Brinkley M. Messick, Columbia University Professor Emeritus and Renowned Anthropologist, passes away at 76
By Amit Kumar
Brinkley Morris Messick, a distinguished scholar and Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, passed away on August 15, 2025, at the age of 76.
Messick specialized in the anthropology of law, legal history, written culture, and the circulation and interpretation of Islamic law. He is the author of The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society (1993), a work honored with the Albert Hourani Prize by the Middle Eastern Studies Association. He also co-edited Islamic Legal Interpretation (1996), a foundational text in Islamic jurisprudence studies.
The Calligraphic State delved into the interplay of writing, authority, and Islamic law, offering a nuanced perspective on textual practices in Muslim societies, a subject he further explored in scholarly articles such as “Indexing the Self: Expression and Intent in Islamic Legal Acts” (Islamic Law & Society, 2001), “Written Identities: Legal Subjects in an Islamic State” (History of Religions, 1998), and “Textual Properties: Writing and Wealth in a Yemeni Shariʿa Case” (Anthropology Quarterly, 1995).
As a leading figure in the anthropology of law and Islamic legal texts, Messick left a legacy of groundbreaking research and influential academic contributions. He served as director of Columbia’s Middle East Institute and co-founded the Center for Palestine Studies. His work profoundly shaped understandings of cultural and historical dimensions within Islamic societies, focusing especially on Yemen and North Africa.
Born in 1949, Messick earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969, followed by a master’s and Ph.D. in anthropology from Princeton University in 1974 and 1978, respectively. He joined Columbia’s faculty within the Departments of Anthropology and MiddleEastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS), chairing the latter from 2004 to 2011. In 2009,he received the Outstanding Senior Scholar Award from the Middle East Section of the AmericanAnthropological Association.
His 2018 book, Shariʿa Scripts: A Historical Anthropology, examined Yemen’s legal and ethical traditions in the early 20th century through court records, addressing questions of truth, evidence,and interpretation.
Beyond his scholarly work, Messick was an active advocate for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement at Columbia University. He championed divestment campaigns targeting companies engaged in Israeli activities in the West Bank and publicly supported academic boycotts of Israeliinstitutions. His activism attracted both support for his commitment to Palestinian rights andcriticism for the campus tensions it sometimes stirred.
Columbia University faculty member Hisham Aidi remembered Messick as “A phenomenal scholar,devoted teacher and institution-builder, who knew how to navigate the Columbia labyrinth. Brink saved many graduate students from dropping out, and kept several Columbia institutes fromimploding. An inveterate defender of Palestine and founder of the Center for Palestine Studies,” in a Facebook tribute.
Brinkley M. Messick’s profound scholarly contributions and passionate advocacy ensure his lasting impact on both academia and social justice causes