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

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

established in 1974. MELUS publishes a quarterly

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

, ''MELUS''. The aim of the Society is "to expand the definition of

American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the British colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also ...

through the study and teaching of Latino American, Native American,

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 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 The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "str ...

'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,

American Literature Association The American Literature Association (ALA) is "a coalition of societies devoted to the study of American authors". It has some 110 affiliated societies, mostly concerned with the work of a particular author (e.g. the Emily Dickinson International ...

, and Popular Culture Association". The current president is Wenying Xu (

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

Journal

''MELUS'' is a quarterly

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

, covering

multicultural Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''ethnic'' or cultural pluralism in which various e ...

literary studies A genre of arts criticism, 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 analysis of literature's ...

. 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 editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

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 1974 establishments in the United States American literature