Register
Register here for the annual meeting and to begin or renew an ASA membership
Register here to submit a proposal through the ASA's 2012 submission site.
Register here for JHU Press and ASA membership services, including online access to American Quarterly and the Encyclopedia of American Studies Online.Register here to join an ASA community. Only current ASA members may contribute to the community blogs. Registration is not required to submit display or text ads or news and events or to view many pages. We will refuse posts that are not of professional interest to ASA members.
Click here for membership FAQ's
Events
Jun. 30 | 2012 Bode-Pearson Prize
Nominations for the 2012 Bode-Pearson Prize for Outstanding Contributions to American Studies due
Jun. 30 | 2012 Mary C. Turpie Prize
Nominations for the 2012 Mary C. Turpie Prize for Outstanding Contributions to American Studies Teaching, Advising, and Program Development due
Oct. 1 | Travel Grants for Graduate Students
For submission guidelines, click here
Resources: Abstracts of American Studies Dissertations
By University | By Year
Ackermann, Marsha E. "Cold Comfort: The Air Conditioning of America," American Culture Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, June 1996.
This historical study argues that the “invisible” machinery of air conditioning has transformed daily life in 20th century America. The archives of advertising, mass media, business and engineering connect cooling with changing popular understandings of region, seasonality, and bodily comfort. Air conditioning arose at a time when traditional climatic theories “explained” national supremacy and racial achievement. By the Thirties, “utopians” were suggesting that it might perfect the American way of life. After World War II, air conditioning became a household commodity that created new status and class distinctions. Since the Seventies, social critics and ordinary consumers have questioned air conditioning’s presumed economic, ethical, and health benefits.
Quick Links
American Quarterly [official journal site]
American Quarterly [editorial site]
Encyclopedia of American Studies
Encyclopedia of American Studies [editorial site]