SURVEY ON ASOR’S NAME
For almost 30 years ASOR’s members have debated the accuracy, usefulness, and appropriateness of its now 120-year-old name: The American Schools of Oriental Research. For many, the use of “Oriental” (which in 1900 referred Asia generally) is problematic for a variety of reasons. The “Schools” are now independent entities. And ASOR is increasingly international in its membership. On the other hand, the ASOR acronym has wide name recognition that is associated with the organization’s laudable work, and the organization is based in America. Late last year, ASOR’s leadership appointed an ad hoc committee to evaluate the range of issues involved in ASOR’s name, to seek input from ASOR’s membership, and to make a recommendation to ASOR’s Board of Trustees. The Committee is chaired by ASOR Trustee Peyton Helm (President Emeritus of Muhlenberg College), and includes Lisa Ackerman (Executive Director, Columbus Citizens Foundation), Emily Bonney (ASOR Trustee and Dean of the Pollak Library at Cal State Fullerton), Eric Cline (editor of BASOR and Professor at George Washington University), Emily Hammer (Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania), Kiersten Neuman (Curator at the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago), and Eric Welch (Senior Lecturer at University of Kentucky).
The Committee has reviewed earlier discussions of this topic and essays developed for previous forums. It is now seeking input from ASOR members.
The next News at ASOR, Â which you should receive on March 17th, will provide members with a link to a short survey on the question of ASOR’s name. A follow-up e-mail on March 18th will also provide access to the survey. The Committee is looking for a quick turnaround (10 days) in order to provide preliminary results for the ASOR Board of Trustees’ April meeting. We also anticipate an open forum at the annual meeting in Boston next November, to share results and seek further feedback from members. We hope to make a final recommendation to the ASOR Board in April, 2021.
We thank you in advance for taking your time to let us know your thoughts about our Annual Meeting; we will let you know the results.