Why I’m Not at ASA (and might not be anytime soon) 1. Finances: thanks to anti-migrant policies UK higher education is in crisis. So my faculty only confirmed we will have our personal research allowances mid-November * I cannot afford to pay to fly from London to Puerto Rico out of pocket 2. Disability : I still have long covid. Even if I could afford to fly, there are no direct flights. A few years ago I flew direct London to LA for C19 conference and I was bed-ridden for most of my time and it triggered additional conditions that took me the rest of the year to recover from with additional prescription medications
3. ASA policy: they say being no-show will reflect negatively on future conference participation. I contacted ASA months ago to explain my dilemmas with funding and my health in relation to conference registration. They couldn’t give me any assurances that I wouldn’t be penalized for not being able to register or attend.
So given these factors it will be very hard for me to attend ASA in the future: 1. Finances: Because the political situation in the UK isn’t going to get better anytime soon — the left is working on it ofc — so financial problems at UK universities also won’t 2. Timing: it seems like confirming research funds will now usually take until November. So I would need to apply to ASA the year prior not knowing if I’ll be able to attend/find colleagues willing to organize with me knowing I might not be able to attend 3. ASA policy: I might be penalized for non-attendance due to the aforementioned reasons anyway
Hi friends, colleagues: I am not at #2025ASA American Studies Association in Puerto Rico
& might not be again anytime soon
Please see my reasons: financial, disability, policy
#disability #americanstudiesassociation #ASA2025
