Announcements of Interest 

Have an announcement? Email your opportunity to Emily Lucas at [email protected].

Call for Papers: MECARC’s 2nd International Conference

The Middle East and Central Asia Research Center (MECARC) invites scholars from Israel and abroad – specializing in Middle East Studies, Political Science, Israel Studies, International Relations, Sociology, Law, and related disciplines – to submit papers for presentation at our expanding scholarly forum. Submissions for organized panels are warmly welcome.

Submission Requirements for Proposals:

Submissions focusing on Middle Eastern, African and Central Asian topics should include an abstract (up to 250 words) of original work, accompanied by an updated CV containing full contact details: name, email, phone, and institutional affiliation.

  • Researchers whose papers are accepted will be eligible to apply for research and travel grants.
  • Registration for the conference is open to both members and non-members.
  • The deadline to submit is February 15, 2026.
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Riwaq Prize for Science and Culture

The Riwaq Prize for Science and Culture is a joint initiative of Divan – The Arab Cultural Center (Berlin) and the Orient Institute Beirut (OIB) . It recognizes outstanding scholarly monographs that contribute to the advancement of their discipline through innovative research approaches and critical perspectives. Works in the humanities and social sciences with a thematic focus on Arab cultures and societies are eligible for nomination. The prize is awarded every two years, alternating between the humanities and social sciences

The prize is awarded in three language categories (Arabic, German, English); each of the three categories is endowed with €1,000. The winner(s) in each category are decided by a jury consisting of three renowned scholars.

The first call for proposals in 2026 focuses on the humanities. Monographs from the fields of philosophy, history and cultural studies, art and architecture, as well as literature, linguistics and translation studies, are eligible for nomination. These must have been published as original editions in the respective language between January 1, 2022 and January 31, 2026.

The deadline for nominations by publishers or established academics is January 31, 2026.

International Courses Program - Israel Institute

The International Courses Program supports individual classes about Israel at colleges and universities outside the United States and Israel. All courses supported by this grant must be for credit. Courses can be offered online or in-person.

In-person courses may be intensive or span a full semester. Intensive courses must include a minimum of 30 classroom hours over at least 10 distinct days of instruction. In-person grant amounts are $10,000 per class for courses in countries that are members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) & $12,000 per course in nonmember countries.

Online courses must span the full semester. Grant awards for online courses are $5,000.

Preference is given to applicants who have invitations to teach at public universities.

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