The Assyrian Academic Society (AAS) was established in 1983, as an

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

and minority organization of Assyrians in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. From its foundation, AAS was based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, a city with one of the largest communities of

Assyrian Americans Assyrian Americans ( syr, ܣܘܼܖ̈ܵܝܹܐ ܐܲܡܪ̈ܝܼܟܵܝܹܐ) refers to individuals of ethnic Assyrian ancestry born in or residing within the United States of America. Assyrians are an indigenous Middle-Eastern ethnic group native ...

. It was established as a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

dedicated to promotion of Assyrian cultural and historical heritage. Its activities included organization of lectures and seminars, promotion of Assyrian literature and

native language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

, and cooperation with other Assyrian organizations, both in the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and worldwide. Its goal was to serve as a center for advancement and promotion of cultural developments within the

Assyrian diaspora Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

and to introduce Assyrian heritage to the outside world. The organization was a registered 501(C)(3)

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, without political affiliations.

Activities

Since 1986, ASS was associated with the publishing of the Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society, but in 1997 several disputes arose, resulting in the creation of two editorial boards. The one under the jurisdiction of ASS continued to publish the journal under its original name, until 2000, while the other initiated publishing of separate editions under a new name: ''Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies''. The latest issue of the journal appeared in 2015. In 1996, the "''Assyrian Dictionary Project''" was initiated by AAS, aimed to create new editions of English-Assyrian ( Neo-Aramaic) and Assyrian-English dictionaries, also engaging in other linguistic projects, aimed to popularize native languages. In 1999, AAS joined a series of discussions, initiated by the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

in relation to complex questions of ethnic designations, that would be used in the forthcoming

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. As a result of those discussions, AAS supported a compromise solution, proposed by the Census Bureau, that was based on the use of a compound "Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac" designation for all communities that self-identify with those appellations. Since 2003, AAS joined efforts of

aimed to support

Assyrians in Iraq Iraqi Assyrians ( syr, ܣܘܪ̈ܝܐ, ar, آشوريو العراق) are an ethnic and linguistic minority group, Indigenous peoples, indigenous to Upper Mesopotamia. Assyrians in Iraq are those Assyrian people, Assyrians still residing in the ...

in their endeavors to secure national, religious and other minority rights, and achieve constitutional recognition in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. In 2005, AAS initiated a new project, known as the "''Iraq Sustainable Democracy Project''", headed by Michael Youash, and aimed to secure and improve collective rights of Assyrians and other minority communities in

. The project received support from various Assyrian organizations, and from several USA institutions and politicians, including Congressman

Mark Kirk Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is a retired American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Illinois from 2010 to 2017, and as the United States representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district fr ...

. Within the field of

Middle Eastern studies Middle Eastern studies (sometimes referred to as Near Eastern studies) is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the history, culture, politics, economies, and geography of the Middle East, an area that is gene ...

, AAS cooperated with the

Middle East Studies Association of North America Middle East Studies Association (often referred to as MESA) is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encoura ...

(MESA), participating in activities and programs that received acknowledgment by scholars working in the field. Since 2014, collective efforts in the fields of organization and promotion of academic and educational activities among

were regrouped and restructured, and in 2019 new organization was created: the "''Assyrian Studies Association''", that continued traditional cooperation with MESA, previously established and conducted by AAS over the course of two decades.Zenda Magazine (1997): The Assyrian Academic Society in Chicago
/ref>

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

Assyrian Academic Society Site (archived)

Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies (archived)

{{authority control Assyrian-American culture in Illinois Assyrian-American organizations Scientific societies based in the United States Organizations established in 1983 1983 establishments in the United States Organizations based in Chicago

Activities

See also

References

Sources

External links