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

Elsässer, S. (2025). A wave of unbelief? Conservative Muslims and the challenge of ilḥād in the post-2013 Arab world. Religions, 16(6), 670.

Find out more >


Mitwalli, S., Shakhshir, L., Taweel, H., Hammoudeh, W., Kienzler, H., & Giacaman, R. (2025). Participatory action research in partnership with young people with disability: A case from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Disability & Society, 40(1), 1–22.

Find out more >


Riecken, N. (2025). Putting secularism’s teleology in its place: Abdallah Laroui on time and democracy. Democratic Theory, 12(2), 17–40.

Find out more >


Al‑Taher, H. (2024). Deutsche Staatsräson und die Verunmöglichung palästinensischer Realität. PERIPHERIE – Politik · Ökonomie · Kultur, 44(2), 250–259.

Find out more >


Bank, A., Valbjorn, M., & Darwich, M. (2024). Forward to the past? Regional repercussions of the Gaza War. Middle East Policy, 31(3), 3–17.

Find out more >


Kinzelbach, K., Saliba, I., & Spannagel, J. (2021). Global data on the freedom indispensable for scientific research: Towards a reconciliation of academic reputation and academic freedom. The International Journal of Human Rights, 26(10), 1723–1740.

Find out more >