UPDATED DEADLINE: Feb, 7th, 20245.

I'm an Assistant Professor of English at The University of The Bahamas with a partial panel formed for this year's American Studies Association 2025 meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, held Nov. 20-22, 2025. We're looking for one more presenter and a chair for a panel on the following topic:

Proposed Session Title: Tourism and Self-Help Culture

Abstract:
Self-help culture has permeated the U.S. during the 21st century, undergirded by neoliberal ideals of individual investment and entrepreneurship. Countless books, products, and media are devoted to self-help topics, revolving around the principle that individuals should invest in themselves—through various forms of consumption—to produce positive affects and achieve self-betterment. This proposed ASA session will explore the relationship between self-help culture and tourism, examining how travelers frame their trips as economically rational investments for the purpose of self-improvement, often to the detriment of the places visited. Papers related to heritage travel, solo travel, digital nomad culture, slow travel, travel writing, travel media, and related topics are welcome.

Call for Panelists:
Please send paper proposals with a title (max of 15 words), abstract (max of 500 words), and bio (max of 350 words) to Leah.Butterfield@ub.edu.bs by February 7th.