Association of Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS)

Email: chris.prentice@otago.ac.nz

Website: www.aclals.ulg.ac.be

Year established: 1964

Number of staff: None

Number of subscribing members:

1,123

Annual expenditure:

£24,944 in 2011–13

Officers:

Chair: Chris Prentice

Triennial Conference Convener: Selina Tusitala Marsh, s.marsh@auckland.ac.nz

There are regional chairs for the nine branches of the Association.

Aims and objectives:

The Association exists to promote the study of Commonwealth and post-colonial literatures. Members study and carry out research (often in collaboration across nations) into Commonwealth literatures, languages and related fields including oral, drama and film studies, or cultural studiesand development more broadly. The Association disseminates and publishes information and research findings through newsletters, journals and books.

Main activities:

The objectives of ACLALS are to promote and co-ordinate Commonwealth literature and language studies, organise seminars and workshops, arrange lectures by writers and scholars, publish a newsletter about activities in the field of Commonwealth literature and hold conferences. ACLALS itself holds a triennial conference. The last conference took place in August 2013 in Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, and the next will be held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in July 2016. The individual branches also hold conferences at regular intervals and the proceedings are often published.

Recent publications:

Individual branches publish journals such as Chimo, the Journal of West Indian Literature, Phoenix, SARE and SPAN.

See local branch websites for details: www.aclals.ulg.ac.be/branches.html.