55 journals in 25 countries

Beyond the ‘Futureless Future’: Edward O. Bland, Afro-Modernism and The Cry of Jazz

By William Sites
American Studies

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About

This website provides scholars with a one-stop shop for the latest research published in American studies journals throughout the world. Organized by the International Initiative of the American Studies Association and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this site is the outcome of a collaboration between 31 journal editors in 17 countries. By listing tables of contents, announcements, and other information from the various journals on this website, the editors collectively seek to connect American studies scholars and research across national borders.

In the ASA’s September 2004 newsletter, ASA President Shelley Fisher Fishkin announced the nascent International Initiative, writing, “Facilitating ongoing conversations between international scholars of American Studies and Americanists in the U.S. can help both groups achieve a better understanding of both the multiple cultures that have shaped U.S. culture from the start, and the impact that American culture has had on other countries around the globe.” To this end, the ASA sponsored networking meetings and discussion groups between directors of international American studies programs and centers, held a business meeting for editors of American studies journals worldwide, and published a directory of participating scholars and organizations at the 2004 conference in Atlanta. At their meeting, the journal editors-together with those of American Quarterly-considered the idea of creating a website to list the latest American studies scholarship around the world.

This idea became a top priority at the 2005 ASA conference in Washington, D.C., where the International Initiative again fostered communications between department chairs, organizational presidents, and journal editors in the field of American studies. At their second business meeting, the journal editors determined the website’s aim and scope, and they set a goal of launching the American Studies Journals website in the upcoming year.

The publication of this online resource in October 2006 realizes the goals outlined by the ASA’s International Initiative and its participating journal editors, but the website’s ongoing value will increase with each additional journal and issue posted to its pages. It is appropriate that this should take place during the ASA’s annual conference in Oakland, entitled, “The United States from Inside and Out: Transnational American Studies.” We are confident that this website will further the aims of this conference and of the International Initiative more broadly, and we look forward to maintaining such international connections in the years to come.