Biennual Conferences

Since its foundation in l993 S.A.A.S. has been organizing biennual three-day conferences hosted by local universities. So far Madrid (l994, Universidad Autónoma), Seville (l995, Universidad de Sevilla), León (l997, Universidad de León) and Santiago de Compostela (l999, Universidad de Santiago) have been venues for these conferences, drawing international participants and attendees from the States and Europe. These conferences have addressed focused topics on significant aspects of American Studies--- "History and Fiction: Fictions of History" (l994), "Urban U.S.A.: Real and Imaginary Cities" (l995) "Century Ends, Crises and New Beginnings" (l997), "Travelling Across Cultures: The Twentieth Century American Experience" (l999)-- and have regularly attracted between 100 and 120 resgistrants. Their format include plenary lectures ( 5), panel sessions ( 12 to 16 ), dialogue sessions, roundtables and workshops on specific issues or areas of study. Most of the plenary lectures have been addressed by prestigious literary, artistic or academic personalities,--among them Robert Coover, William Kennedy, Philip Levine, Mary Gordon, Leo Marx, Robert Brustein,--as well as leading americanists from the States. Their participation has been important to set the intellectual standards of the conventions and determine their critical orientation. And it has been made possible by the generous and enthusiastic support of the American Embassy in Madrid and its Cultural Services. Acknowledgement of this support and of its continued collaboration with the Associaction should certainly go to the dialogue promoted by Ambassador Richard N. Gardner, the firm encouragement provided by Brian E. Carlson (Councellor for Cultural Affairs) and the fruitful implementation carried out by D. Anthony B. Chillura and Mark Jacobs, Cultural Affairs Officers.