Aspects of Diversity in ASEEES National Conferences as a Reflection of the Field of Slavic and Eurasian Studies in North America: Case Studies of Gender, Location, Discipline, and Institution

Abstract

This article is a series of four case studies that investigate diversity in Slavic and Eurasian (S&E) studies viewed through the lens of participation in national conferences of the Association of Slavic, East European, & Eurasina Studies (ASEEES). The case studies are based on data extracted from ASEEES convention programs 1964-2014. Four categories are considered: gender diversity of conference participants, diversity of ASEEES conference locations, diversity of conference sessions by discipline, and diversity of institutions represented at ASEEES conventions. Over the past five decades gender diversity of ASEEES conference session participants gradually advanced toward parity. Whereas in 1964 nearly 95 percent of the participants were men; in 2014 women comprised a slight majority (50.2%) of conference session participants. In contrast, diversity in the location of ASEEES national conventions has declined in recent years as the Association has evolved. Whereas the disciplines of history, political science, and language, literature, and linguistics continue to represent a combined majority (70%) of ASEEES sessions; anthropology and sociology have experienced the most growth; and library and information science remained constant in recent years. ASEEES conference session participants come from a wider range of institutions than in the past, and institutions with Title VI National Resource Centers (NRCs) continue to have a strong presence at the ASEEES national conventions.