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The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) is a scholarly society dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about the former Soviet Union (including Eurasia) and Eastern and Central Europe. The ASEEES supports teaching, research, and publication relating to the peoples and territories within this area and publishes a quarterly journal, Slavic Review. The organization holds annual conventions which provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and the sharing of original research dedicated to the region. In 2008, the membership of the Association voted to change its name from the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (AAASS) to the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), effective in 2010.
Organizational history Background and formation In the aftermath of World War II, the face of Europe was greatly changed, with a number of countries of Central and Eastern Europe falling under the influence or control of the Soviet Union following the defeat of German fascism. Throughout the non-communist world political decision-makers felt the need for additional academic analysis of the politics and history of the USSR and the so-called "Soviet bloc" nations as well as for improved facilities for language training for a new generation of foreign affairs specialists. A number of American universities established area studies programs and research institutes in the immediate post-war period, including notably Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Columbia University in New York City, and the University of Washington in Seattle.[1] By the mid-1950s, specialists in Slavic Studies began to constitute significant percentages of learned societies such as the American Political Science Association and the American Historical Association.[1] These scholars began to formally organize themselves into an interdisciplinary organization of their own with the formation of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (AAASS) in 1961.[1] The organization grew quickly, numbering some 1700 members in 1965, including 400 student members.[2] From the outset the AAASS published its own quarterly peer-reviewed journal, Slavic Review successor to the American Slavic and East European Review, a scholarly magazine launched in 1941 by John Hazard of Columbia University.[2] Professor Donald Treadgold of the University of Washington was the initial editor of the new official AAASS publication.[2] The organization also has produced a non-juried periodic newsletter, published to promote the flow of information among society members regarding the status of ongoing research and other matters of general academic interest.[3] Annual conventions The AAASS has held conventions since 1964 as a venue for scholars to get together, present papers, hold panel discussions, and share ideas. The first convention of the organization was held in New York City in April 1964, under the chairmanship of Professor Holland Hunter of Haverford College.[4] Although the organization initially held these gatherings every third year so as not to sap the strength of the organization,[5] they have been held on an annual basis for decades, with the location of the gathering in constant rotation. Change of name In 2008, the membership of the Association voted to change the name of the AAASS, effective in 2010, to the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). The ASEEES claims a membership of approximately 3,500 in 2010.[6] See also References External links
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