The MESA Dissertation Awards were established in 1982 to recognize exceptional achievement in research and writing for/of dissertations in Middle East studies. In 1984 the award was named for Malcolm H. Kerr to honor his significant contributions to Middle East studies. Awards are given in two categories: Social Sciences and Humanities.

Nominations invited for the 2009 Competition

All students completing their dissertations between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009 are eligible to submit entries for the 2009 Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards. Dissertations should be nominated by the author’s sponsor or advisor, and accompanied by a letter of acceptance for the degree and a 250-word abstract of the dissertation’s subject matter. Applicants should specify either Social Sciences or Humanities as the category for which they are entering. If the applicant does not specify which category, the MESA Secretariat will place the dissertation as deemed appropriate. Entries will be read by a three-member committee. We ask that the student’s department or institution provide one unbound copy of the dissertation. The copy must not be the original. A release form must be included, stating that the author gives MESA permission to reproduce his or her dissertation, so photocopying companies can legally copy the manuscript. All copies of the dissertation will be destroyed once the committee completes its deliberation. Winners will be announced at the 2009 annual meeting in Boston, MA. There is a $1000 award for the winning dissertation in each category. Dissertations and accompanying materials must be in the hands of the Secretariat by July 1, 2009 to be considered. Materials should be sent to: MESA, The University of Arizona, 1219 N Santa Rita Ave, Tucson AZ 85721.

Please address questions or requests for additional information to:

Sara L. Palmer
Awards Coordinator
Middle East Studies Association
The University of Arizona
1219 N Santa Rita Ave
Tucson AZ 85721
520/626-4753 (direct line)
520/621-5850 (general number)
palmers@email.arizona.edu

2008 Award Recipients

Humanities

Winner
Ziad Fahmy (University of Arizona), Popularizing Egyptian Nationalism: Colloquial Culture and Media Capitalism, 1870-1919

Honorable Mention
Mark Dickens (University of Cambridge), Turkaye: Turkic Peoples in Syriac Literature Prior to the Seljuks

Honorable Mention
Hanan Kholoussy (New York University), The Making and Marrying of Modern Egyptians: Gender, Law and Nationalism, 1898-1936

Social Sciences

Winner
Yuksel Sezgin (University of Washington), The State's Response to Legal Pluralism: The Case of Religious Law and Courts in Israel, Egypt and India

Awardees, 1982-2008