About MESA Global Academy

What is MESA Global Academy?
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Global Academy is an interdisciplinary initiative that sustains essential research collaborations and knowledge production among scholars in the humanities and social sciences from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and their counterparts outside the region.
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WHO DOES THE GLOBAL ACADEMY FUND?
The Global Academy supports displaced scholars in the humanities and social sciences whose work falls within Middle East Studies, broadly defined. The Global Academy invites scholars to apply from comparative literature, history, and Islamic studies to political science, anthropology, economics, and beyond.
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How do I apply?
Scholarships have been awarded for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please check back in the spring of 2025 for the next funding cycle. The Global Academy awards scholars in the field of Middle East Studies $5,000 grants to further their research and collaboration with MENA-focused scholars in North America.
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The MESA Global Academy Fellows Panel meets virtually in 2020.
Global Academy Scholar Issam Eido presents his research.

Apply for a 2025 - 2026 Scholarship

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MESA Global Academy Scholars

Scholarship Eligibility Information

Competitive fellowships are available for displaced scholars from the MENA region, primarily those currently located in North America, whose work is broadly focused on Middle East Studies. Eligibility criteria are: 1) a PhD or equivalent in a field in the social sciences or humanities (graduate students will not be considered); 2) a primary institutional affiliation in the MENA region prior to displacement; and 3) a publication record indicating scholarly productivity (in English, French, a native MENA language, or principal research language of the field).

TALK May 7: Spirituality, Political Religion, and the Lived Experience in Iran with Leyla Hajimehditajer, Maryam Heydarkhani, and Zahra Khoshk Jan. Organized by MESA Global Academy and the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

https://international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/17152

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TALK: The Rise of the Houthis: From Sa'dah Highlands to Global Headlines AND The Houthis' Relationships with Local and Global Powers MAY 2, 2025, Noon ET

The Rise of the Houthis: MAY 2, 2025

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The Constitutional Imagination of the Taliban in Afghanistan

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Recent and Upcoming Events from MESA Global Academy