Editorial

Welcoming the 30th Anniversary of Journal of American Studies of TurkeyThis 63rd issue of Journal of American Studies of Turkey (JAST) marks our journal’s 30th anniversary.The first editorial of JAST in the 1995 Spring issue reflected our late professors’ dedication to theirfield with great joy and enthusiasm. The editors in the first issue wrote, “The issue you have in yourhands has been the cherished dream of many in the Association of American Studies of Turkey,and we are happy to have at last realized it” (1). Thirty years ago, JAST was born from a convictionthat American Studies in our country needed a space committed to interdisciplinary critique,cultural inquiry, and a reconsideration of narratives. JAST has positioned itself as more than just anacademic repository since its inception; it has served as a platform for up-and-coming voices andfunctioned as a debate crucible. Following the opening of American Studies to critical race theory,gender studies, and transnational frameworks, JAST came into being with a focus on burgeoningcritical inquiry and acted as both a witness and an interlocutor as the field questioned the veryconcept of the United States of America within various contexts.