The Modern Language Association of America , often referred to as the Modern Language Association ( MLA ), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature . The MLA aims to "strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature". The organization includes over 20,000 members in 100 countries, primarily academic scholars , professors , and graduate students who study or teach language and literature, including English, other modern languages, and comparative literature . Although founded in the United States, with offices in New York City, the MLA's membership, concerns, reputation, and influence are international in scope.
24-763: The Marxist Literary Group ( MLG ) is an affiliate of the Modern Language Association centered on scholarly discussion of the contributions of Marxism and the Marxist tradition in the humanities and related disciplines. It holds an annual summer institute, holds sessions at the MLA convention, and publishes the journal Mediations . It is also an affiliate of the Midwest Modern Language Association and occasionally sponsors sessions at other regional MLA conferences. The MLG
48-428: A manufactured victimization of Israeli academics. This is a manipulative inversion of victimhood." In a strongly worded letter, the pro-Israeli Brandeis Center threatened to sue MLA if the resolution was adopted. In the letter addressed to the association's President Kwame Anthony Appiah and Executive Director Rosemary G. Feal, the center claimed that the resolution was ultra vires . That is, that it would take
72-488: A resolution in December 2016 calling for a boycott. The call to boycott received support from scholars such as Judith Butler and novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen , but also opposition from scholars such as Cary Nelson and historian Kenneth Waltzer as well as a group calling itself MLA Members for Scholars Rights. A group of Israeli scholars sent videotaped messages stating Israeli universities are multicultural and calling
96-422: A wide range of topics, including cultural studies , postmodernism , post-structuralism , psychoanalysis , post-colonial discourse , feminism , and left politics. A newsletter was set up in the early 1970s, which evolved into the journal Mediations by 1991. These activities were instrumental in allowing Marxist theory and criticism to gain a foothold in the academy. Modern Language Association The MLA
120-670: Is devoted to the peer review of new books and exhibitions relevant to the fields of art, art history, and architecture, and Art Journal Open , a forum for the visual arts that presents artists’ projects, conversations and interviews, and scholarly essays from across the cultural field. CAA runs several programs to support and address issues in the visual arts field. These include the CAA-Getty International Program, Fair Use, CAA Conversations Podcast series, and RAAMP, Resources for Academic Art Museum Professionals. CAA offers several grants to professionals in
144-419: Is the largest and most important of the year for makers and interpreters of visual art and visual culture. The conference typically includes more than 300 panels and sessions examining a wide array of topics and issues in the art world. The conference often offers free admission and behind the scenes tours of local cultural institutions and museums and several parties and receptions for attendees. Highlights of
168-621: Is the principal organization in the United States for professionals in the visual arts, from students to art historians to emeritus faculty. Founded in 1911, it "promotes these arts and their understanding through advocacy, intellectual engagement, and a commitment to the diversity of practices and practitioners." CAA currently has individual members across the United States and internationally; and institutional members, such as libraries, academic departments, and museums located in
192-484: The MLA Handbook , a guide that is geared toward high school and undergraduate students and has sold more than 6,500,000 copies. The MLA produces the online database, MLA International Bibliography , the standard bibliography in language and literature. Since 1884 the MLA has held a national, four-day convention. For many years it was held the last week in December. Beginning in 2011, the convention dates moved to
216-569: The MLA Constitution . The Executive Director is Paula Krebs . The MLA publishes several academic journals , including Publications of the Modern Language Association of America , one of the most prestigious journals in literary studies, and Profession , which is now published online on MLA Commons and discusses professional issues faced by teachers of language and literature. The association also publishes
240-534: The Annual Conference are the keynote address and Convocation Ceremony, which features the presentation of the Awards for Distinction. Previous keynote address speakers have included Charles Gaines, Mary Miller, Tania Bruguera, Dave Hickey, Jessica Stockholder, Robert Storr, Rocco Landesman, and many other noted academics, artists, curators, and art critics. Each year, CAA honors a scholar in the field with
264-614: The BDS campaign one of harassment and slander. On the other side of the debate, another group of Israeli scholars came out in support of the boycott, arguing that "the Israel-led campaign against the boycott of Israeli academic institutions rallies around the claim that if adapted it will hurt progressive Israeli scholars. Campaigners use this tactic to divert attention from the plight of the entire Palestinian population living under Israel's elaborate system of colonial repression and injustice to
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#1732786919897288-561: The MLA Language Map, which presents overviews and detailed data from the United States 2000 Census about the locations and numbers of speakers of thirty languages and seven groups of less commonly spoken languages in the United States and Canada. The association has highlighted issues such as race, gender and class in its professional deliberations. In The New Criterion , a classicist and politically conservative magazine, Roger Kimball and Hilton Kramer argued that this
312-604: The United States. The organization's programs, standards and guidelines, advocacy, intellectual engagement, and commitment to the diversity of practices and practitioners, align with its broad and diverse membership. CAA publishes several academic journals , including The Art Bulletin , one of the foremost journals for art historians in English, and Art Journal , a quarterly journal devoted to twentieth- and twenty-first-century art and visual culture. The association also publishes two digital publications, caa.reviews , which
336-683: The association had since 2014 pushed for such a boycott because they believed Israel was guilty of human rights violations and should be subjected to a boycott similarly to how South Africa was boycotted by the Anti-Apartheid Movement . The inspiration for the boycott came from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which is a global movement that calls for comprehensive boycotts of Israel. The activists calling themselves MLA Members for Justice in Palestine presented
360-500: The association in a direction that went beyond its original mission. Supporters of the boycott argued that it was not ultra vires because the Association had in the past been engaged in human rights issues. There are several regional associations that are independent of the primary MLA, and which host smaller conventions at other times of the year: College Art Association The College Art Association of America ( CAA )
384-581: The convention, although hiring occurs all year long. The organization's Job Information List ( JIL ) is available online. In addition to its job-placement activities, the convention features about 800 sessions, including presentations of papers and panel discussions on diverse topics (special sessions, forums, poetry readings, film presentations, interdisciplinary studies involving art and music, governance meetings) and social events hosted by English and language departments and allied or affiliated organizations. There are also extensive book exhibits in one of
408-545: The field: CAA holds its Annual Conference in February every year. The conference moves to different cities each year, returning to New York every other year. Cities that have hosted the CAA Annual Conference include, Houston, Seattle, Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and other major American cities. Between four and six thousand members attend each year, depending on the location. The convention
432-414: The first Thursday following 2 January. Approximately eight to twelve thousand members attend, depending on the location, which alternates among major cities in various regions of the United States. The MLA Annual Convention is the largest and most important of the year for scholars of languages and literature. Language departments of many universities and colleges interview candidates for teaching positions at
456-465: The largest affiliate group in the MLA, running 14 sessions at the 1975 conference and organizing Marxist scholars nationwide. The first Institute on Culture and Society took place in St.. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1976, including speakers such as Fredric Jameson , Stanley Aronowitz , Terry Eagleton , Gayatri Spivak , Michael Ryan, Gene Holland, June Howard, and John Beverly . Subsequent Institutes have dealt with
480-509: The main hotel or convention center exhibition areas. In November 2016, the association launched Humanities Commons , an open-access, crossdisciplinary hub for anyone interested in humanities research and scholarship. Other not-for-profit organizations involved in this project include College Art Association ; Association for Jewish Studies ; and the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies . The MLA's Web site features
504-485: The promotion of the academic and scientific study of English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and other so-called modern languages and literatures." The officers of the MLA are elected by its members. The 2019–2020 president was Simon Gikandi , the first vice-president was Judith Butler and the second vice-president was Barbara Fuchs. The 2020–2021 president is Judith Butler. The MLA is governed by an Executive Council, elected periodically by its members, according to
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#1732786919897528-728: Was formed in 1969 by Fredric Jameson and several of his graduate students at the University of California, San Diego. The group emerged from the 1968 MLA conference in New York City. Whereas groups such as the Radical Caucus focused their energies on pedagogy and social activism, the MLG was concerned with providing a firm theoretical grounding for the New Left as well as cultivating Marxist intellectuals. The MLG quickly became
552-482: Was founded in 1883, as a discussion and advocacy group for the study of literature and modern languages (that is, all but classical languages , such as ancient Latin and Greek ). According to its profile featured by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), "The Modern Language Association is formed for educational, scientific, literary, and social objects and purposes, and more specifically for
576-576: Was part of a "rampant politicization of literary study that the MLA has aggressively supported" in American colleges and universities, including elevating popular culture to a position of parity with great works of literature as subjects for classroom study, and other "radical" postures. On January 7, 2017, the MLA rejected a proposed boycott of Israeli academic institutions in a 113–79 vote during its annual meeting in Philadelphia. Activists within
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