A Look Inside the 2026 Middle East Studies Conference
On April 17, the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) convened its annual conference at the UW-Madison Memorial Library. Free and open to the public, this day-long event served as a forum for scholars, students, and community members to navigate the political, ecological, and cultural currents defining the Middle East and its global diasporas.
The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Lesley Bartlett, associate dean for regional, international, and language studies, and Nevine El Nossery, interim faculty director of the Middle East Studies Program.
“What makes this event particularly meaningful is the way it brings together scholars to engage the Middle East as a dynamic and contested space,” said El Nossery, noting the value of sustained discussion around these pressing issues.
The first panel examined how imperial legacies and security regimes cross borders. Ferial Menaifi discussed Algeria’s role in Sahel power rivalries and Stephen Zunes explored the evolution of the U.S. pro-Palestinian movement. Atef Said drew parallels between “Sisi-ism” in Egypt and “Trumpism” in the U.S., while Roger Baumann reviewed how the cultural roots of the Black Church in America inform divergent political views on Israel and Palestine.
Following an intermission, the second panel shifted to the management of human and environmental flows. Lauren Baker analyzed the “Green Hegemony” of the Conference of Parties (COP) summits, while Çetin Çelik introduced “Ansarism,” a Turkish migration framework rooted in Islamic brotherhood. The session also featured David Wight’s history of Libyan student activism and Ilyssa Yahmi’s fieldwork on people smuggling in the Sahara-Sahel.
After attendees gathered for lunch at the Red Gym, the final session focused on creative and ethical resistance. K.D. Thompson presented research on Tanzanian radio solidarity for Gaza, and Sherena Razek used the sabr (cactus that also means patience in Arabic) as a lens to challenge colonial ecologies.
This wide range of perspectives resonated with attendees like John Bennett, a UW–Madison graduate student in the Department of Communication Arts.
“It was great to hear the panels where different national contexts were put in conversation with each other,” said Bennett. “It painted a more detailed and broad picture of the region.”
The day concluded with a focus on the power of the image and the written word. Maha El Said discussed how Palestinian filmmakers and poets refuse necropolitical logic to reclaim agency, while Saylín Álvarez showcased the work of Andaleeb Cartonera, an independent cardboard book press originating in Madison, Wisconsin. Producing handcrafted, recycled books as a form of grassroots educational medium, Andaleeb Cartonera binds the local community to the struggle for Palestinian rights. A selection of their work was on display for attendees to view.
To learn more about the Middle East Studies Program and see upcoming events, please visit the MESP website or follow MESP on Instagram.