The American Studies Association 2017 conference highlighted critical conversations on race, citizenship, and cultural memory. Scholars and educators gathered to examine how historical narratives shape contemporary public life across institutions and communities.
This overview outlines key structures, discussions, and resources from the 2017 event, connecting thematic sessions to broader academic and public engagement. The following sections detail specific tracks, policy impacts, and emerging questions in the field.
| Session Track | Key Theme | Featured Scholar | Primary Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration and Borders | Citizenship and belonging | Erika Lee | How do migration policies redefine national identity? |
| Race and Representation | Media, memory, protest | Kimberlé Crenshaw | In what ways do visual and legal systems reproduce racial hierarchies? |
| Public Humanities | Community-engaged scholarship | Lonnie Bunch | How can museums and archives support civic dialogue? |
| Decolonizing Curricula | Curriculum transformation | Django Paris | What practices center Indigenous and diasporic knowledge in classrooms? |
Race and Cultural Citizenship
Intersectional frameworks
Presenters explored how race intersects with gender, class, and law to structure everyday experiences of belonging and exclusion. Drawing on case studies from policing to campus life, the sessions emphasized accountability frameworks rooted in community voices.
Digital activism and archives
Digital methods were highlighted as tools for reclaiming erased histories. Scholars demonstrated how social media campaigns and participatory archives expand the boundaries of who is included in the historical record.
Migration and National Memory
Border politics and lived experience
Discussions linked policy shifts to personal narratives, showing how detention, deportation, and work regulation reshape family structures and civic participation. The focus remained on centering migrants’ agency and expertise.
Curriculum transformation
Educators shared syllabi and partnerships that integrate migrant perspectives across disciplines. These collaborations aim to prepare students to engage ethically with diverse publics beyond the university.
Policy and Institutional Impact
Funding and governance
Sessions reviewed how federal and institutional policies influence research priorities, library resources, and campus climate. Participants proposed transparent metrics that prioritize equity and long-term community benefit.
Accountability structures
Panels outlined mechanisms for monitoring compliance and incorporating feedback from affected students and staff. Emphasis was placed on building infrastructures that sustain inclusion beyond symbolic statements.
Methodologies and Pedagogies
Collaborative research models
Presenters described community-based projects that position organizers as co-authors, ensuring that findings address local needs. Methodological transparency and shared credit were recurring priorities across panels.
Decolonial teaching practices
Classroom-focused sessions offered concrete strategies for revising assignments, readings, and assessments to reflect plural histories. Faculty discussed challenges and successes in institutional contexts resistant to change.
Future Directions for American Studies
- Deepen community partnerships to ensure research agendas reflect public priorities.
- Integrate digital methods into core curricula while addressing access and ethics.
- Expand assessment practices to measure equity impact beyond enrollment numbers.
- Support cross-disciplinary collaborations that challenge traditional area studies boundaries.
- Invest in sustained leadership development for early-career and underrepresented scholars.
FAQ
Reader questions
How did the American Studies Association 2017 address racial justice in academic institutions?
The conference featured panels and keynotes that connected racial justice theory to campus practices, highlighting policy audits, curriculum reform, and community partnerships aimed at reducing systemic bias.
What role did digital scholarship play in the 2017 meetings?
Digital scholarship sessions demonstrated tools for mapping migration, visualizing protest, and archiving oral histories, showing how new media can amplify marginalized voices in rigorous research.
Can you describe the intersectional approach presented at the 2017 ASA conference?
Intersectional analyses were woven throughout sessions, examining how race, gender, class, and citizenship status converge in policy outcomes and everyday experiences, with particular attention to structural power dynamics.
What recommendations emerged for teaching controversial topics in American studies?
Facilitators shared pedagogical frameworks that center student reflection, source critique, and collaborative projects, while providing guidance for navigating institutional constraints and political pressures.