The German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO) invites submissions for its 32nd international annual congress. The congress will take place from 10 to 12 September 2026 at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Germany, and is hosted by the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at LMU’s Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies.

The DAVO Congress is dedicated to advancing academic research and public understanding of North Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia, by examining questions of history, society, politics and economics, culture and religion, language and literature, health, and related fields, while critically engaging with pressing issues within Germany and Europe, including migration, antisemitism, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism, and societal transformation.

Submission Deadline: 22 March 2026

DAVO invites submissions for papers, posters, and organised sessions in Middle East studies across all disciplines and approaches. For papers and posters, contributors will be asked to submit an abstract (max. 250 words). Submissions for organised sessions will require a panel abstract (max. 250 words) and individual abstracts (max. 250 words each). Organised sessions may include 3 or 4 papers.

Submissions and registration are supported by the conference management software Converia. The link to the Converia conference page and submission portal will be available on the DAVO website from 1 March 2026.

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in early May, and participants will be asked to confirm their participation within two weeks’ time.

Keynote

This year’s keynote will be delivered by Prof. Abdel Razzaq Takriti (Associate Professor of History and Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Arab Studies at Rice University).

Featured Panel: Academic Freedom and Middle East Studies at a Time of Political Pressure  

The panel will examine ethical responsibilities and challenges to academic freedom in Middle East Studies in the context of ongoing violence in the Middle East and increasing political pressures in Europe. It will feature representatives from different Middle East Studies Associations in Europe, including Prof. Dr. Eric Verdeil (Professor of Geography and Urban Studies at Sciences Po Paris / France, President of SEMOMM), Prof. Maria Chiara Rioli (Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia / Italy, Chair of the SeSaMo Committee on Academic Freedom), Dr. Lewis Turner (Senior Lecturer in International Politics at Newcastle University / UK, Co-Vice-President of BRISMES, Chair of the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom), Dr. Noemi Trucco (SNF Postdoc.Mobility scholarship holder at the University of Luxembourg / Luxembourg, Co-President of SGMOIK/SSMOCI) and Hanna Al-Taher (Research Associate in Political Theory at TU Dresden / Germany, DAVO Vice-President).

Registration

• Early-bird registration: 1 May 2026 until 15 July 2026
• Regular registration: 16 July 2026 until 6 September 2026

Registration fees will be specified in due course.

If you have any questions concerning the registration, please write to: congress@davo1.de.

Preliminary Programme Overview and DAVO Members’ Meeting

The Congress will start at 1 pm (registration will be open from 12 pm) on Thursday 10 September 2026, and it will end at 5:30 pm on Saturday 12 September 2026.

The DAVO members’ meeting is currently scheduled to take place from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm on Saturday 12 September 2026.

 

Venue

LMU Munich, Leopoldstr. 13, 80802 München, Germany

Local Organisation

Prof. Dr. Andreas Kaplony and Dr. Sarah El Bulbeisi, LMU Munich, Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies

For all general questions, please write to: davo2026@noi.fak12.uni-muenchen.de.