From "American" Studies to Hospitality and Utopia

Over the years I have come to realize that we must re-think what we have called “American Studies.” When I first began as president at Wesleyan, a faculty colleague explained to me that I was wrong to think of the field as being mostly about the United States. She helped me understand that the field should be internationalized, making it about all of the countries in the Americas and their relations to the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, Wesleyan’s program, located in the large yellow building misnamed the Center for the Americas, has not successfully internationalized. Almost all the classes have to do with the US, and given what’s happening in the world, I have decided we must no longer privilege the centrality of our national story. Today I am announcing that we are moving American Studies into a small house, like the ones used by similarly sized departments. By doing so I am joining with my colleagues to collectively undermine the hegemonic pretensions of a field, and perhaps of a nation, to dominate the continents in the Western Hemisphere through neo-coloniality.

So, what will we do with the big yellow house currently called The Center for the Americas? Taking advantage of its proximity to the President’s House where I have lived for almost two decades, we will transform it into an elegant meeting space for visiting students, teachers, and dignitaries of all kinds. The new structure will speak not of US hegemony but of Wesleyan hospitality! Given its elegance I’ve decided it will be known as the Presidential Welcome Pavillion. For decades to come Wesleyan presidents will have the pleasure of entertaining our guests in the manner that will make them, and us very proud. From this:

To this:

And for those who would criticize our plans for being too opulent, I’d like to balance things out by also announcing that we are constructing a space for activists at Wesleyan. Just adjacent to the farm at Long Lane, we are building what will be known as Utopia Now House. Once it is completed, all authorized protest activities will take place there. At that corner of campus, activists can gather and commune with one another without disturbing (or listening to) anyone else. And the proximity to the farm will help protestors stay mindful of sustainability. We’ve already broken ground on the building:

You see it will have the gritty authenticity Wesleyan protestors have long valued. And now those protesting will not have to worry about disrupting the lines at Usdan or classes in Boger. Instead, edgy politics will be at the edge of campus, cultivating ideas of a better future for us all.

Welcome to Utopia Now!