ASECS Annual Meeting

The 55th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies will be held March 28-29 and April 4-5, 2025, online.

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Le Carceri d’Invenzione, plate VII, “The Drawbridge.” Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1761. Etching print. (54.8 cm x 41.5 cm)
Princeton University Art Museum, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

rom the SLAM website: Surrounding the seated woman in pink are well-dressed members of the upper class enjoying the pleasantries of a park. Flirtations abound. The kneeling man to the left of the seated woman holds his hand to his chest to signify his affection while the reclining man in the lower right seeks to charm the young lady beside him. Known by the term “Fête galante,” (literally “gallant party”) this type of painting depicts the intricacies of social relationships and courtship within a pastoral setting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Painting of an Indian Woman. Anna Maria von Phul, 1818. Native American. Missouri Historical Society — *Painting of an Indian Woman*. Anna Maria von Phul, 1818. Native American. Missouri Historical Society

National Humanities Alliance Update, NEH Grants

ASECS is a member of the National Humanities Alliance. The NHA has provided this Memo to Members for distribution, dated April 3, 2025. From: National Humanities AllianceApril 3, 2025URGENT UPDA…

ASECS co-signs NHA Statement on Threats to the NEH

ASECS has signed onto the statement from the National Humanities Alliance (NHA, of which ASECS is a member) on threats to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The full text of the st…

Historically Speaking: “The Feast of Genius and the Play of Art”: The Legacies and Communities of Phillis Wheatley Peters at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Please join Sarah Ruffing Robbins, Mona Narain (TCU) and Barbara Mccaskill (UGA) on Tuesday, April 8, beginning at 3:00 Eastern, 2:00 Central, and noon Pacific. The series of presentations and d…

ASECS is pleased to share news of interest to members. Send requests to post items of relevance to the Business Office (office@asecs.org) for consideration. All announcement decisions are final.

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MEMBERSHIP

All members of ASECS receive a one-year subscription to the society’s quarterly journal; may purchase the annual journal at a discount; and are eligible to propose panels and appear on the program of the Annual meeting.

All members based in North America and neighboring areas also receive access to Gale-Cengage’s Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) 1 & 2.

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PUBLICATIONS

ASECS publishes two scholarly journals. Eighteenth-Century Studies (ECS) is published quarterly. Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture (SECC) is published annually. We also publish a News Circular, which appears three times each year.

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COMMUNITIES

ASECS promotes the study and teaching of the long eighteenth century through diverse networks at membership, society, and international levels. Learn more about engaging with other members and partners to identify and support our mission and the field with caucuses, affiliates, and coalition partners.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies Workshop

Indiana University Bloomington

The Center for Eighteenth-Century-Studies has hosted a Spring Workshop every year (excepting 2020) since 2002. The typical format consists of intense discussion of pre-circulated papers and an occasional lecture, interspersed with ample opportunities for socializing and refreshment. We typically cover travel costs for all participants, who are selected by an interdisciplinary committee of scholars.

In most years the theme for the Spring Workshop is announced in autumn of the previous year. Proposals for papers and contributions are due in January. Please do visit our online open-access journal, The Workshop, for a selection of abstracts and comments from previous Spring Workshops.

This year’s Workshop, on the theme “Eighteenth-Century Afterlives,” will take place on May 15-17.

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DOWNLOAD CFP (PDF)

A view of the Toronto city skyline from the perspective of the Toronto Islands (drone image).

The bold interlocking swirl of red and white suggests worldly dualities. Painted ceramics such as this are synonymous with Quapaw peoples. The group migrated from the Ohio River valley south to the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers around the 16th century. During this time, artists stopped using exotic North American materials sourced through long distance trade, such as copper and shell, and instead expanded upon earlier ceramic traditions. Quapaw artists seem to draw inspiration from the globular body and tapering necks of gourds while consistently using color combinations of red, white, black, and buff. It is likely this “teapot” form was based on vessels introduced following the arrival of Europeans in the mid-16th century. The Quapaw nation continued to inhabit what is now Arkansas through the early 19th century. Following policies set by the United States government and the signing of three treaties, the government forcibly removed Quapaw peoples to present-day Oklahoma, where the Quapaw nation is located today.

OUR RESOURCES

ASECS is pleased to offer members a number of resources on research and teaching, events, grants and fellowships, and member support.

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Quapaw Culture (Arkansas/Midsouth), Spouted Vessel with Painted Motifs,
ca.1500–1700 (maybe 1600). Saint Louis Art Museum

VOLUNTEER

ASECS encourages members to volunteer to serve on committees, to participate in one of its many caucuses and affiliate societies, and to volunteer to run for elected office and board positions.

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