-middle-east-scholarship|archive-date=10 April 2022|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Akhavi |first1=Khodi |title=New Middle East scholars group seen as close to White House |url=http://electronicintifada.net/content/new-middle-east-scholars-group-seen-close-white-house/7223 |website=Electronic Intifada |access-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506094025/http://electronicintifada.net/content/new-middle-east-scholars-group-seen-close-white-house/7223 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |date=20 November 2007 |url-status=live}}{{bsn|date=January 2025}}

In mid-March 2022, MESA voted by a margin of 787 to 167 to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement to hold Israel to account for alleged human rights abuses against the Palestinians.{{cite news |last1=Flaherty |first1=Colleen |title=Middle East Studies Scholars Approve BDS Resolution |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/24/middle-east-studies-scholars-approve-bds-resolution |work=Inside Higher Ed |publisher=Times Higher Education |access-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401142650/https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/24/middle-east-studies-scholars-approve-bds-resolution |archive-date=1 April 2022 |date=24 March 2022 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Middle East Studies Association academics back pro-Palestine BDS vote in blow to Israel World 3 min read |url=https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/middle-east-studies-association-backs-bds-key-vote |access-date=10 April 2022 |work=The New Arab |date=23 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402213911/https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/middle-east-studies-association-backs-bds-key-vote |archive-date=2 April 2022|url-status=live}} MESA's decision was criticised by the Academic Engagement Network, the AMCHA Initiative, and ASMEA.{{cite news |last1=Romirowsky |first1=Asaf |last2=Joffe |first2=Alex |title=MESA's Israel boycott encapsulates everything wrong with academia - opinion The point of the academic boycott of Israel is to twist official opinion in the manne |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-702382 |access-date=10 April 2022 |work=Jerusalem Post |date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401062605/https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-702382 |archive-date=1 April 2022|url-status=live}}

Activities

The current president is Aslı Ü. Bâli, Yale University.{{cite web|url=https://mesana.org/about/board-of-directors|title=MESA Board of Directors|access-date=2025-05-04}}

=Publications=

The International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES) is a quarterly journal published by Cambridge University Press under the auspices of MESA. The editor is Joel Gordon of University of Arkansas.{{cite web|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies|title=IJMES CUP|access-date=2019-12-04}}{{cite web|url=https://ijmes.uark.edu/|title=IJMES UARK|access-date=December 4, 2019}}

The Review of Middle East Studies (RoMES) is MESA's journal of review. MESA policy has established the focus of RoMES as the state of the craft in all fields of Middle East studies. The Editor is Heather Ferguson and the journal is based at Claremont McKenna College.{{cite web|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-middle-east-studies|title=RoMES CUP|access-date=December 4, 2019}}

MESA has a very active Committee on Academic Freedom (CAF) that has two wings: CAFMENA (Middle East and North Africa, established in 1990) and CAFNA (North America, established in 2005). Through CAF, MESA monitors infringements on academic freedom on the Middle East and North Africa worldwide.{{cite web|url=http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/committees/academic-freedom/index.html|title=Committee on Academic Freedom (CAF)|work=arizona.edu|access-date=August 23, 2015|archive-date=11 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111004844/http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/committees/academic-freedom/index.html|url-status=dead}}

=Awards =

Albert Hourani Book Award

{{main|MESA book awards}}

Since 1991 MESA has awarded the Albert Hourani Book Award to recognize "the very best in Middle East studies scholarship". The prize is named after Albert Hourani, "to recognize his long and distinguished career as teacher and mentor".{{Cite web|title=Middle East Studies Association|url=https://mesana.org/awards/category/albert-hourani-book-award|access-date=2020-10-18|website=Middle East Studies Association|language=en}}

Malcolm Kerr Award

The MESA Dissertation Awards were established in 1982 to recognize exceptional achievement in research and writing for/of dissertations in Middle East studies. In 1984 the award was named for Malcolm H. Kerr to honor his significant contributions to Middle East studies. Awards are given in two categories: Social Sciences and Humanities.

Jere L. Bacharach Service Award

Since 1997 Jere L. Bacharach Service Award has recognized the contributions of individuals through their outstanding service to MESA or the profession. Service is defined broadly to include work in diverse areas, including but not limited to outreach, librarianship, and film.{{Cite web|title=Middle East Studies Association|url=https://mesana.org/awards/category/jere-l-bacharach-service-award|access-date=2020-10-18|website=Middle East Studies Association|language=en}}

class="wikitable"

|+List of Recipients

!Year

!Recipient

!Institution

1997

|Ellen-Fairbanks D. Bodman

I. William Zartman

|University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Johns Hopkins University

1998

|Richard L. Chambers

|University of Chicago

1999

|George N. Atiyeh

|Library of Congress

2000

|Louisa Moffitt

|Marist School

2001

|Elizabeth W. Fernea

|University of Texas at Austin

2002

|Jeanne Jeffers Mrad

|Center for Maghrib Studies in Tunisia

2004

|Jere L. Bacharach

|University of Washington

2005

|Ernest N. McCarus

|University of Michigan

2006

|Howard A. Reed

|University of Connecticut

2008

|Fred McGraw Donner

|University of Chicago

2009

|Mary Ellen Lane

|Council of American Overseas Research Centers

2010

|McGuire Gibson

|University of Chicago

2011

|Bruce Craig

Michael C. Hudson

|University of Chicago

National University of Singapore

2012

|Erika H. Gilson

|Princeton University

2014

|Günter Meyer

|University of Mainz

2015

|Virginia H. Aksan

|McMaster University

2016

|Ann Mosely Lesch

|American University in Cairo

2017

|Bassam Haddad

|George Mason University

2018

|James A. Miller

|

2019

|Suad Joseph

|University of California, Davis

2020

|James F. Goode, Dale F. Eickelmann

|

Former presidents

The following persons have been presidents of the association:{{Cite web|url=https://mesana.org/about/previous-boards|title=Previous Boards|website=Middle East Studies Association}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

{{div col end}}

References

External links

{{authority control}}

Category:Middle East

Category:Middle Eastern studies in the United States

Category:Member organizations of the American Council of Learned Societies

Category:Organizations established in 1966

Category:1966 establishments in the United States