Dear ASLH Members,
With public health experts predicting that the risks of travel and large-group gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic will continue through the fall, and with ongoing restrictions on university and international travel, we have regretfully made the decision to cancel the in-person ASLH 2020 annual conference.
While it is sad to have to forgo our beloved in-person conference, the Society will continue its mission of nurturing legal history research and fostering scholarly exchange. Prize and fellowship competitions will go forward, as will the Hurst Summer Institute, scheduled for summer 2021.
And we will not be idle in November. Led by co-chairs Kristin Collins and Ari Bryen, the ASLH program committee is organizing an exciting short program of online workshops, panels, and lectures. The Student Research Colloquium will be part of the online program. Please look for details in the coming months about the remote ASLH 2020 conference.
The program committee will soon communicate decisions about papers, panels, and workshops submitted for the 2020 meeting. Note that a small number of submissions will be accepted for the remote conference in November, and the remainder of accepted submissions will be placed on the program of the ASLH conference to be held in New Orleans on November 4-6, 2021.
As events of the past weeks have reminded us, our field is vital to understanding legal conflicts and political movements, and to analyzing patterns and practices of inequality, power, and governance. We are confident that the field, and our Society, will emerge stronger than ever from the pandemic.
With best wishes for your health and for a happy and productive summer,
Lauren Benton, President, ASLH
Michael Willrich, President-Elect, ASLH
David Tanenhaus, Treasurer, ASLH
Anne Twitty, Secretary, ASLH