ASECS beyond Borders

In contemplating one of the central questions of our "Scholarship across the Aisle" roundtable about what structures prevent us from engaging with those beyond our own national, linguistic, or disciplinary traditions, I began by thinking broadly about the varied composition of different academic divisions. The study of languages, literatures, and cultures is often divided into separate departments based on geographic regions, although they are also now increasingly merging. While cross-cultural collaboration may occur in departments that are home to multiple national or cultural groups—such as Departments of Modern Languages, Romance Studies, or Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, as well as in places where languages and literatures are separate—there is also frequently a desire from these different groups to maintain a degree of distinctiveness and specificity. This creates a challenge as to how best to create multiple spaces for those of different cultural traditions or disciplines to have occasions to express themselves as unique, as well as part of a broader community. Extending this challenge to the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS), I reflected upon the ways by which many are currently working to create such spaces and how we might do even more to overcome the related barriers, both of which I will briefly sketch in what follows.

From its inception, ASECS has been characterized by its interdisciplinary spirit, yet it has also encountered moments of tension between languages and disciplines, times that call for patience, diplomacy, and creativity. The establishment of regional and other affiliate societies is one significant way that ASECS members have responded to this challenge, setting up unique realms of focus and collaboration within the larger society. Important connections around specific areas of interest are often fostered within these smaller or regional subgroups, such as the Aphra Behn Society or the Northeast American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, which are conducive to building ties that may be more difficult to construct in a larger or more distant setting. New affiliate societies such as the recently established Southeast Asian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies might also address underrepresented or less prominent areas of focus within ASECS, helping to further expand the interdisciplinary character of the society and to attract and build greater diversity.

In his remarks during the Q&A of the "ASECS Past and Present" 2019 Presidential Session, Logan Connors offered another example of what a space that might nurture cultural diversity as well as cross-disciplinary borders could look like in the setting of an annual meeting: he suggested the idea of organizing linked double sessions around a theme where participants could consider an issue from one cultural perspective on one panel and from another cultural perspective on another panel, which would bring people together around this common theme in both separate and shared spaces. For example, a double session on the theme of "Actresses" or "Cities" might offer one Anglophone panel, while another panel could be focused on Africa, Asia, or continental Europe, but the fact that they are considered a double session and are centered around the same theme could entice scholars to attend both sessions. Constructing such sessions around themes with each part of the double session focusing on one region or linguistic tradition would offer people the space to pursue their own specialized interests and allow them to come together in a broader context. This need not apply to all panels, as some would, of course, still represent a variety of perspectives, as many already do.

Extending beyond the context of the annual meeting, another potential method for bridging linguistic, cultural, and disciplinary divides both within and beyond ASECS is by designing conferences or working groups around texts or themes that serve to enact this interconnected form of movement and dialogue. One such point of entry is through travel narratives. The eighteenth century is particularly rich in the genre of travel writing. This area of exploration can open the door to discussion and collaboration across cultures and disciplines, allowing for consideration by specialists from each of the different backgrounds raised in the texts and by those interested in broader global issues. Travel narratives often use what is foreign...