Mediterranean
Studies Association
23rd Annual International Congress
ONLINE ONLY
May 26 - 29, 2021
MSA NEWSLETTER April 24, 2021
Dear MSA Colleagues,
At a meeting this morning, April 24, with the Congress Steering Committee, the extremely difficult but I believe correct decision was made to hold the 23rd Annual MSA Congress as a totally Virtual Congress. There were many factors going into this decision, the most salient being the pandemic that continues to ravage the world. While Gibraltar is currently a safe haven from the pandemic, many of us would need to travel from or through highly dangerous areas. The UK, for example, has just been placed in Category 4 (the most dangerous) by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and many of us would have to pass through London (in some cases to overnight to make connections) to get to Gibraltar. In essence, the unanimous opinion of the Steering Committee (that includes Jennifer Ballentine and three Gibraltar colleagues) is that discretion is the better part of valor and we will go fully virtual.
I am sure we all share the disappointment of not celebrating the 23rd Annual Congress on the Rock, the most famous of the Pillars of Hercules, but we made the decision on what we feel is the safest and most prudent action to protect our colleagues. For those of you who still want to visit Gibraltar we hope to work it into the Post Tour Itinerary following the 2022 Congress in Lisbon.
Please remember you need to pay your 2021 Membership and be registered for the Congress to participate in the 23rd Annual Congress.
Be safe,
Ben Taggie
MSA Executive Director
PS - We will not have a paper program this year, and given the complexities, it will take us longer than usual to issue the on-line program. Your patience is appreciated. Check our website and watch for emails.