The New England American Studies Association and the Hartford Resources Committee welcome you to Hartford in this most lovely of New England seasons!
On behalf of both New England American Studies Association (NEASA) and the Hartford Resources Committee (HRC), we want to thank you all for coming to the region, and to this city, whose history raises many of the vexed and vital questions considered by American Studies scholars today. Certainly the American Studies Association's conference theme of "Violence and Belonging" has a special resonance in Hartford: to give you just two, well known, examples, Hartford is home both to Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee, who arrived in King Arthur's court by way of violence at the Colt factory, and home to vigorous Latino, African American, West Indian and Native American communities who have struggled with what it means to belong to a region where racial inequity structures the landscape. We've organized a series of events, both at the conference site and around the region, which will pursue these themes, and in the process, introduce those of you less familiar with Hartford to its fascinating cultural, political, environmental, and racial histories. We hope you have the chance to sample some of them.
One of our great pleasures has been the opportunity to work with so many innovative and generous colleagues. Our thanks go to the American Studies Association, its officers, council members, executive committee, program committee, and of course the terrific ASA staff, for their engagement with the region, and for the collegiality and generosity that have marked our discussions, since Hartford was first mentioned as a possible conference site in 2000. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues on the Hartford Resources Committee and in the New England American Studies Association. Colleagues from in and around Hartford lent their creativity, their energy, and their expertise to this enterprise. Three years of NEASA councils have provided leadership and vision to the process by which we collaborated with the ASA. We've felt fortunate to work with you all.
Enjoy the conference!
Lisa MacFarlane
President, New England American Studies Association,
and Co-Chair, Hartford Resources Committee
English And American Studies, University Of New Hampshire
Todd Vogel
Council Member, New England American Studies Association,
and Co-Chair, Hartford Resources Committee
American Studies, Trinity College