After several years of discussion, the Western Social Science Association, by unanimous vote of the Executive Council, proposed a name change to the membership. By unanimous vote of the membership at the Annual Business Meeting in Denver on April 1, 2022 the name change was approved, whereby the Western Social Science Association has changed its name to the World Social Science Association. This action was taken, as were similar actions in the past, as both our geographic and pedagogical reach have broadened and evolved.
This will be the fourth name that has been used by the Association. In 1958, the Association began as the Colorado-Wyoming Social Science Association. Over time we began to attract attendees from several of the other Rocky Mountain States; therefore, the name was changed to the Rocky Mountain Social Science Association.
Once again, as we continued to grow and attract academics from every state west of the Mississippi, and even some from east of the Mississippi, another name change was proposed, this time to the Western Social Science Association.
Over the last two decades, the Association has slowly taken on an increasingly international flavor, with new sections focusing on Latin American, Chicano, Latinx, and Iberian Studies, Asian Studies, and Middle East and North African Studies. Additionally, through individual initiatives, and the efforts of the Association for Borderlands Studies, WSSA attendees, participants, and leaders are coming from all around the world.
Welcome to the World Social Science Association!
