Our annual Middle East Studies conference last Friday was a great success! Wonderful crowd, fascinating speaker presentations, and delicious food! Thanks so much for all who participated. For the full lineup of speakers: shorturl.at/yqUrK Stay tuned for our fall lecture series!

Tomorrow is our annual conference entitled: "The United States and the Middle East: Geopolitics, Resistance, and Power". We have a great lineup of speakers and it promises to be a fascinating event! Free and open to the public. For more information and to register go to: shorturl.at/aGe7i

Teach-In: Roots and Realities of the War in the Middle East Friday, April 24, 4–5:30 PM Rm 1125, DeLuca Biochem Bldg (420 Henry Mall) Click here for more info and to register: shorturl.at/ia8Zh Co-sponsored by Havens-Wright Center, Middle East Studies Program & Human Rights Program

Coming up this Monday! Hanan Al-Alawi will explore how the marshland inhabitants of Iraq and coastal communities of southern Iran reimagine Indigeneity through mythmaking practices with land and water. A Middle Eastern lunch will be served. For more info: shorturl.at/YN7wL

Coming up this Monday, a fascinating lecture with Hanan Al-Alawi, a Visiting Assistant Professor in Gender and Women’s Studies at UW-Madison. Free and open to the public. A delicious vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided. For more info and to register, go to: shorturl.at/Er779

We had a huge turnout and an engaging Q&A at yesterday's MESP lecture with Professor Marc Lynch where he discussed "America's Middle East", as well as focusing on the latest conflict with Iran. Please join us for our next lecture on March 16, click here for info: shorturl.at/JbojG

Teach-in on "US Empire & Iran", on the UW-Madison campus this Friday! Panelists include Monica Kim (US Empire), Giuliana Chamedes (Fascism), Daniel Williford (Middle East/Tech), and Alfred McCoy (War/Global Empire/CIA). For more information and to register: shorturl.at/9nztt

Today at noon! You don't want to miss this important and timely lecture. Free and open to the public. A vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided. For more info and to register: mideast.wisc.edu/event/americ...

We had another packed house yesterday at our lecture with Seçil Binboğa (University of Minnesota) where she discussed how military cartographic techniques and technologies shaped Turkey’s national territory during the Cold War. A lively discussion afterwards as well!

Coming up next Monday! You don't want to miss this fascinating lecture with Marc Lynch (George Washington University) who will discuss the United States’ disastrously failed approach to the post–Cold War Middle East. For more info and to register: mideast.wisc.edu/event/americ...

Today at noon! Please come to this fascinating lecture with Seçil Binboğa (University of Minnesota). She will discuss how military cartographic techniques and technologies shaped Turkey’s national territory during the Cold War. For more info and to register: mideast.wisc.edu/event/fluid-...

This coming Monday! It's not too late to register for this fascinating lecture. Free and open to the public, and a delicious vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided! Click here for more information and to register: shorturl.at/Ctzdv

This coming Monday at Ingraham 206 at noon! Killian Clarke (Georgetown University) discusses his new book "Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed". Free and open to the public. Click here for more info and to register: shorturl.at/7rd6t

We are excited to be cosponsoring this upcoming hybrid event with the Havens Wright Center..."Gaza and the US Academy: Scholasticide and Educational Resilience in Palestine" with Abdel Razzaq Takriti from Rice University. Click here for more info and to register: shorturl.at/pqRhm

We had an enthusiastic crowd on Monday at our Children's International Story Hour where we featured the book "These Olive Trees"! For more information about CISH and to see the full schedule, go to: wirc.international.wisc.edu/wirc-initiat...

This coming Monday! You don't want to miss this fun and interesting event, for children and their caregivers. We will have a special guest read from this book, introduce basic Arabic, and end with an art project to take home! Details: shorturl.at/KwM5u

Call for Papers! The Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University is pleased to invite academic essays from graduate students and early career scholars for the 2026 Graduate Conference to be held on April 22-23, 2026. For more info: shorturl.at/pwCWF

MESA 2026: Call for Papers! MESA members are invited to propose papers and sessions for the 60th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association on November 21-24, 2026. Deadline: February 17, 2026 For more info: mesana.org/annual-meeti...

Call for papers for the 40th Annual Middle East History and Theory Conference (MEHAT) at The University of Chicago on May 1-2, 2026! Deadline: January 31, 2026. For more info: shorturl.at/6D2FE

Coming up today at 4 pm! It's not too late to register for this exciting and unusual event where we will be talking with artist and reporter George Butler. Click here for more info and to register: shorturl.at/tPONr

This coming Wednesday at noon! You don't want to miss this fascinating online lecture with George Butler, artist and reporter, about present day Syria. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/2BEfz

Coming up tomorrow at 6:30 pm...join us for an evening of award-winning Palestinian short films, free and open to the public! For more info: shorturl.at/QcTJd

Coming up next week, December 4! You don't want to miss this event, featuring a collection of short, contemporary, evocative Palestinian films. Discussion to follow, free and open to the public. For more info: shorturl.at/LUpCc

This coming Monday! You don't want to miss this fascinating online lecture about the transnational history of Palestinian student activism over the last century. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/SERvU

A new Study Abroad Program! "UW in Türkiye: Crossroads of Civilizations" Istanbul from May 17 to June 4, 2026 Click here for more information: studyabroad.wisc.edu/program/?pro...

Teaching MIgration Through Comics: Exploring Hakim's Odyssey Online via Zoom November 12, 2025 @ 4-5 pm Join us for an International Book Club featuring a powerful graphic novel tracing one man’s flight from war-torn Syria to safety in Europe. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/Q8o18

Applications are OPEN! 📢 Study a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean language in an accelerated, proficiency-based summer program!📝🌞 Learn more and apply: wisli.wisc.edu/medli #LanguageGoals #LanguageLearning #LanguageSkills

Kimberly Wortman from Wake Forest University gave a fascinating lecture yesterday, as part of the MESP Lecture Series! Click here for details: shorturl.at/Oi6t4. Please come to our next lecture: "Steadfast on Campus: A Century of Global Palestinian Student Activism", details here: shorturl.at/JkG1T

We are excited to be cosponsoring this upcoming lecture with the Department of History: “The Making of the Carceral State in Modern Iran” Thursday, November 13th, 12 noon-2 pm Pyle Center 313 Speaker: Golnar Nikpour (Dartmouth College) For more info: shorturl.at/Ad2Vy

Boren Awards Info Session Monday, November 10, 2025 12–1 p.m. Study Abroad Resource Center, 3rd Floor Red Gym Do you study or want to learn a less commonly taught language? Boren Awards can give you up to $25,000 to study a critical language abroad! For more info, visit go.wisc.edu/language-events

This Monday! Come hear Kimberly Wortmann (Wake Forest University) discuss "Religion, Heritage, and Identity in TAnzania's Omani-Ibadi Community". Free and open to the public. A vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/dxvUd

We had great fun yesterday at the Children's International Story Hour (CISH) at Pinney Library! Our reader Lina, from Jenin in Palestine, read from: “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine”. For more about CISH and upcoming events, go to: shorturl.at/qOBAk

TODAY! Open to children and their caregivers: Children’s International Story Hour: “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine” Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd. Madison, WI 53716 October 27, 2025 @ 4 - 5 pm For more information: shorturl.at/3cyIr

Next Monday! Open to children and their caregivers: Children’s International Story Hour: “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine” Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd. Madison, WI 53716 October 27, 2025 @ 4 - 5 pm For more information: shorturl.at/5ZcUu

We had a packed house at our MESP lecture yesterday, cosponsored with the African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison! Jonas Elbousty from Yale University, gave a fascinating presentation on Mohamed Choukri’s short stories. For more info: shorturl.at/jbtzv

Online Adult Turkish Classes! In collaboration with a language education initiative, the non-profit Turkish American Cultural Alliance is planning to offer 2 hour online Turkish classes for adults. If interested, please complete this form by Friday, October 24: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Tomorrow at noon, you don't want to miss this fascinating lecture! For more info and to register: shorturl.at/0veGy

This coming Wednesday! Professor Jonas Elbousty (Yale University) will discuss Mohamed Choukri’s short stories. A vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided. For more information and to register: shorturl.at/D3kcZ This event is cosponsored by African Studies.

Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University) presented her fascinating talk this past Monday via Zoom, entitled "Cross-Stitching the Scattered: Women’s Literary Subjectivities". To those who could not make it, here's the video recording: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4d0...

Tomorrow at 4 pm! Join us online for a conversation with Mohammad Sabaaneh, the author and illustrator of the award winning graphic novel "Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine". Discussion facilitated by Professor Ramzi Fawaz. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/Bagje

Today at noon! A hybrid lecture with Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University). A delicious Middle Eastern lunch will be served for those able to join us in-person at Ingraham 206. For more information and to register: mideast.wisc.edu/.../cross-st...

Coming up this Monday! A hybrid lecture with Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University). For more information and to register: shorturl.at/NZxle #uwmesp #uwmadison #cairouniversity

Join us online for a conversation with Mohammad Sabaaneh, the creator of the award winning graphic novel "Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine". Discussion facilitated by Professor Ramzi Fawaz. Cosponsored with IRIS NRC. For more information and to register, go to: shorturl.at/pGW8D

Online lecture this Thursday! "How Far is the Far East to the Near East? Dynamics of Japanese-Turkish Relations Before Their Official Beginning" September 19, 2025 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Click here for more info and zoom link: shorturl.at/CNIF2

Study Abroad Fair Tuesday, September 30, 2025 3-6 PM Gordon Dining & Event Center The fair is a great way to learn about study abroad, explore programs, international internships, research opportunities and more! For more info: studyabroad.wisc.edu/fair/

International Majors & Opportunities Fair Monday, September 22, 2:30-5 pm Great Hall at Memorial Union Come learn about majors, certificates, funding, student orgs, and events on campus that are international in scope! Questions? Contact Molly Donnellan at [email protected].

MENA Fall Welcome Event! Thursday, September 18, 2025 5:30-7 pm Red Gym Come learn more about MENA programming and what we offer. Connect with new folks, meet staff and faculty, and share a meal. Contact [email protected] with questions or accommodations.

This coming friday! You don't want to miss these two opportunities to hear from trauma surgeon Dr. Feroze Sidhwa about his recent experiences working at a Gaza hospital. Free and open to the public. For more info: shorturl.at/ubfTA

We are excited to be cosponsoring these important talks by Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon, who recently worked at a Gaza hospital. For more info: shorturl.at/1L6zj and shorturl.at/f5t3B

We had a wonderful graduation party on Wednesday, May 7! MESP students, faculty, staff and family members gathered to congratulate students who earned a MESP certificate this spring and summer. We wish them great success in their future endeavors!