EAAS Statement on Recent Developments in the United States Affecting Academic Freedom and International Collaboration

April 2025

The European Association for American Studies (EAAS) brings together national and joint-national American Studies associations from across Europe. As a scholarly community, we are deeply committed to fostering cooperation and communication across a wide range of academic disciplines.

As an organization, the EAAS does not endorse any political agenda. Rather, we actively promote the exchange of ideas and strive to ensure fair representation of diverse perspectives and intellectual approaches within our field.

It is in this spirit that we express our concern about recent developments in the United States. Members of the American Studies community will be aware that the Trump administration has issued a large number of executive orders, including one on 20 January 2025 titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” These and related measures have raised serious alarms about the erosion of scientific freedom, academic autonomy, and evidence-based policymaking.

On 31 March 2025, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a “Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens,” expressing deep concern that “a climate of fear has descended on the research community.” The statement further notes: “Astoundingly, the Trump administration is destabilizing this enterprise by gutting funding for research, firing thousands of scientists, removing public access to scientific data, and pressuring researchers to alter or abandon their work on ideological grounds.”

These actions not only jeopardize the integrity of academic research within the United States but also have far-reaching consequences for international scholarly collaboration – a principle that lies at the heart of our work. The immediate effects are already being felt: disrupted projects and a chilling effect on academic inquiry. They directly impact international research partnerships, including collaborations involving members of the EAAS.

As scholars of American literature, history, politics, culture, and society – and as educators and researchers across multiple disciplines – we see it as our responsibility to critically examine and contextualize the broader implications of these developments. In our conferences and publications, we aim to provide a constructive space for informed discussion on the future of American democracy and on relations between the United States and Europe.

In line with our statutes, which commit us to “contributing to the emergence and definition of specific European viewpoints on the society and culture of the United States” (Article 2.2), we will continue to use our collective expertise to build bridges between academic communities in Europe and the United States, fostering mutual understanding and dialogue.

We also remain dedicated to supporting our scholarly community through our grant programs, which help facilitate travel and research opportunities for European scholars conducting work both within Europe and in the United States.

To echo our colleagues at the British Association for American Studies (BAAS): “American Studies is as vital as it has ever been.” Now more than ever, we affirm our commitment to this field, to academic freedom, and to the enduring transatlantic dialogue that enriches both.

The Board of the European Association for American Studies