The Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP) has scheduled two events for the upcoming Middle East Studies Association (MESA) annual conference, set to take place at the Hilton Park Plaza in Boston. The programming, which requires active conference registration for attendance, focuses on the intersection of contemporary student activism and the long-term political shifts across the Middle East and North Africa.
Live Podcast Recording with Mohsen Mahdawi
On the evening of November 21, from 8:30 PM to 11:00 PM, MERIP will host a reception in the hotel’s Terrace Room. The event features a live podcast recording centered on the case of Mohsen Mahdawi, a former Columbia University student and activist involved in the campus encampment movement.
Mahdawi is currently engaged in legal proceedings to challenge his deportation from the United States. During the session, he will appear in conversation with James Ryan, the executive director of MERIP. The discussion is slated to address the legal and political consequences of Mahdawi’s legal struggle, specifically focusing on the intersection of free speech rights and the movement for Palestinian liberation. The podcast segment is scheduled to begin promptly at 8:30 PM, with refreshments provided for attendees throughout the evening.
MERIP @ MESA: Live Podcast and reception with Mohsen Mahdawi and a Roundtable on Counterrevolution. MERIP has a great lineup for this year’s MESA Conference at the Hilton Park Plaza in Boston, MA. Announcement and registration details ⬇️https://t.co/LlnYMwv0Q0
Roundtable on Regional Counterrevolution
The following morning, November 22, at 8:30 AM, MERIP will sponsor a roundtable discussion titled “Thinking Through Counterrevolution.” The session is organized by scholars Toby Jones and Jessica Winegar and seeks to examine the political trajectory of the region nearly 15 years after the 2011 uprisings.
The organizers intend for the discussion to move beyond a simple accounting of regional practices, framing counterrevolution instead as a globalized condition that manifests across various levels of society. The panel is scheduled to include Bassam Haddad, Stacey Philbrick Yadav, Andy Clarno, Shirin Vossoughi, Abdelrazzak Tikriti, Işıl Karacan, and Leslie Alexander.
Access to both the reception and the roundtable remains restricted to individuals officially registered for the MESA conference.
