The American Studies Association 2017 conference marked a pivotal moment for interdisciplinary scholarship in the United States. Held during a period of intense political and cultural debate, the gathering brought together academics, activists, and students to examine power, representation, and change.
This overview draws on official programming, participant reports, and post-conference reflections to highlight how the 2017 meetings shaped dialogue on race, citizenship, and knowledge production.
| Theme | Key Conference Track | Notable Format | Participant Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration and Citizenship | Borderlands and Belonging | Roundtable with activists | Community engaged research |
| Race and Indigeneity | Decolonizing Methodologies | Performance and scholarship | Interdisciplinary collaboration |
| Labor and Precarity | Work, Care, and Resistance | Workshops and teach-ins | Organizing across campuses |
| Technology and Media | Digital Publics | Hybrid sessions | Critical digital studies |
Migration and Citizenship in ASA 2017
The migration and citizenship programming at the American Studies Association 2017 sessions foregrounded questions of who belongs and who is excluded. Panels linked historical immigration policy to contemporary border enforcement, showing continuities in state power.
Organizers emphasized community knowledge, pairing academic papers with grassroots organizers to highlight how migrant voices reshape scholarly agendas. This strand framed citizenship as an ongoing struggle rather than a fixed status.
Race, Indigeneity, and Decolonial Practice
Race and indigeneity were central lenses at the 2017 conference, with robust conversations on sovereignty, land, and memory. Scholars connected settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and cultural erasure to argue for decolonial frameworks in teaching and research.
Indigenous scholars led several keynotes, insisting on centering Native epistemologies and protocols. The section on decolonizing methodologies offered concrete tools for researchers to shift authority away from extractive academic practices.
Labor, Precarity, and Campus Activism
Discussions of labor at the American Studies Association 2017 highlighted the rise of adjunctification, gig work, and student debt as intertwined crises. Presenters documented how precarious labor shapes activism both on and off campus, influencing who can participate in scholarly life.
Workshops and teach-ins provided strategies for building solidarity across academic and service-worker constituencies. These sessions underscored that questions of labor are central to reshaping the university itself.
Digital Publics and Media Ecologies
The digital media cluster at ASA 2017 explored how platforms, data, and algorithms mediate political participation and cultural production. Panels examined surveillance, misinformation, and digital storytelling as sites of both risk and possibility.
By bridging software studies, media anthropology, and critical race digital studies, this cluster expanded the scope of American studies beyond strictly national frames. The meeting affirmed that digital analysis must remain attentive to power and difference.
Key Takeaways for Researchers and Educators
- Center community partnerships to connect scholarship with frontline struggles.
- Adopt decolonial and Indigenous methodologies in teaching and research design.
- Analyze labor and precarity as structural forces shaping academic participation.
- Integrate digital and media studies to understand contemporary public culture.
- Build cross-disciplinary alliances that sustain long-term advocacy and policy change.
FAQ
Reader questions
How did the 2017 ASA conference address questions of migration and citizenship?
The conference featured extensive programming that connected historical immigration regimes to current border politics, emphasizing migrant leadership and community engaged research to rethink belonging.
What role did indigeneity play in shaping the scholarly conversations at ASA 2017?
Indigenous scholars and activists centered sovereignty and land-based knowledges, promoting decolonial methods that challenge settler colonial narratives in American studies.
In what ways did labor and precarity become a focus of the 2017 meetings?
Panels and workshops linked adjunctification and gig work to campus activism, showing how labor conditions shape both academic life and possibilities for collective action. The digital publics cluster integrated concerns with race, migration, and labor, illustrating how platforms and data infrastructures transform cultural and political life.