Monday, September 20, 2021

ASEEES signs AHA Statement on Threats to Academic Conferences

Published on September 20, 2021

The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies signs the statement issued by the American Historical Association in condemnation of harassment, intimidation, violence, threats of violence, and any other attacks that seek to limit in-person and virtual conference presentations and participation.

ASEEES supports all scholarship and is commited to the free exchange of ideas. As the statment explains, “Scholarship itself is in many ways a conversation, and often that conversation takes place through conferences. Conferences, both in person and across digital platforms, are critical to the exchange of ideas among historians and our colleagues in other disciplines. Disruptions to a conference represent an assault on the principle of academic freedom.” ASEEES joins the AHA in supporting academic conference sponsors and participants in their right to freely exchange ideas without fear of harassment or violence.