We are living in a time when disinformation, misguided policy and regressive attitudes to LGBT+, Black, Latino, and other minority populations pervade the transatlantic public sphere. Figures in power in the US itself are using their power to dangerously rewrite American history through an ongoing repudiation of progressive values and active distancing of the country from its traditional allies in the international community. I feel BAAS must step up its efforts to act as stewards of a greater legacy of scholarship and free enquiry by promoting meaningful study of the US and supporting the diverse people who do it – I see this as an imperative duty and an important act of care.
Dr Michael Collins, Reader in American Studies
25 April 2025
King's academic elected as Chair of British Association for American Studies
Dr Michael Collins, Reader in American Studies in the Department of English, has been elected as Chair of the British Association for American Studies (BAAS).
Dr Collins specialises in America and its literature, covering intellectual history, the short story, ethnicity and class, realism and modernism, and popular music.
As the traditional relationship between Europe and the United States evolves, Dr Collins hopes to use his position to make a difference to affected communities and preserve academic freedoms.
BAAS is a learned society that was founded in 1955 while Europe was recovering from the destruction of the Second World War. It seeks to promote, support, and encourage critical, scholarly and informed engagement with the culture, history, and literature of the United States (domestically and in its role as an imperial power) in Universities, Colleges, Schools, and in the wider public sphere.
BAAS also offer awards and support for individuals, events, conferences and publications that display the diversity and quality of the work in Britain focused on the United States.
It is a hard time for "Americanists" in so many ways at the moment, so I will be using my tenure to ensure we make American Studies in Britain as joyous an undertaking as it can be by supporting our existing community and bringing in new blood and new ideas.
Dr Michael Collins, Reader in American Studies
The society marks its 70th year in 2025.
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Reader in American Studies