USACLALS
United States Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies
|
USACLALS United States Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies
|
|
|
President's MessageThe
idea of forming a US Chapter of ACLALS emerged from discussions in March 1999
when Terri Hasseler and I served as panelists at session on contemporary race
issues at a meeting of SNECORE (Southern New England Consortium on Race and
Ethnicity) hosted by Rhode Island College in Providence, RI.
At an informal lunch, Terri and I were sharing with colleagues the great
experiences we two had had with ACLALS chapter conferences in Jamaica and India
respectively.
We had both been impressed by the genuinely open and global forums of
exchange these two ACLALS chapters provided. On that mild March 1999 afternoon,
many of our colleagues wondered why an ACLALS chapter had never been established
in the U.S. Terri
and I thought it would be important for us to assist in expanding the ACLALS
mission of meaningful connection to the United States and we decided to follow
up on our good intentions in the weeks and months that followed.
In taking those early steps, we were sharply aware that
some of the best work in postcolonial literature and theory - especially
since the 1978 publication of Edward Said's Orientalism
- had taken place in this country, and that the U.S. was home to many
writers, critics and theorists from Commonwealth countries.
So, we contacted the ACLALS executive and we were encouraged to proceed
with our plans, including a first biennial conference. At
the May 2000 conference, I humorously suggested that we thought there should be
an ACLALS chapter in the U.S. because the U.S. was once a British colony. But,
just as the truth about the evolution of the US as a postcolonial nation in 1776
to a post-WWII superpower is much more layered, as already indicated, there were
many more interesting reasons why this latest chapter of ACLALS was formally
launched on December 9, 1999, in Providence in the state whose official name
still is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. At this meeting, Dr. P.S.
Chauhan made us aware that at least two earlier attempts to form a U.S. chapter
had failed for various reasons.
But if the warm and enthusiastic response to our December1999 meeting as
well as to the May 2000 conference is any indication, the scholarly community in
the U.S is more than ready for the connection and forum for dialogue that ACLALS
represents. At
the December 1999 organizational meeting, many issues about labels, approaches
and methodologies were debated.
But there was a strong feeling that instead of simply replicating what
other chapters might be doing, USACLALS must establish a new North American
domain and relevance for the teaching and research in Commonwealth Literatures.
The long-term goal of USACLALS, then, is to study postcolonial literatures
(including those of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Canada, New Zealand and
Australia) in relationship to the varied and vital cultural contexts of the
Americas. For example, through discussions that focus on the intersections
between postcolonial studies and U.S. ethnic studies, USACLALS could make a
significant contribution to the nation's energetic dialogue on diversity in
relation to an awareness of difference both within and without the U.S. borders.
Thus conceptualized, the USACLALS also has the potential of extending our
American horizons to include both Canada and the Caribbean and of considering
comparative frameworks to examine literatures from former British colonies and
ethnic American literatures, including African American literature. USACLALS
thus hopes to both generate and join the kind of dialogue between Postcolonial
Studies and American Studies that is important at this juncture to growing
conversations among U.S. scholars regarding cultural and literary studies.
We welcome and celebrate the growing recognition that historical forces
and theoretical paradigms cut across national boundaries and therefore demand
focus on both internal and external borders in global and transnational
contexts.
And regardless of whether we work in Commonwealth literatures or diaspora
studies or American Studies in its broadest meaning, the postcolonial and the
neo-colonial intersect and collide in fascinating and complex ways.
Issues of nation, gender, marginalization and liminality travel well from
one location to another in our study today of culture and literature, even while
they require sensitivity and attention to historical experiences in each
location. Promoting
inter-linked perspectives on all Commonwealth literatures, African American and
other U.S. ethnic literatures would help us to all illustrate and illuminate the
new meaning and connection we at USACLALS seek in the ACLALS family. To quote
from a 1979 interview Edward Said gave to Mark Bruzonsky, "[The]
essentially European legacy of the Orient, which is principally embodied in the
imperial careers of England and France, gets transferred to the United States,
especially after World War II."
But in the same interview, Said recognizes that "there is a genuine
sense of idealism about America…
It's perfectly possible to understand he same sense of idealism that
people have toward the ideals of a republic and the revulsion from the practices
of recent American governments. ... And that’s perfectly possible within the
American tradition of dissent."
We at USACLALS honor both idealism and dissent. Members of the Executive
Committee (listed elsewhere in this newsletter) join me in inviting you to join
as new members.
We welcome your suggestions and input re all aspects of the organization
- including the possibility of launching a journal. We have some very positive
plans for the future.
In order to extend our geographical range within the US, we would like to
hold our second conference in the spring of 2002 in region other than the
Northeast. Please contact me or Terri Hasseler if you would like to consider
hosting the next biennial conference on your campus.
At the May 2000 conference, we were fortunate to have the participation
of several scholars from Canada, India, U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. We
were able to assist some of them financially from our meager funds. At our
future conferences we intend to continue to encourage academics from other
regions - especially Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean - to attend, and also to
find ways to support their travel.
We are working towards instituting two panels yearly at the annual MLA
meetings. And we have a web page - soon up and running - that will supplement
the organization’s newsletter.
And we are thrilled about the enthusiastic welcome we have received from
the ACLALS international executive as well as the many ACLALS chapters around
the globe.
Thank you, ACLALS. Amritjit
Singh
Contact Information
|
|
Send mail to usaclalsweb@yahoo.com with questions or comments about this web site.
|
2002
Conference 