BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom
The BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom was set up to monitor and defend academic freedom in the research, study and teaching of Middle East Studies in the UK and anywhere in the world, including in academic institutions in the Middle East and North Africa.
To learn more about how the committee works, please see the Terms of Reference.
The current Chair of the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom is Lewis Turner (Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Newcastle University).
Latest Statement/Letter
The Academic Freedom Committee of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) and of the Società per gli Studi sul Medio Oriente (SeSaMO) have written to the University of Bern to express grave concern about the cancellation of a public event organised by Amnesty International. The event, scheduled for 30 June 2025, featured Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and Dr. Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Previous Statements
Please find here the list of statements published by the Committee on Academic Freedom.
Previous Letters
Please find here the list of public letters published by the Committee on Academic Freedom.
Database of Expertise
The Database of Expertise in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies provides a publicly available list of MENA experts with their research and areas of expertise.
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