of the American Anthropological Association
MES Distinguished Scholar Award
The Middle East Section requests nominations for its bi-annual distinguished scholar award. This award is for a senior scholar in Middle Eastern anthropology who is an outstanding academic in terms of scholarly publications and service to Middle Eastern anthropology, including mentorship and interventions in public debates. An award of $500 will be offered to the winner.
Continue readingWinner
Zuzanna Olszewska, St. John’s College, Oxford: The Pearl of Dari: Poetry and Personhood Among Young Afghans in Iran (Indiana University Press, 2015).
Honorable mention
Alice Wilson, University of Sussex: Sovereignty in Exile: A Saharan Liberation Movement Governs (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016).
The Middle East Section is now accepting nominations for its biennial book award. This award is given to an anthropological work (single- or multi-authored, but not edited volumes) that speaks to issues in a way that holds relevance beyond our subfield. Criteria may include: innovative approaches, theoretical sophistication, and topical originality.
Continue readingThe Middle East Section requests submissions for our Student Paper Award. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The winner will receive a prize of $500, plus a chance to summarize the award winning paper in AN and at the 2017 AAA meeting in Washington, DC.
Continue readingThe Middle East Section requests submissions for our Student Paper Award. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The winner will receive a prize of $500, plus a chance to summarize the award winning paper in Anthropology News and at the 2016 AAA meeting in Minneapolis.
Continue readingMES Distinguished Scholar Award
The Middle East Section requests nominations for its bi-annual distinguished scholar award. This award is for a senior scholar in Middle Eastern anthropology who is an outstanding academic in terms of scholarly publications and service to Middle Eastern anthropology, including mentorship and interventions in public debates. An award of $500 will be offered to the winner.
Continue readingThe Middle East Section is now accepting nominations for its first bi-annual book award. This award is given to an anthropological work (single- or multi-authored, but not edited volumes) that speaks to issues in a way that holds relevance beyond our subfield. Criteria may include: innovative approaches, theoretical sophistication, and topical originality.
Continue readingMES Student Paper Award
The Middle East Section requests submissions for our Student Paper Award. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The winner will receive a prize of $500, plus a chance to summarize the award winning paper in AN and at the 2014 AAA meeting in Washington, DC. Student paper prize submissions should be emailed to Ilana Feldman (ifeldman@gwu.edu) – and the subject line must say “MES Student Prize.” The paper should include a cover page with the name of the professor and class for which the paper was written and email addresses for both the student and professor. The deadline is June 15, 2014.
In a full section membership vote, the Middle East Section of the AAA endorsed the following Statement on Gaza on November 26, 2012:
The membership of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association condemns the Israeli military assault on the Palestinian population of Gaza that escalated on Nov 11, 2012. As anthropologists working in the region, we call the attention of our colleagues to the overwhelmingly unequal military and political power in this context, to the fact that Israel is an occupying power responsible for protecting the civilian population in Gaza, to the ever-growing number of Palestinian civilian casualties, and to the lack of attention in the US media to those civilian casualties. We also express our concern for the Palestinian cultural heritage of Gaza, which is directly endangered during this military assault, in violation of the 1954 Hague convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. Anthropologists have traditionally taken a stand when communities with which we work are under assault. This situation demands the same attention and response. We call on our colleagues who work in other regions to join us in condemning the attack on Gaza.
UPDATE: This statement has also been endorsed by the AAA’s Committee for Human Rights and the AAA’s Culture and Agriculture Section.
NEW FROM MESA: The Association of Middle East Anthropology
The Middle East Studies Association is launching the Association of Middle East Anthropologists (AMEA)
Please attend our launch meeting on
Saturday, November 17
1-3pm
Directors Row I (Plaza-L)
We will be electing officers to take over from the current committee, so this is a great opportunity to be part of the first officers committee that will be tasked with setting the agenda and path of AMEA for the coming years. We will also discuss the goals of the organization and how to involve more anthropologists at MESA.
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