Applications are open for MESA Global Academy 2021/2022. The MESA Global Academy is an interdisciplinary initiative of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) designed to sustain essential research collaborations and knowledge production among MENA-focused academics by providing competitive scholarships to displaced scholars from the MENA region currently located in North America. The MESA Global Academy is a project of MESA in partnership with the City University of New York and other university partners, with generous support from the Carnegie Corporation.

Global Academy scholars will be required to attend a number of research workshops hosted by partner universities in their area of focus. Each must present their own research at one workshop and serve as a discussant at another; other engagements are welcome and encouraged. The scholars will also have to attend four professional development workshops. In addition, scholars will attend and participate in at least one fMESA Annual Meeting currently scheduled for October 2021 and December 2022 (fully-funded).

Funding and Benefits

The Global Academy will award up to 12 scholars in the field of Middle East Studies a $5,000 grant to further their research and collaboration with MENA-focused scholars in North America. The Global Academy will support up to six scholars working in the area of governance, accountability, and the rule of law, and six scholars working on fairness and economic equality.

Eligibility

The MESA Global Academy is offering competitive fellowships to Middle East Studies scholars from the MENA region who are currently displaced in North America. Eligibility criteria for the fellowships include:

• Holding a Ph.D. or equivalent in a field in the social sciences or humanities (graduate students are not eligible)
• The primary institutional affiliation was in the MENA region prior to displacement.
• A publication record indicating scholarly productivity (in English, French, a native MENA language, or principal research language of the field).