The American Association of Turkey

founded in 1988

The American Studies Association of Turkey has been founded to encourage the study of and research in all areas of American culture and society, and to promote cooperation and communication between scholars from various universities in Turkey and abroad. To this end, the Association organizes seminars,conferences, workshops and lectures;provides research material for its members, publishes books and conference proceedings; promotes arrangements for the travel of Turkish scholars to the United States; and contacts other institutions and organizations concerned with the study of the United States.The Association is composed of the Founding Members Honorary members and Active members. The governing body of the Association is The Executive Board consisting of seven active members elected by the General Assembly to serve for two years. The Board elects a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer; the other three members are the regional representatives from Istanbul, Izmir and Erzurum. 

Membership is acquired through direct application to the Association and with the approval of the Board upon payment of membership dues. All members enjoy the benefits derived from activities of the Association and have a right to attend the annual conference and to participate in its general meetings. Membership fee also covers 2 issues of the Journal of American Studies of Turkey (JAST) per year and membership privileges in EAAS/European Association for American Studies. 

The Association organizes annual conferences that are held at various sites in Turkey. In recent years, the annual conferences wee sponsored by a grant from the Study of the US Branch, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs United States. Besides, it organizes a monthly basis series of lectures on a wide variety subjects ranging from literary studies to cultural studies, history, politics and art. Among previous delivered lectures in this series are: "After the Cold War: Implications of Recent Events for US Politics" by William Chafe, American Archeologists: The Social Dimension" by Charles Gates, "Hollywood; Multiculturalism and the American Dream" by Paul Levine, "American Consumer Products and Postcolonial Identity" by Jeanne Dubino, " Popular Culture and Its Influences on Language" by Damon Anderson and "The Art of Silence: Asian-American Women Writers" by Nur Gokalp, "The Images of Texas: The Myth and the Myth" by Ayse Kirtunc and "Global Culture" by Giles Gunn. 

The Board has been following its previous policy of encouraging young Americanists from all over Turkey to become active and productive members of the Association. Recently, the Board started to award travel grants for young academicians/graduate students to attent conferences abroad, Europe/US, if they present papers at international conferences or actively participate in the annual conference of the association. 

Today the Association has 91 active members majority of whom are the faculty at various universities from all over Turkey. Since 1996 ASAT is an affiliated member of EAAS-Eurepean Association for American Studies- and is represented at the EAAS Board by the national delegate. 

BOARD MEMBERS (2004-2006)

President: Gülriz Büken, Department of History, Faculty of Economic, Administrative and Social Sciences, Bilkent University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 290 2341
E-mail: buken@bilkent.edu.tr 

Vice President: Engin Sezer, Department of Turkish Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Letters, Bilkent University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 290 3283
E-mail: esezer@bilkent.edu.tr 

Secretary: Gülben Ulupınar,  Deulcom Int., Atatürk Bulvarı Bakanlıklar No:131 Kat 4, Ankara / Turkey
Tel: +90 312 290 5083
E-mail: gulbenulupinar@yahoo.com

Treasurer: Gülriz Büken & Filiz Altın, Department of American Culture and Literature, Hacettepe University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 490 2322
E-mail: filizaltin@yahoo.com 

 
Member: Ahmet Bese, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Ataturk University. Erzurum, Turkey.
Tel: +90 442 231 4110
E-mail: ahmetbese@hotmail.com

Member: Sırma Soran Gumpert, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Ataturk University. Erzurum, Turkey.
Tel: +90 442 231 4110
E-mail: sirmasoran@hotmail.com

Member: Dilek Direnç, Ege University, Faculty of Letters, English Language and Literature, Bornova- İzmir 
Tel: +90 232 388 0110/ 1347
E-mail: dilekdirenc@yahoo.com 
 
 

BOARD MEMBERS (2002-2004)

President: Gülriz Büken, Department of History, Faculty of Economic, Administrative and Social Sciences, Bilkent University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 290 2341
E-mail: buken@bilkent.edu.tr 

Vice-President: Meldan Tanrısal, Department of American Culture and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Hacettepe University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 297 8520
E-mail: meldant@hacettepe.edu.tr

Secretary: Sema Keskekci, Faculty Academic English Program, Bilkent University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 290 5083
E-mail: skeskek@bilkent.edu.tr

Treasurer: Tuba Geyikler, Department of American Culture and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Ankara University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 310 3280
E-mail: geyikler@humanity.ankara.edu.tr

Member: Ahmet Bese, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Ataturk University. Erzurum, Turkey.
Tel: +90 442 231 4110
E-mail: ahmetbese@hotmail.com

Member:Ozlem Gorey, Department of Western Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Letters, Bogazici University. Istanbul, Turkey.
Tel: +90 
E-mail: gorey@boun.edu.tr

Member:Yesim Ceki Kuzanli, Faculty Academic English Program, Bilkent University. Ankara, Turkey.
Tel: +90 312 290 3195
E-mail: kyesim@bilkent.edu.tr