The MESA Academic Freedom Initiative tracks and analyzes threats to academic freedom
on North American higher education campuses since October 7, 2023. Our databases record experiences of faculty, staff, and students to build a comprehensive understanding of these issues.
Datasets
The MESA Academic Freedom Initiative offers downloadable datasets tracking threats to academic freedom in North America in higher education. Use them to support research, advocacy, and public understanding.
Our Publications and Insights
Find research and analysis based on our datasets.
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MESA Resource
Lessons in Repression: Silencing Campus Workers on Palestine Since October 7, 2023
Middle East Studies Association
Academic Freedom Initiative Website Launch
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AFI Website Launch Webinar
The Academic Freedom Initiative Website Launch Webinar May 4, 2026 Featuring Prof. Isaac Kaamola, Prof. Anthony Allesendrini, and Prof. Aslı Bâli. Included a tour of the website by the AFI Research Coordinator Dr. Lori Allen. Check out this link for a summary of the speakers’ remarks. A transcript of Prof. Bâli’s talk can be found…
Featured Data
Employment Retaliation Database
Find data about retaliation against faculty and staff by their institutional employers in connection to pro-Palestine advocacy.
Type of Retaliatory Action
Hover your cursor over the chart to view specific incident totals.
Featured Infographic
Title VI Antisemitism Investigations and Lawsuits Against Colleges and Universities
Resources
Explore our FAQs, guides, and other resources for information about navigating immigration and travel policies, digital security, harassment campaigns, and other issues affecting MESA members.
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Webinar Recording: Lessons in Repression Report Launch
Middle East Studies Association
On October 8, 2026, MESA’s Academic Freedom Initiative launched Lessons in Repression: Silencing Campus Workers on Palestine Since October 7, 2023. It is the first systematic study of employer retaliation against campus workers in the US and Canada over Palestine-related speech, drawing on 196 documented cases and interviews with 31 targeted employees Speakers
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Lessons in Repression: Silencing Campus Workers on Palestine Since October 7, 2023
Middle East Studies Association
Report Preview It has been three years since campuses across the US and Canada erupted in protest against Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. And despite public demonization, mass arrests, harassment, and punishment, history is already vindicating those students, and public opinion now squarely endorses the positions they were demonized for. But retaliation against campus…
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MESA Leaders Encourage Members in the Classroom
Middle East Studies Association
On September 4, 2026, a panel of four distinguished MESA members held “open office hours” organized by the Task Force on Civil and Human Rights for MESA members preparing to teach, with consideration of the challenges of this fraught moment. Darryl Li, Ussama Makdisi, Aslı Bâli, who conveyed comments from Lara Deeb, and Judith Tucker…
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Understanding the Implications of the Michigan and Prairieland Prosecutions
Middle East Studies Association
A Primer from the MESA Task Force on Civil and Human Rights July 2026 This primer provides MESA members with an account of two recent federal prosecutions that may have implications for the legal risks that may attach to campus speech, protest, and association. The first arises from a protest outside the Prairieland Detention Center,…
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Title VI: Hijacking Civil Rights Law to Punish Dissent
Visualizing Palestine
Title VI Antisemitism Investigations and Lawsuits Against Colleges and Universities (2004-2025)
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AFI Website Launch Webinar
The Academic Freedom Initiative Website Launch Webinar May 4, 2026 Featuring Prof. Isaac Kaamola, Prof. Anthony Allesendrini, and Prof. Aslı Bâli. Included a tour of the website by the AFI Research Coordinator Dr. Lori Allen. Check out this link for a summary of the speakers’ remarks. A transcript of Prof. Bâli’s talk can be found…