Caucuses within the American Studies Association form around specific topics. They reflect both the vitality of the field and the association's commitment to providing access for cutting edge scholars and discourses.

Historically, caucuses have provided organizational space for emerging fields, such as Critical Prison Studies, that are not yet represented by committees or affiliate organizations. Caucuses also preserve intellectual space for subfields with longstanding presence in American studies, such as the Early American Matters Caucus.

Members often join caucuses to collaborate with others. Collaboration is key as caucuses organize an active presence at the annual meeting through sponsored panels, business meetings, receptions, field trips, meet-ups, and mentoring sessions. Working with a caucus is an excellent way to present at the annual meeting, as caucus panels have high acceptance rates and generally attract large audiences of like-minded scholars invested in similar research and professional questions.

The relationships built through a caucus’s network of scholars and professionals often become long-lasting professional and intellectual endeavors sustained beyond the Annual Meeting through social media, caucus email lists, and other online and offline meet-ups. Some caucus partnerships even lead to joint authorship of publications.

Explore ASA Caucuses (see right-hand menu), or read about how to propose a caucus.