Join CSAS!

Joining CSAS is simple!  And CSAS membership is free for students!

You must first be a member of the American Anthropological Association (AAA); then you add your CSAS membership.  You can join AAA online–and join CSAS–by phone, or by mail:

• Online:

Follow these steps to join AAA and CSAS online:

1.  Go to the AAA  log in page of AAA and click on “New Visitor Account Creation” (under “Login Required”).  You’ll be asked to make sure you don’t already have an AAA account.  Then you’ll be asked to create an account.

2.  Once you’ve created an account, click on the “Add/Renew Membership” link in the left-hand menu to join AAA.

3.  Once you’ve joined AAA, click on “Add Section Membership” in the left-hand menu.

Note:  If  you’re already a member of AAA, simply log in and click on “Add Section Membership.”  CSAS also has a joint membership rate and a retired membership rate for individuals who are joint or retired members of AAA.

• By phone:

Call the membership office at AAA (703/528-1902, extension 1178) and tell them you want to join AAA and/or  CSAS. Give them a credit card number, and you’re done!

• By mail:

Download the AAA membership form. Print both sides of the form.

On the front side, fill out your name and contact information, write “already a member” in part 1 (Choose your AAA membership type).

On the back side check the appropriate box for CSAS membership (regular or student), write in the appropriate fees on this line and on the “total” line at the bottom of the form.

Transfer this number to sections 3 and 6 on the front side of the form and send the form, with payment (check, credit card number) to the AAA address on the form.

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Wondering whether to join CSAS? Read the following statements from CSAS members:

“When I joined Purdue’s faculty in 1977, senior colleagues Jack Waddell and O. Michael Watson (in particular) pointed out the existence of CSAS and urged me to partake in their egalitarian and four-field gatherings.  I did so, even without my colleagues tagging along, and was immediately hooked by the convenient size of and congenial participants in CSAS.”

“I got involved in CSAS because meetings are accessible and inexpensive, and it gives me a comfortable place to try out new ideas. Over the years, it has provided a platform to put together groups of colleagues who are doing good work on issues that interest me; and, through its invited sessions it has given me access on several occasions to the AAA program.   In addition, it’s an excellent place to encourage students to present their first professional papers.”

“I went to my first CSAS conference because it was relatively nearby and inexpensive.  I didn’t expect much out of it, but I was immediately impressed by how convivial and collegial the conference was.  I was easily drawn in to conversations about important ideas, invited to dinner, and generally made to feel a part of the group.  Then, I began to notice how constructive the audience feedback was during sessions and how well and kindly students were treated.  CSAS is a great resource for connecting with other anthropologists in the Midwest, for introducing students to the world of anthropology, and for presenting and learning significant ideas.”

“I joined CSAS because it welcomed grad students’ papers.  Giving one’s first professional paper at CSAS has been a rite of passage.  A good-looking guy named Lewis Binford gave a simple paper on Midwest potsherds in the same session as me; I think it was probably his first professional paper too.”

“I had only a vague awareness of CSAS until my colleague Nancy Eberhardt persuaded me to attend a meeting several years ago.  I soon learned that CSAS has much to offer, including the more inviting character of its conferences and its ability to embrace student work side by side with that of veteran scholars.”