tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post691982070586759577..comments2024-03-26T11:33:59.219-06:00Comments on Religion in American History: ASCH: Suddenly Single?Paul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-12691001996233253522015-04-22T14:05:02.097-06:002015-04-22T14:05:02.097-06:00This sounds like a very difficult situation, with ...This sounds like a very difficult situation, with lots of things to consider. As a historian working largely on the history of religion, I have profited tremendously from ASCH sessions during the last few years. Since I am deeply committed to the historical profession, decoupling the ASCH from the AHA would put me in a tough spot: I would have to chose between a conference I have to attend (the AHA) and a conference I want to attend (the ASCH), or to incur the additional financial burden of attending both. And while attaching the ASCH to the AAR would be an advantage for scholars working primarily in religious studies, this would mean that historians would be less frequent visitors, because the AAR does not entail the kinds of professional obligations that the AHA does. Good luck with this difficult decision, and thank you for deliberating about this so carefully.Gene Zubovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16954648472503419191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-60684714952685835842015-04-20T13:20:23.752-06:002015-04-20T13:20:23.752-06:00To respond to a couple of items raised here:
Rega...To respond to a couple of items raised here:<br /><br />Regarding the increased cost of ASCH continuing to meet with AHA, as I understand it, the primary changes would be (1) requiring all ASCH participants to pay conference registration for both AHA and ASCH, with the increased amount dependent on one's professional status; and (2) requiring the ASCH to pay for each of its own sessions, which would probably mean either that ASCH registration became more expensive or that ASCH would reduce the number of sessions it offers. It's hard to put a dollar amount on any of this yet. Change (1) was instituted this past January, and I think it raised my total attendance cost by $75 or so.<br /><br />The more immediate concern from the ASCH was that all conference registration now has to go through the AHA system, which didn't include an option for renewing ASCH membership (or, if it did include this option, lots of people didn't see it). This is a back-end logistics issue but also can be seen as an attempt by the AHA to grab for itself people who have not been paying AHA dues but have been members of ASCH, ACHA, or other affiliate societies. Because membership dues are commonly bundled with conference registration, whoever controls registration (now AHA) has the inside track on collecting dues as well. <br /><br />If you have to pay AHA registration to attend the conference, but once there can also attend ASCH sessions, why not just buy AHA membership instead of ASCH membership and get a discount on the conference? People have been doing this already, but where it used to be cheaper, overall, to be an ASCH member paying for the ASCH conference, going forward it will be cheaper (I think) to be an AHA member paying for the AHA conference. Anyone presenting at an ASCH panel will still be required to pay ASCH registration, but someone just attending an ASCH panel would not.<br /><br />As to meeting in the same city as, but not in conjunction with, either AHA or AAR, this is a non-starter. A conference the size of ASCH can't negotiate the kind of rates AHA or AAR can for meeting space and hotel rooms in major city centers. So, if one of the big conferences were in Chicago, ASCH would be out by O'Hare or something, and its sessions wouldn't be listed in the big program or on the big conference app. If ASCH were to meet on its own, it would be in a much smaller city.<br /><br />Eleshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03764991021577652939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-88750563660047723132015-04-20T11:01:16.891-06:002015-04-20T11:01:16.891-06:00How about meeting, as a separate organization, at ...How about meeting, as a separate organization, at the same time (but at a different hotel) of a larger meeting, such as AHA or AAR, but I don't AHA will appreciate this arrangement. <br /><br />This contention with AHA has created an opportunity. ASCH should try something different, like meeting alongside AAR or meeting by itself for 3 years as a trial. KKYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14925430424636441381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-39194840692093630502015-04-20T10:24:53.836-06:002015-04-20T10:24:53.836-06:00Thanks for posing these great questions, Elesha. A...Thanks for posing these great questions, Elesha. As a grad student, I am grateful to have the ASCH meeting alongside the AHA. <br /><br />Like many others, I write primarily on religious history but teach on broader themes in North American history. Being able to attend sessions from both ASCH and AHA feeds the two parts of my academic work, and allows me to build networks in the same. I definitely do what John Fea describes, customizing a conference schedule from both programs. <br /><br />Also a quick word about cost. Although I wasn't able to attend the NY meetings, my impression was that the cost of registering at the AHA would not have been prohibitive, especially compared with travel to a second conference (or realistically, having to choose between them).<br /><br />I would definitely attend a stand-alone national ASCH conference because I value the academic community and the great work presented there. But I hope the connection with the AHA can continue.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284888852906142157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-18235807961689928472015-04-19T16:30:35.389-06:002015-04-19T16:30:35.389-06:00Thanks for this, Elesha. Sounds like you and the ...Thanks for this, Elesha. Sounds like you and the committee have some tough calls to make. It is a shame that the AHA is making it so difficult for affiliated societies. I think this will definitely hurt the vitality of the AHA meeting in the long run. BTW, do you have a document or statement about this AHA policy decision that you can share or has been made public? I would like to blog about this because, at first glance, it seems like a bad move.<br /><br />My connection to the ASCH these days largely comes through the AHA meeting in January. I usually register for AHA and then attend two or three ASCH sessions. As an American historian who teaches history and who does some research and writing in American religious history, I can craft a personal conference schedule for myself that cherry-picks from the best of the AHA and the best of the ASCH. <br /><br />I am often asked to chair and/or comment at the January ASCH, but to be honest, I would probably decline if the ASCH met with the AAR. Moreover, my experience at AHA would be diminished if the ASCH was not there. I have never been to an AAR before and with a limited travel budget it would not be high on my priority list. I would, however, be attracted to a big national ASCH conference.<br /><br />I will fill out the survey distributed later this year. Thanks again.John Feahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17856498511226523417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-43417994710470556262015-04-19T11:02:23.606-06:002015-04-19T11:02:23.606-06:00Collaboration with AAR is compelling. The best and...Collaboration with AAR is compelling. The best and worst things about the meeting are that it is a very, very big tent. AAR and SBL have patched things up, at least for the foreseeable future, incidentally.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03398827239776794536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-16471444325068352132015-04-19T09:18:48.131-06:002015-04-19T09:18:48.131-06:00Honestly that time I got a book panel rejected tha...Honestly that time I got a book panel rejected that included: Daniel Walker Howe, John Modern, Winnifred Sullivan, and Kevin O'Neill made me pretty sure that I never, ever wanted to be involved with ASCH again.jbhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185738647922068013noreply@blogger.com