''The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States'' (''MELUS'') is a

scholarly society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...

established in 1974. MELUS publishes a quarterly

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...

, ''MELUS''. The aim of the Society is "to expand the definition of American literature through the study and teaching of Latino American, Native American,

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

, Asian and Pacific American, and ethnically specific Euro-American literary works, their authors, and their cultural contexts".

Founding

The society was formed in response to the perceived practice at the Modern Language Association's annual conference American Literature section of discussing only works by white men. The society was founded at the following year's conference and within a few months had almost 100 members. At the conference the following year (1974), society members formally proclaimed their demand, "We must expand the canon of American literature!" At this time, the society's goals included the recovery of lost works by minority authors, the compilation of bibliographies of minority literature, and the enlisting of the aid of ethnic studies scholars in all fields, as well as publishing book reviews, connecting scholars, and printing abstracts on ethnic studies dissertations.

Present

The Society organizes sessions at the conventions of such scholarly organizations as the Modern Language Association and its Regionals, College English Association, National Women's Studies Association,

American Studies Association The American Studies Association (ASA) is a scholarly organization founded in 1951. It is the oldest scholarly organization devoted to the interdisciplinary study of U.S. culture and history. The ASA works to promote meaningful dialogue about t ...

, American Literature Association, and

Popular Culture Association Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

". The current president is Wenying Xu (

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...

Journal

''MELUS'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed

, covering

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

literary studies Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...

. Most issues are thematically organized. The founding

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

was Katharine D. Newman, who was succeeded by Joseph T. Skerrett, Jr., then by Veronica Makowsky, and, most recently, by Martha J. Cutter. The journal is supported by dues of Society members, library subscriptions, and funds from patrons.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in:

Annual conference

Since 1987, the society has sponsored themed conferences in various locations around the United States. These conferences feature "panels, workshops and round tables on all aspects of the multi-ethnic literatures of the United States".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature Of The United States, The Learned societies of the United States Literary societies American studies Literary magazines published in the United States Publications established in 1974 Quarterly journals English-language journals University of Connecticut