Brandeis, Penn State Harrisburg Will Quit American Studies Group

Brandeis University and Penn State University at Harrisburg are ending their institutional memberships in the American Studies Association. Their moves follow the organization's vote to back the boycott of Israeli universities. The American Studies Program at Brandeis posted this statement on its website: "It is a with deep regret that we in the American Studies Program at Brandeis University have decided to discontinue our institutional affiliation with the American Studies Association.  We view the recent vote by the membership to affirm an academic boycott of Israel as a politicization of the discipline and a rebuke to the kind of open inquiry that a scholarly association should foster. We remain committed to the discipline of American studies but we can no longer support an organization that has rejected two of the core principles of American culture -- freedom of association and expression."

Simon J. Bronner, chair of American studies at Penn State Harrisburg, said via email: "The withdrawal of institutional membership by our program and others allows us to be independent of the political and ideological resolutions issued by the ASA and concentrate on building American studies scholarship with our faculty, students, and staff. There might be alternative organizations forming in the future that better represent the field of American Studies. When and if that occurs, we will re-examine our independent position. In the meantime we view this move as one intended to protect students and faculty from opprobrium as a result of the ASA's claim to represent scholars of American studies."

John F. Stephens, executive director of the American Studies Association, said via email that he had not heard of other departments leaving, but that one has joined since the boycott vote. Most of the members of the association are individuals, not institutions. He said that since the boycott vote, the association has attracted 43 new members, and that he has received letters of resignation from eight members.