2008

2008-09-01
CFP: INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION FOURTH WORLD CONGRESS:Call For Papers

INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION FOURTH WORLD CONGRESS

Decoding American Cultures in the Global Context

SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2009

HOSTED BY Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China

The International American Studies Association (IASA) and the American Studies Center (ASC) at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) cordially invite scholars from all disciplines to participate in the 4th congress of the IASA, to be held from September 18th to 20th (Friday to Sunday), 2009 at BFSU, Beijing, China.

Congress Theme and Sub-themes

Recent changes in the flows of finances, people, and cultural products, often termed ‘globalization’, have provided a new context for understanding the Americas, hence the theme of the 4th World Congress, “Decoding American Cultures in the Global Context”. We invite contributions addressing the following sub-themes with reference to the U.S. and the Americas more broadly.

a) Critical understanding and reception of American cultures abroad

b) Impact of North/South American cultures on world cultures

c) Comparative studies of the Americas

d) “Globalization” vs. “Americanization”

e) American studies abroad

f) “American exceptionalism”: myth or reality?

g) Myths that Americans live by: literature, history, and culture

Guidelines for Submission and Presentation

* Proposals may be submitted in English for an individual presentation, or for a pre-constituted panel, by January 31, 2009. Proposals for workshops to be developed into pre-constituted panels must be submitted by Dec. 1st to be posted on the website (see below).

* For an individual paper, the organizer should submit the following: contact information of the organizer including email address, 3 keywords, and an abstract of no more than 300 words. Note any audio/visual equipment required.

* For a pre-constituted panel, the organizer should submit contact information of the organizer, 3 keywords describing the panel, and an abstract of no more than 300 words for the panel as a whole articulating how the papers go together PLUS contact information for each participant, and a brief abstract of no more than 300 words for each of those papers, along with 3 keywords for each. Indicate any audio visual equipment needed please.

* If you desire to submit a preconsituted panel, but need to find colleagues from other institutions and countries to participate in your panel, we offer the following option of proposing a WORKSHOP TITLE AND ABSTRACT. Send this, along with your contact information to the conference organizers (Prof. LiQikeng, below) BY DEC. 1ST. to be posted on the conference website. Individual scholars should then send proposals and contact information directly to you for your consideration. Once you have selected your panel members, submit as described above for pre-constituted panels, AND, in addition, send all non-selected papers along with their contact information, keywords, etc. to the conference committee for further consideration by the cut off date of January 31st. Those papers will then be considered for inclusion on the program as part of other panels if appropriate.

* Each proposal should indicate any audio visual needs at the time of submission. No panel should have more than four paper presenters, or three presenters and a commentator. For pre-constituted panels, priority will be given to those which include presenters from a variety of institutions/ geographical locations. The academic committee of the congress will evaluate the proposal on the basis of the quality of the abstract, its scholarly cogency, as well as its relevance to the congress theme, and notify the submitter of its acceptance by February 28, 2009. If the submission is accepted, an extended summary (about 800-1,000 words) shall be sent to the conference coordinators by May 31, 2009.

* Each participant will be given 15 minutes to present the paper, followed by 5 minutes for questions and answers. The conference will provide the necessary multimedia for presentations. When submitting the extended summary, please also indicate whether you will need to use multimedia, and if so, specify your exact requirements. We also welcome proposals for presentations that do not fit the standard spoken paper format, such as films/videos/performances, etc.

Post-Congress Publication

If you would like the congress committee to consider your paper for publication, please submit your full paper within one month after the conclusion of the congress to the organizers. The academic committee of the congress will review all the papers submitted and have the selected papers published by a reputable publisher in China. All papers are preferably around 8,000 words in length, complete with footnotes and a bibliography. For paper format, CMS is recommended.

Important Dates

* January 31, 2009: Proposal due (Dec. 1st workshop proposals due for posting)

* February 28, 2009: Notification of acceptance

* May 31, 2009: Extended summary due

* Fall, 2009: Conference Sept. 18-20. (registration opens Sept. 17 on site.

Congress Fees

Participants are expected to pay a conference fee of USD 150, which covers the academic program, congress documentation (final program and book of abstracts), all meals on conference days, and coffee breaks. The student rate is $75 U.S. If not paid in advance, fees are higher, but may be paid on-site, in which case regular participants pay $200 USD and students pay $100 USD. Hotels, meals on non-conference days, optional tours, etc are the responsibility of the participants themselves. Presenters must be members of IASA.

Hotel and tours

Special hotel rates for congress participants are being negotiated, and some on-campus student housing in dormitories will also be available at very reduced fees. Details will be posted on the congress website. Optional night-time activities such as attendance at performances and post-congress tours will also be available.

Contact Information

All proposals, summaries and other correspondence should be directed to congress coordinator Li Qikeng.

Email: liqikeng@gmail.com, liqikeng@hotmail.com

Phone: 0086-10-8256-5621, 1352-184-7279

Fax: 0086-10-8881-6282

Postal address:

School of English and International Studies,

Beijing Foreign Studies University,

Beijing 100089,

China.

2008-07-01
New RIAS Issue on National/International Security:This special issue of the Review of International American Studies will consider the rhetoric, history, and culture surrounding the concept of ‘Homeland Security’, recently prominent in the , and will examine its national and international projections. Since September 11, 2001, and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, notions of national and international security re-entered US political discourse and practice in policies which extend to issues such as border protection, health and safety, immigration, citizenship and environment.

In light of the unashamed presence of the politics of security within academic circles–namely in the growing number of teaching programs and research funding promoting ‘security studies’ in both US and European universities–the essays collected in this RIAS issue provide a pressing intellectual response to the current political and cultural climate of fear, exacerbated by the war on terror. These essays explore workings of ‘security’ both as an official discourse and as an increasingly prevailing element in our culture and everyday life.

The issue starts by offering a truly interdisciplinary approach (historical, sociological and cultural perspectives) to widely-disputed concepts such as ‘security’, ‘terrorism’, ‘war on terror’ or ‘the long war’, and their presence within contemporary social and cultural life. The second section of the issue will investigate these concepts within the ongoing debate about literature and 9/11. The essays in this section will explore how, in relation to the attacks of September 11, literature can engage political, social and philosophical concerns which extend far beyond the limited paradigm of trauma theory which has dominated this topic.

2008-04-01
Call for Contributions: Modernity’s Modernisms: Hemi/Spheres:Dear Colleagues,

As the next issue of RIAS – Vol. 3, â„– 1–2, Winter-Spring 2008 – is undergoing its final touches, it is our pleasure to announce the call for contributions for RIAS Vol. 3, â„– 3, Fall 2008, dedicated to: Modernity’s Modernisms: Hemi/Spheres, “Race,” and Gender. For details, please click here.

Paweł Jędrzejko

RIAS Co-Editor

2009

2009-09-01
2009 Beijing Congress a Success!:September 18-20, 2009

4th World Congress

Photos, In Memoriam for Prof. Emory Elliott, and more

2010

2010-12-01
CONFERENCE DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 20TH:Due to technical difficulties, the conference website will not be back online until after January 1st. To accommodate this delay, the new deadline is JANUARY 20th. Please contact Executive Director Sonia Torres, if you are still unable to register online. Thank you!

2010-10-01
Comparative American Studies – 30% discount on individual subscription rate:IASA members can receive a discounted, individual rate subscription to Comparative American Studies by clicking here. To purchase, please click on Subscribe, choose the IASA Membership subscription to CAS, and follow the purchase instructions to complete your order.

2010-07-01
FIFTH WORLD CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN:THEME: “AMERICAN CONFIGURATIONS”

Conference website

America with its multiple narratives, landscapes, languages, and experiences,
 projects itself in time like a mosaic in movement: a mosaic of cartographies imagined over time and
 projected in the descriptions of travelers and scientists, in fiction and poetry, in the discourses of politicians and
 activists, and in the images of photographers, artists, and filmmakers.
 The 5th IASA World Conference proposes to be a space for debating how different communities form senses of Americanness, originating from places of knowledge, politics, art, memory, and
 lived experience, where a possible “America” may be configured.

The 5th IASA World Conference proposes to be a space for debating how different communities form senses of Americanness, originating from places of knowledge, politics, art, memory, and lived experience, where a possible “America” may be configured.”

SUBTHEMES:

– imagination and images

– memory and community

– geographies of power

– time and Americanness

– routes and ´scapes´

– traditions in perspective

– possible modernities

Full instructions for submitting proposals will be posted here soon. Please help us spread the word by posting this announcement widely on listserves and distributing to your colleagues. We look forward to seeing you there!

Conference Chair: IASA Executive Director Sonia Torres (Brazil), Local Organizing Committee: Profs. Ana Mauad and Paulo Knauss, Universidad Federale Fulminense, and Prof. Limoncic (UniRio).

International Program Committee: Drs. Theo D’Haen (Belgium), Keiko Ikeda (Japan), Djelal Kadir (U.S.) Esra Korpez (Turkey), Amanda Lagerkvist (Sweden), Don Pease (U.S.), Ricardo Salvatore (Argentina)

2010-02-01
Call for Submissions from Beijing conference participants for book:Call for Submissions from Beijing conference participants for book

2010-01-01
Letter from IASA President, Jane Desmond:Dear IASA Colleagues around the World:

All of you have no doubt been watching with distress the news of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. As many of our members work not only on the U.S. but also on the “Americas” more broadly, including the Caribbean, I wanted to send a message providing some information that I hope you will find useful.

Below I list the contact information of several highly respected and reputable relief organizations who are actively working now to help earthquake victims. Many are international, and some are located in the U.S. If you wish to help by donating, you may find these links useful.

But beyond the immediate needs, this may also be a moment for us to take this crisis as a stimulus to increase our knowledge about Haiti and about U.S.-Haitian relations if, like me, this is not an area of your current scholarly focus.

As you know, the U.S. has a long history of military intervention in Haiti. To gain a further overview of this part of U.S.-Haitian history, one starting point is the Wikipedia article below. Although Wikipedia is not always fully vetted as a source, it can in this instance serve as a starting point for further explorations of scholarly sources if you wish.

A second key issue is that of Haitian immigration to the United States, and the long standing presence of people of Haitian heritage in the U.S., with large communities in New York and Florida. Currently there are approximately 400,000 Haitian-born residents in the U.S., and nearly one million of Haitian heritage residing in the U.S. President Obama has just passed a resolution making it easier for those without government sanctioned residence to stay in the U.S. due to the devastation of the earthquake. For extensive information about patterns of migration from Haiti to the U.S. and U.S. government responses including interdictments of refugees at sea, see the link below from the Migration Policy Institute.

In addition, you may wish to check the web sites of the Haitian Studies Association below for further information. If any of you working on the Caribbean, or with academic colleagues there, become aware of specific ways that we as academics can help students and scholars in Haiti to rebuild after the immediate rescue needs in the days to come, please let us know.

At times like these when the most immediate needs are for food, medicines and emergency relief teams, we may feel powerless as academics to assist in any but monetary ways. But we can at least come forward to increase our understanding of the history of the area, of U.S.-Haitian relations, of the linkages between the histories of U.S. slavery and the slave revolts in Haiti, and of contemporary U.S. foreign policy towards Haiti. Those of us in French speaking Canada, and in France, may also have specialized knowledge of Haitian creole, or of Haitian literature to share. Perhaps our long term contribution can be in the form of increased understanding of the social, economic, and political histories that have resulted in Haiti’s being the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and among the most vulnerable to the infrastructure devastation attendant upon such a large-scale natural disaster.

Sincerely,

Jane Desmond

President, IASA

2011

2011-11-01
Donald E. Pease Awarded the ASA’s Bode-Pearson Prize for Outstanding Contributions in American Studies:The Carl Bode-Norman Holmes Pearson Prize honors lifetime achievement in and contribution to the field of American Studies. Each year’s prize committee is instructed to consider afresh the meaning of a “lifetime contribution to American Studies.” The definitions of terms like “contribution” and even of “American Studies” remain open, healthily contested, and thus renewed.

The 2012 prizewinner is Donald Pease, Dartmouth College.

2011-06-01
IASA Conference – Optional Tour Documents:Reach the top of “Corcovado” by rail. A modern Swiss-made cogwheel rail climbs through “Tijuca” Rain Forest to the top of the mountain (710 meters).

Farewell Tour – Corocovado

Credit card Authorization Form

2011-01-01
Emory Elliott Award for Outstanding Paper Presented at an IASA World Conference:Description:

IASA announces a special award to honor the memory of Professor Emory Elliott (1942-2009) in recognition of his contribution to American Studies. He supported an international outlook and encouraged young scholars and professionals both in North America and in other countries around the world, and served for many years on the Executive Council of IASA.

Starting in 2011, the award will be given to an outstanding paper submitted for an IASA conference. It will carry a special citation and an honorarium to help partially meet the expenses of travel to the IASA conference. The award recipient will present her/his paper at a special session of the conference. The award-winning paper and up to two other highly commended papers from the competition will be published in the proceedings of the conference, or in other resulting publications in print, or in RIAS: Review of International American Studies, which is IASA’s refereed e-journal.

Eligibility:

Keeping in view how Prof. Elliott went out of his way to encourage young scholars and faculty in the early and middle stages of their career, the eligibility for the award is restricted to junior or mid-level professionals (within 10 years of obtaining their terminal degree) regardless of nationality, academic affiliation, or discipline.

Selection Rules:

1. A panel of judges will be appointed each year by the IASA Executive Committee to evaluate papers. The decision of the judges will be final.

2. The award will be announced prior to the conference.

3. IASA officers, executive members, and conference organizers are not eligible to compete.

Application Procedure:

1. Applying for consideration for this award does not obviate the need to submit a proposal to the regular Call for Papers. Candidates should submit their proposal to the Congress by the regular due date (NOW EXTENDED TO JAN 20TH, 2011) AND as well they should submit to the competition as noted below. PLEASE NOTE, only those abstracts submitted explicitly for the Emory Elliott prize will be considered for the prize and submissions for the EE Prize will not be automatically forwarded to the general congress programming committee. Therefore, it is the individual scholar’s responsibility to submit to both to assure a place on the program. The abstract should be submitted to the organizers by the stipulated deadline for regular conference papers (Jan. 5th) and to the prize competition by the same date.

2. To apply for prize consideration, send your name, contact information, abstract, and date and place of your terminal degree to: Ms. Anita Kaiser (arkaiser@illinois.edu) by Jan. 5th. The Prize committee will review all abstracts and will, by Feb. 1st, request those which are highest ranked by them to then submit a full paper for consideration. If you are not contacted by Feb. 1st, you may assume that your submission is no longer under consideration for the prize, but we hope you will still plan to attend the congress. All prize winners must be members of IASA by the time of the Congress if not before.

3. The assessment of the award will take into consideration the abstract as well as the written paper, paying special attention to its subject, structure and content.

4. The length of the final paper submitted should be 3,000 – 3,500 words. It should be sent along with a short CV (no more than 3 pages) and a statement from the candidate guaranteeing that it is his/her own original unpublished paper. Due date for those materials, (to be submitted only if requested to by the prize committee) will be March 15th, 2011. Send those materials to arkaiser@illinois.edu if requested to submit them.

5. The prize committee will then evaluate the full papers under its review and rank them, choosing one winner and, if they wish, suggesting that up to two additional papers be recognized as noteworthy and recommending that they be published in an IASA venue as noted above. The winner will be notified by the prize committee by May 1st.

The monetary part of the award will vary from year to year depending on finances, but it is expected that this first award will be in the range of the equivalent of at least 200 Euros. It will be the responsibility of the prize candidates to follow all of the stipulations above. The decisions of the judges is final.

2012

2012-11-02
Announcing the Sixth IASA World Congress:Oceans Apart: In Search of New Wor(l)ds

Szczecin, Poland, 3-6 August 2013

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS EXTENDED TO APRIL 1ST 2013

For more information, visit our web site

2012-11-01
Emory Elliott Award for Outstanding Paper Presented at an IASA World Conference (Szczecin, Poland, 3–6 August 2013):
IASA announces a special award to honor the memory of Professor Emory Elliott (1942-2009) in recognition of his contribution to American Studies. He supported an international outlook and encouraged young scholars and professionals both in North America and in other countries around the world, and served for many years on the Executive Council of IASA.

Starting in 2011, the award will be given to an outstanding paper submitted for an IASA conference. It will carry a special citation and an honorarium to help partially meet the expenses of travel to the IASA conference. The award recipient will present her/his paper at a special session of the conference. The award-winning paper and up to two other highly commended papers from the competition will be published in the proceedings of the conference, or in other resulting publications in print, or in RIAS: Review of International American Studies, which is IASA’s refereed e-journal.

Eligibility:

Keeping in view how Prof. Elliott went out of his way to encourage young scholars and faculty in the early and middle stages of their career, the eligibility for the award is restricted to junior or mid-level professionals (within 10 years of obtaining their terminal degree) regardless of nationality, academic affiliation, or discipline.

Selection Rules:

1. A panel of judges will be appointed each year by the IASA Executive Committee to evaluate papers. The decision of the judges will be final.

2. The award will be announced prior to the conference.

3. IASA officers, executive members, and conference organizers are not eligible to compete.

Application Procedure:

1. Applying for consideration for this award does not obviate the need to submit a proposal to the regular Call for Papers. Candidates should submit their proposal to the Congress by the regular due date (APRIL 1ST, 2013) AND as well they should submit to the competition as noted below. PLEASE NOTE, only those abstracts submitted explicitly for the Emory Elliott prize will be considered for the prize and submissions for the EE Prize will not be automatically forwarded to the general congress programming committee. Therefore, it is the individual scholar’s responsibility to submit to both to assure a place on the program. The abstract should be submitted to the organizers by the stipulated deadline for regular conference papers and to the prize competition by the same date.

2. To apply for prize consideration, send your name, contact information, abstract, and date and place of your terminal degree to: Giorgio Mariani (giorgio.mariani@uniroma1.it) by April 1st. The Prize committee will review all abstracts and will, by May 1st, request those which are highest ranked by them to then submit a full paper for consideration. If you are not contacted by May 1st, you may assume that your submission is no longer under consideration for the prize, but we hope you will still plan to attend the congress. All prize winners must be members of IASA by the time of the Congress if not before.

3. The assessment of the award will take into consideration the abstract as well as the written paper, paying special attention to its subject, structure and content.

4. The length of the final paper submitted should be 3,000 – 3,500 words. It should be sent along with a short CV (no more than 3 pages) and a statement from the candidate guaranteeing that it is his/her own original unpublished paper. Due date for those materials, (to be submitted only if requested to by the prize committee) will be May 15th, 2013. Send those materials to giorgio.mariani@uniroma1.it if requested to submit them.

5. The prize committee will then evaluate the full papers under its review and rank them, choosing one winner and, if they wish, suggesting that up to two additional papers be recognized as noteworthy and recommending that they be published in an IASA venue as noted above. The winner will be notified by the prize committee by June 30th.

The monetary part of the award will vary from year to year depending on finances, but it is expected that it will be in the range of the equivalent of at least 300 Euros. It will be the responsibility of the prize candidates to follow all of the stipulations above. The decision of the judges is final.