College Language Association (CLA)
The College Language Association (CLA), is an organization of college teachers of English and foreign languages which serves the academic, scholarly and professional interests of its members and the collegiate communities they represent. Its mission aims to foster high professional standards for teachers of language and literature and promote productive scholarship among its members.[1] The publication of this association’s members have played a crucial role in establishing and defining black literary scholarship. (book) Since its 1937 formation, CLA has become the nation’s preeminent organization of African American scholars of languages and literature. It’s nearly 1,000 members continue to work as a unified intellectual community to break the chains of white cultural hegemony, to desegregate the academy, and to advocate the democratization of knowledge. (book)
History
On April 23, 1937, Dr. Hugh M. Gloster along with nine other college teachers of English founded (CLA) as the Association of Teachers of English in Negro Colleges (ATENC) at LeMoyne College in Memphis, Tennessee. The ten scholars, nine black and one white, founded CLA in response to the exclusion of blacks from membership in the Modern Language Association (MLA), the largest learned society in the humanities. The goal of ATENC was to further English proficiency among African American students, to serve the academic and professional interests of its members, and to help showcase the work of black scholars. (book) In 1949, in response to the groundswell of interest among foreign language teachers, the ATENC changed its name to CLA to reflect its broadening membership and scope. (book)
Dr. Gloster served as CLA's first president (1937-38) then again after World Ward II from 1948-50.[2]
Activities
College Language Association Journal (CLAJ)
"The CLA Journal (ISSN 0007-8549) is an international multilingual peer-reviewed bi-annual publication by the College Language Association. It is issued in September and March of each year."[3] Sandra G. Shannon is the current Editor.
Established in 1957, CLAJ is a multilingual and international publication that features socially engaged, innovative, and groundbreaking scholarship in language, literature, linguistics, and pedagogy cultivated by the diverse international membership of CLA. CLAJ is the voice of a community of scholars, the first in establishing a forum for intellectual discourse among black scholars in language and literary studies. It published articles treating the languages and literatures of all nations. In keeping with its desire to develop the study of the languages and literatures of Africa and its global diaspora as an important area of scholarship, CLAJ is committed to offering critical perspectives and new developments in the analysis of language, literature, and cultural studies representative of the diverse scholarly interests of its members while privileging the African diaspora and transcultural black identities. (CLAJ Mission Statement)
CLA Annual Convention
The CLA traditionally holds its annual convention in April. The convention serves as a forum for the presentation of scholarly research and provides attendees with an opportunity to engage in professional networking. Moreover, the meetings have played an important role in the recruitment and training of black graduate students. CLA affiliates, including the Charles Chesnutt Society, the Langston Hughes Society, the Middle Atlantic Society, the Richard Wright Circle, and the Zora Neale Hurston Society, are entitled to sponsor one program session at the annual convention. In addition to hosting its own convention, the CLA is an affiliated member of the MLA, entitling it to sponsor two sessions at the MLA’s annual conference. (book)
References
- ↑ "About – College Language Association". Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- ↑ "CLA Founding President, Dr. Hugh Morris Gloster – College Language Association". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- ↑ "CLA Journal – College Language Association". Retrieved 2020-04-11.
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