Newsletter

Annual Report 2024/5.

In 2024, the Hungarian Association for American Studies (HAAS) had a membership of 67. The organization held its 14th annual conference, titled America Beyond Crisis: Regeneration, Coping, Healing, on May 24–25, 2024. The event attracted nearly one hundred presenters and over one hundred participants from ten different countries. Hosted by the University of Szeged, the conference received support from the University, the city of Szeged, and the Szeged Chapter of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

The HAAS General Assembly convened on May 24, 2024, in Szeged, where a new Board was elected. Ágnes Zsófia Kovács (University of Szeged) assumed the position of President, Zoltán Vajda (University of Szeged) was elected Secretary, and Renáta Zsámba (Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger) became Treasurer. Under the new leadership, HAAS launched an official website (https://eaas-haas.hu) and established a new mailing list.

The 2025 General Assembly took place on January 31, 2025, in Szeged as a satellite event of the HUSSE conference. During this meeting, members voted on three key initiatives. First, the establishment of the HAAS Lecture Series, an annual online event featuring discussions on contemporary American Studies (AS) topics, delivered by a distinguished member of the Association or the broader AS community. Second, the introduction of limited financial support for junior and senior scholars seeking to attend biennial EAAS conferences or other AS-related conferences in intervening years. Third, the decision to provide funding for one domestic conference with an American Studies focus per year. The continuation of these initiatives is contingent upon securing external funding. The HAAS Board is actively working to establish connections with external funding bodies.

The inaugural HAAS Lecture, titled Pax Americana, is to be delivered by former HAAS President Tibor Glant on March 20, 2024.

General Assembly 2024.