American Comparative Literature Association

THE AMERICAN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE ASSOCIATION, FOUNDED IN 1960, IS THE PRINCIPAL LEARNED SOCIETY IN THE UNITED STATES FOR SCHOLARS WHOSE WORK INVOLVES SEVERAL LITERATURES AND CULTURES, AS WELL AS THE PREMISES OF CROSS-CULTURAL LITERARY STUDY ITSELF.

IN ITS LARGEST SENSE, COMPARATIVE LITERATURE PROMOTES THE STUDY OF INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS THAT CROSS NATIONAL BOUNDARIES, MULTICULTURAL RELATIONS WITHIN A PARTICULAR SOCIETY, AND THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN LITERATURE AND OTHER FORMS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY, INCLUDING THE ARTS, THE SCIENCES, PHILOSOPHY, AND CULTURAL ARTIFACTS OF ALL KINDS.THE MEMBERS OF THE ACLA ARE JOINED NOT BY A NATIONAL LINGUISTIC, OR METHODOLOGICAL INVESTMENT HELD IN COMMON, BUT BY THE SHARED CONDITION OF TEACHING AND WRITING ACROSS NATIONS, LANGUAGES, AND CULTURES - AND HENCE BY THEIR LIVELY INTEREST IN COMPARISON AS BOTH THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL MATTERS.THE ACLA IS AFFILIATED WITH THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED SOCIETIES, THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS OF COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, THE INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE LITERATURE ASSOCIATION, THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION, AND THE NATIONAL HUMANITIES ALLIANCE.TO PROMOTE THE IDEALS OF THE ACLA, ITS 2021 ANNUAL MEETING, ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 2,200 MEMBERS, WAS HELD VIRTUALLY APRIL 8TH THROUGH APRIL 11TH. CONFERENCE FEES WERE CUT IN HALF TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION AND NUMEROUS FEE WAIVERS WERE GIVEN. THE CONFERENCE INCLUDED OVER 200 SEMINARS AND A VARIETY OF SPECIAL EVENTS INCLUDING PLENARY PANELS ON "GEOPOLITICS OF COMPARISON: WORLD LITERATRURE AVANT LA LETTREX AND "VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE ON ETHICS OF GRADUATE ADVISING". THE EVENT REQUIRED SIGNIFICANT VOLUNTEER TIME FROM THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS AND PRESENTERS. CONFERENCE EXPENSES WERE $88,531.

OTHER PROGRAM EXPENSES OF THE ORGANIZATION RELATE MAINLY TO THE MISSION, INCLUDING PROGRAM STAFF COSTS, MAINTENANCE OF THE ACLA WEBSITE, MEMBERSHIP IN RELATED ORGANIZATIONS.PROGRAM ACTIVITIES RELY HEAVILY ON THE SUBSTANTIAL VOLUNTEER EFFORTS OF OFFICERS AND MEMBERS, OFTEN WITH THE IN-KIND SUPPORT OF THEIR UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS. THE EXPENSES REPORTED ON FORM 990 REPRESENT ONLY THE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS PAID BY ACLA.

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