BRISMES

@brismes

BRISMES brings together teachers, researchers, students, diplomats, journalists and others who deal professionally with the Middle East.

130 Following259 Followers278 Posts

Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and brismes.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

BRISMES@brismes· 1d

#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

BRISMES@brismes· 2d

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.

BRISMES@brismes· 2d

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

BRISMES@brismes· 6d

📚 #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...

BRISMES@brismes· 6d

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

BRISMES@brismes· 7d

📚 #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...

BRISMES@brismes· 7d

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

BRISMES@brismes· 8d

📢 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

BRISMES@brismes· 12d

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

BRISMES@brismes· 17d

#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...

BRISMES@brismes· 22d

🎉 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

BRISMES@brismes· 29d

#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.

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 9

#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."

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 6

🎉 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

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 6

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.

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 3

🎉 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

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 2

🎉 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.

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 2

🎉 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.

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 1

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...

BRISMES@brismes· Jul 1

#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.

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 26

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!

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 26

📢 #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

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 25

#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...

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 24

"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.

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 24

Thank you to everyone who attended this incredibly moving session "Overkillability and the Genocide in Gaza: The Expansions of Spaces of Killing and the Logic of Evisceration" at #BRISMES2026. Standing ovation for our invited speaker Nadera Shalhoub- Kevorkian.

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 16

Join us at #BRISMES2026 for a special screening of The Phoenix of Gaza and a live Q&A with filmmaker @YousefAlhelou. 📅 25 June, 16:00 (UK) 📍 SOAS Brunei Gallery Theatre, London Free for conference delegates. Non-delegates can purchase tickets here: bit.ly/PoGaza

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 8

⏰ Last chance to register for #BRISMES2026! Registration closes today, 8 June. Don't miss out! Registration info here: www.brismes.ac.uk/.../abou.../... Image credit: Osama Hussein

BRISMES@brismes· Jun 2

📢 New Event Series | Iran in Context Part I: Gender and Revolution Join BRISMES, MERIP & SeSaMO for a discussion on women, revolution, and the gendered politics of Iran from 1979 to the present. 🗓 18 June 2026 | ⏰ 15:00–16:30 (UK) 🔗 Register: bit.ly/OP_Iran

BRISMES@brismes· May 29

BRISMES expresses grave concern following reports about the detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla civilian activists, among whom are UK scholars Dr Antonis Vardis and Hasnain Jaffer. Read our statement: bit.ly/brismes-290526

Statement in Solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla Humanitarian Mission Activists and UK Scholars Dr Antonis Vardis and Hasnain Jaffer

BRISMES expresses grave concern following reports about the detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla civilian activists...We are particularly concerned by the reports that those intercepted - all of whom have now returned home - have been subjected to abuse and dehumanisation by the Israeli forces.

BRISMES has long defended the importance of academic freedom, open debate, critical inquiry, and the protection of scholars and students working on the Middle East under increasingly difficult conditions. Academic freedom does not exist in a vacuum. Basic freedoms and human rights must be ensured to make societies and knowledge production flourish.

We therefore call on academic institutions, governments, and all relevant parties to uphold international law, protect civilian life, ensure humanitarian access, and safeguard the rights and wellbeing of scholars, students, and humanitarian actors.

Read the statement in full: bit.ly/brismes-290526

BRISMES@brismes· May 28

Applications are still open to join the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies as Associate Editor. You will work closely with the rest of the editorial board to manage manuscript submissions and uphold the journal’s high academic standards. 🗓️31 May 👉bit.ly/4vWQIbd