Promoting, supporting and encouraging the study of the United States since 1955

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The British Association for American Studies was founded in 1955. It exists to promote, support and encourage the study of the United States.

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BAAS Annual Conference 2026

Book now for the 71st annual British Association for American Studies conference at the University of Glasgow, to be held from Thurs 9^th to Sat 11^th April 2026.

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Join BAAS

Thinking of joining the British Association for American Studies? Find full details of what membership of the association includes and how you can register and purchase your membership.

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Welcome

The British Association for American Studies was founded in 1955. It exists to promote, support and encourage the study of the United States in the Universities, Colleges and Schools of the United Kingdom, and by independent scholars. It welcomes all those engaged in or connected with the study of the United States.

The website is the hub of the BAAS community with information on our awards, annual conferences, schools’ liaison work, calls for papers, publications, job listings, related networks and a media contacts database through which we share our expertise. On these pages you can find BAAS news, resources and links, as well as information on our committee structures. We welcome communication from our members and from anyone interested in the work we do to promote the study of the United States in the UK.

BAAS Annual Conference 2026 – Glasgow

The College of Arts & Humanities and Andrew Hook Centre for American Studies at the University of Glasgow are delighted to host the 71st annual British Association for American Studies conference at the University of Glasgow, to be held from Thurs 9^th to Sat 11^th April 2026. We look forward to welcoming the international American Studies community to our beautiful West End campus.

This will be the first BAAS conference in Glasgow since 1999, and the first in Scotland since 2008. The conference coincides with the 250-year anniversary of 1776 and thus offers opportunities for new scholarly appraisal; 2026 also marks the University of Glasgow’s 575^th Anniversary. We are delighted to announce Professor Mia Bay (Cambridge), Professor Sinéad Moynihan (Exeter), and Professor Simon Newman (Institute for Research in the Humanities) as, respectively, the 2026 Journal of American Studies, Eccles Centre and Andrew Hook Centre keynote speakers.

Find out more about the conference and view the BAAS Conference 2026 Handbook and Schedule and BAAS Conference 2026 Full Program of Abstracts

Join The British Association for American Studies

Thinking of joining the British Association for American Studies? Find full details of what membership of the association includes and how you can register and purchase your membership.

BAAS membership is for a calendar year. ALL rates include a levy from the European Association for American Studies. The privileges of the Schools membership extend to receipt of the Newsletter, and such teaching aids as are offered to the general membership, and the opportunity to send one member of staff to the annual conference.

If you have any problems please email our Memberships Secretary. BAAS takes its members’ privacy seriously and will not pass on details to any third party. You can find out more in our GDPR and Privacy Policy.

Latest News and Events

Upcoming Blog Launch: ALT-AC

ALT-AC is a dynamic, responsive platform within the Journal of American Studies dedicated to engaging with the evolving landscape of American culture,....

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The State of the United States: Universities and Higher Education – Frederick M. Lawrence in Conversation with Professor Larry Kramer (19 May 2026)

On 19 May 2026, at University College London, Frederick M. Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and former President of Brandeis....

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Mark Twain Remembered: An Anecdotal Biography, Edited By Gary Scharnhorst

"Gary Scharnhorst engages in a bold new experiment: he has assembled a vast archive of personal reminiscences about the author by people who knew him during....

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View Full List of News & Events

Submit to the BAAS Weekly Digest

Every week, BAAS sends out a mailing of Calls for Papers, Fellowship and Job Opportunities, and all Events of interest in American Studies scholars in Britain and beyond. These events are also posted here on the BAAS website under our News & Events section.

If you have an item you’d like to submit to the weekly digest, please click below to complete our submission form.