A new Study Abroad Program!
"UW in Türkiye: Crossroads of Civilizations"
Istanbul from May 17 to June 4, 2026

Click here for more information: studyabroad.wisc.edu/program/?pro...

Teaching Migration Through Comics: Exploring Hakim’s Odyssey Join us for a special International Book Club featuring Hakim’s Odyssey by Fabien Toulmé — a powerful graphic narrative tracing one man’s flight from war-torn Syria to safety in Europe. The event will...

Teaching MIgration Through Comics: Exploring Hakim's Odyssey
Online via Zoom
November 12, 2025 @ 4-5 pm

Join us for an International Book Club featuring a powerful graphic novel tracing one man’s flight from war-torn Syria to safety in Europe.

For more info and to register: shorturl.at/Q8o18

Applications are OPEN! 📢 Study a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean language in an accelerated, proficiency-based summer program!📝🌞
Learn more and apply: wisli.wisc.edu/medli
#LanguageGoals #LanguageLearning #LanguageSkills

Kimberly Wortman from Wake Forest University gave a fascinating lecture yesterday, as part of the MESP Lecture Series! Click here for details: shorturl.at/Oi6t4. Please come to our next lecture: "Steadfast on Campus: A Century of Global Palestinian Student Activism", details here: shorturl.at/JkG1T

We are excited to be cosponsoring this upcoming lecture with the Department of History:

“The Making of the Carceral State in Modern Iran”

Thursday, November 13th, 12 noon-2 pm
Pyle Center 313

Speaker: Golnar Nikpour (Dartmouth College)

For more info: shorturl.at/Ad2Vy

Boren Awards Info Session
Monday, November 10, 2025
12–1 p.m.
Study Abroad Resource Center, 3rd Floor Red Gym

Do you study or want to learn a less commonly taught language? Boren Awards can give you up to $25,000 to study a critical language abroad!

For more info, visit go.wisc.edu/language-events

Religion, Heritage, and Identity in Tanzania’s Omani-Ibadi Community Drawing from her new book "Society of the Righteous: Transregional Muslim Networks and Ibadhi Moral Reform in East Africa" (UNC Press, 2024), Dr. Kimberly Wortmann (Wake Forest University) will explor...

This Monday! Come hear Kimberly Wortmann (Wake Forest University) discuss "Religion, Heritage, and Identity in TAnzania's Omani-Ibadi Community". Free and open to the public. A vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/dxvUd

We had great fun yesterday at the Children's International Story Hour (CISH) at Pinney Library! Our reader Lina, from Jenin in Palestine, read from: “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine”. For more about CISH and upcoming events, go to: shorturl.at/qOBAk

Children’s International Story Hour: “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine” We will be reading the book to the children, introducing basic Arabic words, teaching basic facts about Palestine, creating an art project based on the book, and sampling Palestinian cuisine!

TODAY! Open to children and their caregivers:

Children’s International Story Hour:

“Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine”
Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd.
Madison, WI 53716
October 27, 2025 @ 4 - 5 pm

For more information: shorturl.at/3cyIr

Children’s International Story Hour: “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine” We will be reading the book to the children, introducing basic Arabic words, teaching basic facts about Palestine, creating an art project based on the book, and sampling Palestinian cuisine!

Next Monday! Open to children and their caregivers:

Children’s International Story Hour:
“Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine”
Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd.
Madison, WI 53716
October 27, 2025 @ 4 - 5 pm

For more information: shorturl.at/5ZcUu

We had a packed house at our MESP lecture yesterday, cosponsored with the African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison! Jonas Elbousty from Yale University, gave a fascinating presentation on Mohamed Choukri’s short stories. For more info: shorturl.at/jbtzv

Online Adult Turkish Classes Interest Form Dear community members, In collaboration with a language education initiative, we are planning to offer 2 hour online Turkish classes for adults. These classes will be taught by experienced language e...

Online Adult Turkish Classes! In collaboration with a language education initiative, the non-profit Turkish American Cultural Alliance is planning to offer 2 hour online Turkish classes for adults.

If interested, please complete this form by Friday, October 24: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Narrating the Margins: Mohamed Choukri’s Short Narratives Choukri blends harsh realism with creative storytelling, following Zola’s idea that literature should be rooted in real human experience. His stories reveal the difficult truths of poverty, oppression...

Tomorrow at noon, you don't want to miss this fascinating lecture! For more info and to register: shorturl.at/0veGy

Narrating the Margins: Mohamed Choukri’s Short Narratives Choukri blends harsh realism with creative storytelling, following Zola’s idea that literature should be rooted in real human experience. His stories reveal the difficult truths of poverty, oppression...

This coming Wednesday! Professor Jonas Elbousty (Yale University) will discuss Mohamed Choukri’s short stories.

A vegetarian Middle Eastern lunch will be provided.
For more information and to register: shorturl.at/D3kcZ
This event is cosponsored by African Studies.

YouTube video by CAROL BARR Cross-Stitching the Scattered: Women’s Literary Subjectivities

Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University) presented her fascinating talk this past Monday via Zoom, entitled "Cross-Stitching the Scattered: Women’s Literary Subjectivities". To those who could not make it, here's the video recording: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4d0...

Art and Resistance in “Power Born of Dreams” Join us online for a discussion with Mohammad Sabaaneh, the author and illustrator of the award winning graphic novel "Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine".

Tomorrow at 4 pm! Join us online for a conversation with Mohammad Sabaaneh, the author and illustrator of the award winning graphic novel "Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine". Discussion facilitated by Professor Ramzi Fawaz. For more info and to register: shorturl.at/Bagje

Today at noon! A hybrid lecture with Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University). A delicious Middle Eastern lunch will be served for those able to join us in-person at Ingraham 206. For more information and to register: mideast.wisc.edu/.../cross-st...

Cross-Stitching the Scattered: Women’s Literary Subjectivities Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University) looks at how women writers create their sense of self through stories that are often broken, layered, and full of contradictions. She uses cross-stitchi...

Coming up this Monday! A hybrid lecture with Professor Shereen Abouelnaga (Cairo University). For more information and to register: shorturl.at/NZxle #uwmesp #uwmadison #cairouniversity

Art and Resistance in “Power Born of Dreams” Join us online for a discussion with Mohammad Sabaaneh, the author and illustrator of the award winning graphic novel "Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine".

Join us online for a conversation with Mohammad Sabaaneh, the creator of the award winning graphic novel "Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine". Discussion facilitated by Professor Ramzi Fawaz. Cosponsored with IRIS NRC. For more information and to register, go to: shorturl.at/pGW8D

Online lecture this Thursday!
"How Far is the Far East to the Near East? Dynamics of Japanese-Turkish Relations Before Their Official Beginning"
September 19, 2025 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Click here for more info and zoom link: shorturl.at/CNIF2

Study Abroad Fair
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
3-6 PM
Gordon Dining & Event Center

The fair is a great way to learn about study abroad, explore programs, international internships, research opportunities and more!
For more info: studyabroad.wisc.edu/fair/

International Majors & Opportunities Fair
Monday, September 22, 2:30-5 pm
Great Hall at Memorial Union

Come learn about majors, certificates, funding, student orgs, and events on campus that are international in scope!
Questions? Contact Molly Donnellan at molly.donnellan@wisc.edu.

MENA Fall Welcome Event!
Thursday, September 18, 2025
5:30-7 pm
Red Gym

Come learn more about MENA programming and what we offer. Connect with new folks, meet staff and faculty, and share a meal.

Contact noreen.siddiqui@wisc.edu with questions or accommodations.

This coming friday! You don't want to miss these two opportunities to hear from trauma surgeon Dr. Feroze Sidhwa about his recent experiences working at a Gaza hospital. Free and open to the public. For more info: shorturl.at/ubfTA

We are excited to be cosponsoring these important talks by Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon, who recently worked at a Gaza hospital. For more info: shorturl.at/1L6zj and shorturl.at/f5t3B

We had a wonderful graduation party on Wednesday, May 7! MESP students, faculty, staff and family members gathered to congratulate students who earned a MESP certificate this spring and summer. We wish them great success in their future endeavors!

photo of Cat Carroll

Exciting news from one our MESP certificate students!
The 2025 Wolff Fellowship recipient, Cat Carroll, plans to spend the next year studying the migration phenomenon in seven different countries.
ls.wisc.edu/news/tracing...

An important and timely film coming up this Wednesday, on campus:

“The Palestine Exception”
A new documentary about the 2024 campus divestment movement

with a post film discussion

Wednesday, April 23, 6-8 pm
UW Memorial Union, Chart Room

Free and open to the public

Coming up next Monday at 5 pm! You don't want to miss this important and timely lecture on "Campus Speech, Antisemitism and Islamophobia" with two renowned scholars. Please register soon at shorturl.at/hZYQn

A view of the conference from above.

The conference speakers, UW Madison faculty enjoying a dinner afterwards.

A photo of the conference attendees watching a presentation.

A view of the audience at the conference, very crowded.

We had a huge turnout at our annual conference on the global Middle East last Thursday! Thanks to all who came. Over 100 attendees learned about a variety of topics related to the region. For more information about this conference and the wide array of presentations, go to shorturl.at/Z6s2g