Middle East Studies Association
MESA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association, founded in 1966, serving roughly 2,800 scholars and institutions focused on Middle East and North Africa studies through peer-reviewed journals, an annual meeting, scholarly awards, and academic-freedom advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersTucson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Middle East Studies Association does
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA), legally Middle East Studies Association of North America, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1966 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. It serves approximately 2,800 scholars, students, and institutions engaged in Middle East and North Africa studies, with the stated mission of fostering study of the region, promoting high standards of scholarship and teaching, encouraging public understanding, and defending academic freedom.
MESA's core offerings are organized around four pillars: scholarly publications (three peer-reviewed journals — IJMES, RoMES, and IMES), an annual meeting (the 60th scheduled for November 2026 in Boston), a portfolio of named book and dissertation awards (Hourani, Keddie, Mernissi, Owen, Kerr, and others), and advocacy programs including the Committee on Academic Freedom, the Task Force on Civil and Human Rights, and the MESA Global Academy. In May 2026, MESA extended its advocacy surface with the Academic Freedom Initiative website, which publishes datasets and analysis tracking threats to academic freedom across North American universities since October 7, 2023.
The business model is membership-dues-driven and recurring, supplemented by individual and institutional memberships, conference registration and sponsorship, journal subscriptions, and donations. Distribution is handled through the myMESA member portal, the MESA Listserv, social media channels, and the annual meeting. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. MESA is governed by a Board of Directors under elected leadership; it has no parent company and no disclosed funding rounds.
Middle East Studies Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Middle East Studies Association
- Legal name
- Middle East Studies Association of North America, Inc.
- Website
- https://mesana.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MESA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association, founded in 1966, serving roughly 2,800 scholars and institutions focused on Middle East and North Africa studies through peer-reviewed journals, an annual meeting, scholarly awards, and academic-freedom advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Middle East Studies Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI), Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)
Keywords
Where Middle East Studies Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tucson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Middle East Studies Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership dues: The organization generates revenue primarily through membership fees from its nearly 2,800 members worldwide. Members pay annual dues to join the association and gain access to publications, the annual meeting, and member resources.
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Middle East Studies Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Middle East Studies Association is a nonprofit professional association that sells individual and institutional memberships granting access to three peer-reviewed academic journals (IJMES, RoMES, IMES), its flagship annual conference, member directory, and advocacy resources. It also publishes journals and administers the annual meeting as standalone offerings for the global Middle East studies scholarly community.
Product overview
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) is a nonprofit professional association that serves as a unified platform for scholarly engagement with the Middle East and North Africa. Rather than a technology product, MESA operates as a membership-based academic organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services: three peer-reviewed publications (IJMES, RoMES, and IMES), an annual conference, and advocacy programs including the Committee on Academic Freedom, Task Force on Civil and Human Rights, Academic Freedom Initiative, and Global Academy. The organization also administers multiple book awards and dissertation awards, provides a Resources and Opportunities portal for employment and grants, and offers membership services with access to scholarly networks and professional development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES) A prestigious peer-reviewed academic journal published by MESA covering scholarly research on the Middle East and North Africa region, distributed to members and institutional subscribers.
- Review of Middle East Studies (RoMES) A peer-reviewed publication providing reviews and critical analysis of scholarship and books related to Middle East studies, available to MESA members.
- IMES (International Middle East Studies Update) A publication offering scholarly content on international studies concerning the Middle East region, distributed to MESA members.
- MESA Annual Meeting MESA's flagship annual conference bringing together scholars for presentations, networking, and academic exchange on Middle East studies, with the 60th meeting scheduled for November 21-24, 2026 in Boston, MA.
- MESA Membership Services Organizational membership program offering individual and institutional tiers with access to publications, the annual meeting, networking, and professional development resources for scholars of the Middle East and North Africa.
Companies that use Middle East Studies Association
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Middle East Studies Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Middle East Studies Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Middle East Studies Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Modern Language Association: Humanities scholarly association with peer-reviewed journals, an annual convention, advocacy for academic freedom, and a comparable dues-based membership model serving language and literature scholars.
- Latin American Studies Association: Comparable area-studies professional association publishing journals (Latin American Research Review) and hosting an annual congress, with a similar scholarly-society operating model focused on a world region.
- American Political Science Association: Scholarly society with peer-reviewed journals (APSR), an annual meeting, and academic-freedom advocacy — same operating template as MESA but in political science rather than area studies.
- African Studies Association: Peer area-studies scholarly association with a similar membership model, peer-reviewed journals, and annual meeting, focused on Africa and the African diaspora. Directly comparable in structure, scale, and mission to MESA.
- American Historical Association: Discipline-based scholarly association publishing The American Historical Review, running an annual meeting, and advocating for academic freedom — analogous structure and scale to MESA.
- American Anthropological Association: Scholarly association with peer-reviewed journals (American Anthropologist), an annual meeting, and active advocacy programs — same membership society model as MESA.
- American Sociological Association: Scholarly society publishing peer-reviewed journals, hosting an annual meeting, and administering awards — directly comparable nonprofit membership association structure.
- Association for Asian Studies: Closely comparable scholarly society focused on a world region (Asia), publishing peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Asian Studies), running an annual meeting, and administering book and dissertation awards for area-studies scholars.
Others
- Council on Foreign Relations: Adjacent organization publishing policy analysis on the Middle East; not a direct competitor but operates in an overlapping intellectual ecosystem with MENA-focused scholarship and convening activity.
Broad incumbents
- American Economic Association: Larger, more established scholarly association in economics with similar journals, annual meeting, and advocacy footprint. Comparable model but operates at significantly greater scale than MESA.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Middle East Studies Association social profiles
Digital presenceMiddle East Studies Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Middle East Studies Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Middle East Studies Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Middle East Studies Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Middle East Studies Association
What does Middle East Studies Association do?
The Middle East Studies Association is a nonprofit professional association that sells individual and institutional memberships granting access to three peer-reviewed academic journals (IJMES, RoMES, IMES), its flagship annual conference, member directory, and advocacy resources. It also publishes journals and administers the annual meeting as standalone offerings for the global Middle East studies scholarly community.
Is Middle East Studies Association a public or private company?
Middle East Studies Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Middle East Studies Association founded?
Middle East Studies Association was founded in 1966. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Middle East Studies Association based?
Middle East Studies Association is headquartered in Tucson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Middle East Studies Association make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership dues.
Who are Middle East Studies Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Modern Language Association, Latin American Studies Association, American Political Science Association, African Studies Association, American Historical Association, American Anthropological Association, American Sociological Association and Association for Asian Studies. Council on Foreign Relations is listed as an others. American Economic Association is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Middle East Studies Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Middle East Studies Association.
What industry is Middle East Studies Association in?
Middle East Studies Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAK, Scholarly Society & Association Publishing, with a secondary code of EDAGAFAI, Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.