iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

#BRISMES #Events | We warmly invite BRISMES members and non-members to attend the 2026 Annual Lecture with Rafeef Ziadah. 🗓️ 12 November, 17:30-19:00 GMT (online) More info & registration: brismes.ac.uk/events/annua...

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#AcademicFreedom | 📢 New report from MESA Academic Freedom Initiative coming out next week: Lessons in Repression: Silencing Campus Workers on Palestine Since October 7, 2023. Join the launch webinar: Oct. 8, 1–2 PM Eastern Time. Register & learn more: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

us02web.zoom.us

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Lessons in Repression: AFI Webinar report launch. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Academic Freedom Initiative Webinar on a new report: Lessons in Repression: Silencing Campus Workers on Palestine Since October 7, 2023

112

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

💙 This year, the BRISMES Solidarity Fund provided 31 conference bursaries & over £9K in support, including for colleagues & students arriving from #Gaza. Hear from Omar Mofeed about the difference this made. 🎥 youtu.be/f6e8MnmfNEQ #Fundraiser #Solidarity

youtu.be

Omar’s Testimonial: The Impact of BRISMES Solidarity Fund Support

YouTube video by British Society for Middle Eastern Studies

121

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

BRISMES has written to the @unibirmingham.bsky.social to express our serious concern about proposed reductions in language provision, and in particular the prospective loss of specialist expertise in Arabic Studies. (1/3) Read our letter: bit.ly/4h4ia1q

110

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

📢 Submissions are open for the 2027 Leigh Douglas Memorial #Prize for the best #PhD dissertation on a #MiddleEastern topic in the Social Sciences or Humanities awarded by a British uni between Oct 2025 & Sept 2026. Deadline: 23 Nov 2026 More info: www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ldmp

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#BRISMES2027 I We are pleased to announce that our next BRISMES #conference will be held at Newcastle University from 22–24 June 2027. More details about the Call for Papers will be shared in due course — stay tuned! #MiddleEastStudies #CallForPapers

020

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

SARN's keynote by Yassin al-Haj Saleh. How are ideas formed & what do we overlook when we treat intellectual work primarily as an activity of the mind? Friday 18 September, 1.45pm, Newnham College, Cambridge. Part of the SARN UK Conference 2026. Registration 👇 www.tickettailor.com/events/marga...

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The 2026 Conference of the Syrian Academics and Researchers' Network - Knowledge, Memory & the Everyday Aftermath. 17–18 September at Cambridge: 5 panels, a roundtable on the anthropology of Syria, an art installation, & a keynote by Yassin al-Haj Saleh Programme 👇 www.sarn-uk.org/events/sarn-...

sarn-uk.org

SARN-UK - SARN 2026 International Conference

Dates: Thursday, 17 September 2026 and Friday, 18 September 2026 Location: University of Cambridge

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

📢 BRISMES supports colleagues at the University of Birmingham facing compulsory #redundancy. ✍️ We invite BRISMES members and the wider community to sign the petition and share it with colleagues and networks. 🔗 Sign the petition: www.change.org/p/stop-redun...

change.org

Firma la petizione

Stop redundancies at the University of Birmingham

021

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#Research | Listen to this episode of The +972 Podcast featuring former BRISMES Vice President Neve Gordon @gordonneve.bsky.social. Listen through the link: 972mag.com/podcast-gaza... Or watch the full episode through the link: youtu.be/hUQ3nqrstro?...

010

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

📚 #Research by BRISMES Members | "Repression as Aesthetic Ordering: How UK Universities Make #Palestine Solidarity Illegible in a Time of #Genocide" by BRISMES President Nicola Pratt & Joss Wozencroft Read more: sl1nk.com/wjxqdpg

101

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

#AcademicFreedom | We are thrilled to hear that Usama Ghanem has been reinstated at KCL. Read our previous intervention on this case: bit.ly/4oNtf7Q

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

📚 #Research by BRISMES Members | "The Authoritarian Convergence against #AcademicFreedom in #Germany: Political Interference, Securitization, and the Weaponization of Antisemitism Allegations" by Dörthe Engelcke and Ilyas Saliba @isaliba.bsky.social Read more: www.ispf-lab.cnr.it/system/files...

033

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The BRISMES Committee on #AcademicFreedom has written to Iranian authorities urging them not to adopt the proposed Bill to Counter the Infiltration of Foreign Intelligence Services and Governments or Foreign Entities. (1/4) Read our letter: shorturl.at/bPxfZ

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Please note that the BRISMES office will be closed for the summer holidays and will reopen on 7 September. Wishing everyone a great rest of the summer! 🌿☀️

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

#research | Free to access in #BJMES Volume 53, Issue 3 until the end of October: “Leo Africanus: a reflection of Amin Maalouf’s deterritorialized migrant self” by Saima Bashir & Sohail Ahmad Saeed. Read more: bit.ly/4i1oQ0X

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Protecting #academicfreedom requires action. Our report calls on universities, governments, international organisations, & scholarly associations to strengthen protections for academic freedom, support scholars at risk, & improve accountability for attacks on free expression.

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Despite differences between Europe and the Middle East, our report identifies a striking common trend: the growing use of security, counter-terrorism & “safety” narratives to justify restrictions on academic freedom & freedom of expression. Read & share 👉 shorturl.at/eKJku

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

📚 #Research by BRISMES Members | "Gaza and the Colonial Right to Self-defence: Legal Absurdities and the Circular Reasoning of Violence" by Passent Moussa & Colin Samson Read more: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The BRISMES Committee on #AcademicFreedom’s newly published report is cited in @timeshighered.bsky.social, highlighting concerns over the growing use of “national security” to restrict academic freedom. Read more 👇 www.timeshighereducation.com/news/nationa...

timeshighereducation.com

National security used to curb academic freedom, report says

Restrictions on events and teaching materials across Europe amount to ‘criminalisation of intellectual debate’, find Middle East experts

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

What patterns are emerging across the #MENA region? Our report finds repression of scholarship and shrinking civic space. Scholars face detention, imprisonment & harassment, while in conflict settings, universities themselves come under attack. 📄 👉 shorturl.at/eKJku #AcademicFreedom #ScholarsAtRisk

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

📚 #Research by BRISMES Members | "Foreign Policy and the Institutional Evolution of Rojavayê Kurdistan (2011–Present)" by Marianna Charountaki Read more: revista.unap.ro/index.php/Im...

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

What patterns are emerging across the UK & Europe? Our new report identifies growing restrictions on academic events, political expression & academic independence, warning of a chilling effect on scholarship & teaching. (1/2) Read & share the report 👉 shorturl.at/eKJku

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

📢 BRISMES has published the first annual report of its Committee on #AcademicFreedom. Drawing on 28 interventions, it documents threats to academic freedom, freedom of expression and the right to education across the UK, Europe and the MENA. (1/8) 👉 shorturl.at/eKJku

133

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

📚 #Research by BRISMES Members | "Needs that Bind: Materializing Nationality in Post-Ottoman Regimes" by Orçun Can Okan. Read more: sup.org/books/middle...

100

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

#AcademicFreedom | BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom expresses deep concern over the ongoing detention of Iranian scholar and civil rights activist Mr Yashar Darolshafa, who was violently arrested on 1 June 2026. (1/4) Read our statement: bit.ly/brimes-27072...

200

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

#AcademicFreedom | We're grateful to see the work of BRISMES referenced in the new article "Silencing Dissent: Academic Freedom and Transnational Suppression of Palestinian Solidarity" by Sevgi Doğan, Donatella della Porta and Federico Alagna. Check it out: shorturl.at/0FgLJ

shorturl.at

Silencing Dissent: Academic Freedom and Transnational Suppression of Palestinian Solidarity | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core

Silencing Dissent: Academic Freedom and Transnational Suppression of Palestinian Solidarity

001

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

🎉 The BRISMES Shop is open! Every purchase supports our scholarships and prizes, conference attendance, public engagement and events, and advocacy for academic freedom. Explore the shop 👉 brismes.myshopify.com #BRISMES #MiddleEastStudies #Fundraising #SupportScholarship

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

🚨 The first two episodes of the Iran in Context podcast series are available! The series brings together leading scholars to explore the deeper historical and political context behind recent developments in Iran. Ep. 1: shorturl.at/Xym11 Ep. 2: shorturl.at/1XNOR

shorturl.at

The MERIP Podcast Episode 24: Iran in Context Part I

Gender and Revolution

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Please sign and share this important petition opposing the proposed redundancies at the University of Exeter, including at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS). change.org/p/stop-redun... For context, read our previous letter to the University of Exeter VC👇

change.org

Sign the Petition

Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter

021

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

#Research | Free to access in #BJMES until the end of August: “Contested ground: law and legitimacy in Iran’s constitutional revolution” by Mohammad Bitarafan. Read more: bit.ly/4vsOXkC

Promotional graphic announcing a new free-to-access article in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. The journal cover appears on the left, with the headline "NEW FREE TO ACCESS ARTICLE" above the title "British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies." The featured article is Contested ground: law and legitimacy in Iran's constitutional revolution by Mohammad Bitarafan. An orange "Read More" button and the shortened link bit.ly/4vsOXkC appear at the bottom. The design uses black, cream, red and orange BRISMES branding.

First page of the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies article Contested ground: law and legitimacy in Iran's constitutional revolution by Mohammad Bitarafan (Khwarazmi University, Tehran, Iran). The page includes the article title, author and affiliation, publication details, abstract, and article history. The abstract explains that the paper examines public debates about law during Iran's Constitutional Revolution (1906–1911) through newspaper sources, highlighting how journalists, intellectuals and ordinary readers shaped understandings of law, constitutionalism and modernity beyond elite legal scholarship.

000

Reposted by BRISMES

Feras Alkabani @ferasalkabani.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Please consider donating to this campaign👇 thank you 🙏 I just want to hug my children again.. chuffed.org/project/1771...

chuffed.org

I just want to hug my children again..

🎉🙏 Campaign Update – Over 75% of our goal has been reached!😍

011

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

#AcademicFreedom | The Committees on Academic Freedom of SEMOMM, BRISMES, SeSaMO and MESA have published a joint statement concerning historian, essayist, academic, journalist, and human rights defender, Dr Maâti Monjib. Read our statement: bit.ly/statement-07... 1/4

Graphic promoting a joint statement by SEMOMM, BRISMES, SeSaMO and the Middle East Studies Association concerning the situation of Dr Maâti Monjib. The organisations' logos appear at the top above the title, "Joint Statement Concerning the Situation of Dr Maâti Monjib", displayed in white text on a blue background with a cream geometric pattern.

Graphic featuring an excerpt from a joint statement by SEMOMM, BRISMES, SeSaMO and the Middle East Studies Association. The quote reads: "Historian, essayist, academic, journalist, and human rights defender, Dr Maâti Monjib has contributed, through his historical research, writings, his civic advocacies, and his commitment to freedom of the press, to building a space for critical reflection in which the contemporary history of Morocco, forms of power, authoritarian practices, and democratic issues could be publicly addressed." Footer: "Joint Statement, 7 July 2026."

Graphic featuring an excerpt from a joint statement by SEMOMM, BRISMES, SeSaMO and the Middle East Studies Association. The quote reads: "Since 2015, Moroccan authorities have subjected him to numerous judicial proceedings based on accusations that many international human rights organizations have deemed arbitrary....Dr Monjib has for years been trapped in an endless cycle of postponed hearings, summonses, administrative controls, and defamatory campaigns to which he has often responded by going on hunger strike." Footer: "Joint Statement, 7 July 2026."

Graphic featuring an excerpt from a joint statement by SEMOMM, BRISMES, SeSaMO and the Middle East Studies Association. The quote reads: "We express our full solidarity with Dr Monjib, his family, and all those who, in Morocco, continue to defend – often at the risk of their own freedom – the right to free speech and expression, independent research, and justice." A black box below reads: "Read the statement in full: bit.ly/statement-07072026". Footer: "Joint Statement, 7 July 2026."

110

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

🎉 We are delighted to share the news that Sena El Banna was awarded the 2025 BRISMES Conference Student Paper Prize, with Pauline Klose-Abdelghani receiving Honourable Mention. This prize supports BRISMES #student members in the development of peer-reviewed #research. 1/3

Promotional graphic announcing the 2025 BRISMES Conference Student Paper Prize recipients. Winner: Sena El Banna for Family afterlives of activism among Egyptian Islamist women since the Revolution, recognised for an original contribution to feminist and social movement scholarship. Honourable Mention: Pauline Klose-Abdelghani for Echoes of Erasure: ‘Modern Judeo-Arabic’ and Communal Belonging among Arabs of ’48 in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, recognised for an original exploration of language, belonging and identity. Includes the BRISMES webpage: www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/conference

130

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

BRISMES Council has written to the VC of @exeter.ac.uk to express our deep concern about the proposed reductions to academic posts in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, including within the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies (IAIS). Read our letter: bit.ly/3SZnsS7 1/2

Page 1 of a BRISMES (British Society for Middle Eastern Studies) letter dated 2 July 2026 to Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter. The letter expresses deep concern about proposed redundancies in the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies (IAIS), highlighting the institute's international reputation for research, teaching, language provision, and leadership in Middle Eastern Studies, and warning that staff reductions would damage the discipline in the UK and beyond.

Page 2 of the BRISMES letter arguing that proposed redundancies at the University of Exeter would weaken research capacity, student opportunities, specialist language teaching, and the international standing of Middle Eastern Studies. The letter states that the financial challenges facing UK universities are structural, that redundancies are not a sustainable solution, and urges the University Executive Board to reconsider the planned cuts to protect the long-term future of the discipline.

Final page of the BRISMES letter signed by Professor Nicola Pratt, BRISMES President, and Professor Dina Matar, BRISMES President-Elect. The page also lists copied recipients, including senior leaders in the University of Exeter's Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

153

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

🎉 We are delighted to announce that Yasmine Hafez and Danielle Andréa Krikorian have each been awarded a 2026 BRISMES Early Career Development Scholarship of £3,000. These scholarships support the academic development of #EarlyCareerScholars. Read more: www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ecds 1/2

Promotional graphic announcing the recipients of the 2026 BRISMES Early Career Development Scholarship. Two scholarships have been awarded to Dr Yasmine Hafez and Dr Danielle Andréa Krikorian. The graphic summarises Dr Hafez's project on crop cultivation, infrastructure, governance and gender, and Dr Krikorian's project on the visual politics of Lebanon–Palestine solidarity and political print culture. Includes the BRISMES webpage: www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ecds

110

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

🎉 A huge congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize! 🏆 Joint Winners: Omar Abolnaga (@omarabolnaga.bsky.social) and Abdulla Moaswes (@karakmufti.bsky.social) 🌟Joint Runners Up: Maram Theodory & Florence Wolstenholme Read more: brismes.ac.uk/awards/ldmp 1/2

Promotional graphic for the 2026 Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize announcing the joint winners, Omar Abolnaga and Abdulla Moaswes, and the joint runners-up, Maram Theodory and Florence Wolstenholme, together with their universities and dissertation titles. Includes a link to the BRISMES webpage www.brismes.ac.uk/awards/ldmp.

230

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

🎉 Congratulations to all of our prize and scholarship recipients! It was a pleasure to celebrate the outstanding work of researchers in the BRISMES community at #BRISMES2026. Over the coming days, we will be highlighting each award and its recipients.

Five BRISMES prize and scholarship recipients stand together on the steps outside the SOAS Gallery, each holding their award certificate and smiling at the camera. From left to right are Danielle Andréa Krikorian, Florence Wolstenholme, Yasmine Hafez, Omar Abolnaga and Maram Theodory. The group is photographed in bright sunshine in front of the SOAS entrance during the BRISMES Annual Conference.

040

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

TODAY: Iran in Context Part II: Politics and Counter Politics in Contemporary Iran with Naghmeh Sohrabi, Mohammad Ali Kadivar and Paniz Musawi Natanzi. Join us online at 17:00 BST. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

001

Reposted by BRISMES

Ploughshares @ploughshares.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Grantee @merip.bsky.social's Iran in Context series features scholars on the complex political and military disturbances in Iran over the last year. Part I: Gender and Revolution, is available now on major podcast platforms ⬇️ loom.ly/uVzQi3A

merip.org

The MERIP Podcast Episode 24: Iran in Context Part I

Gender and Revolution

033

Reposted by BRISMES

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

TOMORROW: Iran in Context Part II: Politics and Counter Politics in Contemporary Iran with Naghmeh Sohrabi, Mohammad Ali Kadivar and Paniz Musawi Natanzi. Join us at 12PM EST online!

buff.ly

Iran in Context Part II: Politics and Counter Politics in Contemporary Iran

July 2, 2026 @ 12PM EST

021

Reposted by BRISMES

Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS) @warwickpais.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

PAIS PhD researcher, Sena El Banna, has won the 2025 BRISMES Conference Student Paper Prize for her paper "Family afterlives of activism among Egyptian Islamist women since the Revolution".

111

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who has supported the BRISMES campaign so far. At a time of growing pressure on academic freedom and public debate, your support helps sustain independent Middle East Studies. Support BRISMES today. Every contribution matters: donorbox.org/brismes_fund...

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

#Research | Free to access in #BJMES until the end of August: “The absence, marginalization and culturalization of the presence: representation of the Kurds in Persian post-revolution novels: 1980–2011" by Erfan Rajabi & Kamal Khaleghpanah. Read more: bit.ly/3ZHUwy1

Promotional graphic for the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies announcing a new free-to-access article. The featured article is titled The absence, marginalization and culturalization of the presence: representation of the Kurds in Persian post-revolution novels: 1980–2011 by Erfan Rajabi and Kamal Khaleghpanah. The graphic includes the journal cover, a "Read More" button, and the short link: bit.ly/3ZHUwy1.

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

#OnlineEvent | Should we globalise the intifada? Lessons from revolutionary history 📅Wednesday 1 July, 19:00 (BST) 💻Online event 🔗 actionnetwork.org/events/intif... Hosted by Protest is not Terrorism, co-sponsored by @brismes.bsky.social and @bricup.bsky.social. All welcome.

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

That's a wrap on #BRISMES2026! A huge thank you to all delegates, speakers, organisers, volunteers, and staff who made this year's conference such a success. We are grateful for the energy, insight, and conversations shared across the event. See you at BRISMES 2027!

010

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

📢 #OnlineEvent | Join BRISMES, @merip.bsky.social & SeSaMO for the second event in our #Iran in Context series titled "Politics and Counter-Politics in Contemporary Iran" with Naghmeh Sohrabi, Mohammad Ali Kadivar & Paniz Musawi Natanzi. 🗓 2 July 2026 ⏰ 17:00 – 18:30 BST 🔗 Register: bit.ly/OP_Iran2

Upcoming event
MERIP, BRISMES, SeSaMO Iran Event Series
Iran in Context Part II: Politics and Counter-Politics in Contemporary Iran
2 July 2026
17:00-18:30 BST
Online
For our next event, titled Iran in Context Part II: Politics and Counter-Politics in Contemporary Iran, we explore the politics of people’s mobilization and the political cleavages that characterize Iranian society to find out how ordinary people in Iran relate to big and small questions alike. We ask, for instance: can we talk about cultures of the Right and cultures of the Left in Iran? While examining the lines of divisions that cut across Iranian society, we will ask how different forms of mobilization have shaped contemporary Iran.

Speakers:
Mohammad Ali Kadivar (Boston College)
Paniz Musawi Natanzi (University of Bern)
Naghmeh Sohrabi (Brandeis University)

More information and registration:
bit.ly/OP_Iran2

035

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#BRISMES2026 | Many thanks to our Bronze Sponsor @Thenewarab for supporting this year's conference. Find out more about their work here: www.brismes.ac.uk/conference/a...

010

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#BRISMES2026 - Day 3 The final day of the conference is here. We look forward to a packed programme of panels, including our final screening The Phoenix of Gaza, open to non-delegates via this registration link: bit.ly/PoGaza

bit.ly

The Phoenix of Gaza

Join us for this unique documentary about the hidden beauties, joys, and treasures of Gaza.

000

BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

"What is resistance when life itself is at stake?". Thank you to everyone who attended this powerful and important session “The Fire Will Never Cease: Defiant Ecologies in South Lebanon" at #BRISMES2026. It was a full house. Our heartfelt thanks to our invited speaker Dr Munira Khayyat.

010