Mission Statement

The German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation (DAVO) is a nonpolitical, nonprofit scholarly association dedicated to advancing research and public understanding of North Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia.

Our members teach, research, and engage critically with these regions, exploring their histories, societies, and connections with Europe. We also address pressing issues within Germany and Europe, including antisemitism, anti-Muslim sentiment, and migration.

DAVO provides a vibrant platform for interdisciplinary, international, and engaged scholarship. Through our conferences, working groups, and research initiatives we foster dialogue and collaboration across fields and borders.

Committed to promoting deeper and more nuanced understandings of North Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia, DAVO actively works to challenge colonial and orientalist perspectives and stands firmly against racism, oppression, and any attack on academic freedom.

 

Latest News

At the DAVO General Assembly on 10 September 2025, a new Board and Advisory Council were elected. In the coming months, we will update our website to provide you with clear and up-to-date information about DAVO activities.

We thank you for your trust and support and look forward to taking the next steps together.

Photo Competition DAVO Website 2025

Showcasing Research Through Images. Your research could shape the new look of the DAVO website!

Further information

Public statement

by the Association of Palestinian and Jewish Academics, the Alliance for Critical Scholarship in Solidarity (KriSol), and DAVO-GfW on the cancellation of the LMU event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia.”

More information

Public Statement

by DAVO-CAF regarding the possible cancellation of the event “The Targeting of Palestinian Academia” at LMU

More information

First statement

of the DAVO-CAF – jointly with BRISMES, SeSaMO, and MESA – regarding the cancellation of the “Palestine and Europe” symposium (Paris, 13-14 November, 2025)

More information

New Comittee on Academic Freedom (CAF)

At the 2024 General Assembly in Göttingen, the DAVO established a Committee on Academic Freedom (CAF). The Committee was formally activated and constituted with sixteen members at the 2025 General Assembly in Erlangen.

More information

Featured Research from DAVO Members

Schwab, R., Krause, W., & Massoud, S. (2025). The bombing of hospitals and rebel responses in civil war: Evidence from Syria. Journal of Conflict Resolution. Advance online publication.

Find out more >


Beck, M., & Hüser, S. (2025). Variants of authoritarian robustness in the Arab uprisings: An institutionalist rentierism approach. Digest of Middle East Studies, 35, 1–13.

Find out more >


Pruss, M.-M. (2026). Rethinking Islamic modernism: Religious identity and community in colonial North India. McGill‑Queen’s University Press.

Find out more >


Rottleb, T. (2025). Offshore campus development and the worlding of Dubai as an international education hub. Urban Geography, 46(1), 180–200.

Find out more >


Bruckmayr, P. (2025). The long shadow of Malay kitab jawi publishing in the Hejaz and Cairo. Oriente Moderno, 105(1–2), 33–69.

Find out more >


Gatt, K., & Stock, K. (2025). Words of influence: Strategies in contemporary Arabic political speeches. Malta University Press.

Find out more >