About the NSMES

The NSMES was founded in 1989 and currently has some 200 members in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. The NSMES is run by its board in accordance with its by-laws, and minutes of meetings are generally available on this website.

The NSMES is associated with the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES). 

At its general assembly in Oslo on 27 September 2025, NSMES passed a motion to

1) endorse the call to boycott Israeli academic institutions until these institutions end their complicity in violating Palestinian rights as stipulated in international law, urging its members to advocate for this measure at their home departments and universities;

and

2) encourage its members to build ties with Palestinian universities and colleagues to promote the development of Middle Eastern Studies as an independent and free discipline.