Syrian Studies Association (SSA)

The Syrian Studies Association is an international association organized to encourage and promote research and scholarly understanding of Syria in all periods and in all academic disciplines. We support scholarship on historic Bilad al-Sham until 1918 and Syria after that date. The SSA is a non-profit, non-political association affiliated with The Middle East Studies Association of America (MESA)

Our goals are to:

• promote the highest standards of scholarship and instruction
• facilitate communication among our members
• encourage dialogue between Middle Eastern, Western and all scholars of the Middle East

To accomplish our goals, we:

• award several prizes for the best written scholarly work on Syria
• publish a bulletin about the latest developments and writing in our field
• invite one or more Syrian scholars to MESA when possible
• sponsor academic panels at scholarly conferencesprovide information about how to study Arabic in Syria when possible

Who should join?

We invite scholars who study the peoples and territories of what is today Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine before 1918 (historic Bilad al-Sham) and those who study Syria after that date to join the SSA.

Contribute to the SSA Bulletin

The Syrian Studies Association (SSA) Bulletin appears twice a year, and contains articles, association news, research notes, and book reviews related to Syria. We welcome contributions for feature, news, and research article proposals covering issues of contemporary or historic interest in Bilad al-Sham and modern Syria. Please contact the Bulletin editor, Dr. Joel Veldkamp, to discuss proposed submissions, or to propose scholarly books for review.

Submit publications to the SSA Article, Book, or Dissertation Prize

The Syrian Studies Association awards prizes for the best article, book, and dissertation on Bilad al-Sham and modern Syria, with winners normally announced at the SSA Business Meeting.

Stay connected with Facebook & Twitter

To stay informed about SSA announcements and events, please 'like' the SSA's Facebook page or follow the SSA’s Twitter account.