Former Editors’ Reflections: Celebrating Thirty Years of JAST

Abstract

Celebrating Thirty Years of JAST Meltem Kıran-Raw (for Laurence Raw, editor-in-chief, 2012-2016) 3 Dr. Laurence Raw, my late colleague and husband, became the editor of JAST in the summer of 2012. Although I remained only an outside observer, I was aware that he started out by establishing certain priorities. First, like his predecessors, he wanted JAST to maintain high academic standards. Second, again like his predecessors, he wanted the journal to fulfill the eligibility criteria for inclusion in prestigious databases. Third, he aimed to recruit as many scholars as possible—both in Turkey and abroad—to reinforce the journal’s visibility in the transcultural and transnational dialogue in American Studies. And lastly, he wanted JAST to provide a welcoming publication venue for colleagues at the beginning of their careers.