History and Mission
SDAŠ stands for Slovensko društvo za angleške študije, or the Slovene Association for the Study of English. The association was founded in March 1993 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with the purpose of promoting the study and teaching of the English language, literatures in English and cultures of English-speaking peoples by means of communication and exchange with colleagues at home and throughout Europe. The members of SDAŠ are scholars involved in teaching and research at faculties and colleges of higher education in Slovenia. The association also welcomes post-graduate students.
Since its foundation, SDAŠ has been a member of ESSE, the European Society for the Study of English. The members of SDAŠ, who are automatically members of ESSE, are thus entitled to receive The European English Messenger, ESSE’s biannual bulletin, as well as to participate in ESSE’s major conferences organized every two years.
The main objective of the Association is to advance the exchange of knowledge and skills on the national, as well as on the international level. With this in mind, SDAŠ organizes scientific conferences and co-publishes an academic journal.
Conferences
The First International Conference of SDAŠ, entitled English Language and Literature Studies in the Context of European Language Diversity, was held in Portorož from 6-9 May 2004.
The Second International Conference of SDAŠ, entitled As You Write It: issues in literature, language, and translation in the context of Europe in the 21st century, took place in Maribor from 18-20 September 2008.
In 2012 (10-12 May), the Association successfully organized the 3rd International Conference of SDAŠ, entitled The Changes in Epochal Paradigms and the Opportunities they Offer for English Studies.
The 4th conference – Making it new in English Studies – was held in Maribor in 2016 (15-17 September).
The 5th international SDAŠ conference titled A Hundred Years, A Thousand Meanings took place in Ljubljana, September 19-21, 2019, to celebrate the centennial jubilee of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.
The 6th international conference organized by SDAŠ was organized at the University of Maribor. Titled Absolutely Gabolous: Celebrating English Studies for the 21st Century, it was held in Maribor, 14-16 September 2023.
Journal
ELOPE was launched in 2002, when the General Assembly of the Slovene Association for the Study of English (part of ESSE, the European Society for the Study of English) decided to establish a new academic journal. The first volume was published in 2004. Since then the journal has been published annually, in cooperation with the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. In 2015 ELOPE moved to a new publisher, Ljubljana University Press, Faculty of Arts (University of Ljubljana), and in 2022 to the newly established University of Ljubljana Press. The Association for the Study of English and the Department of English remain actively involved in the publication of the journal. By 2023, more than 350 articles by scholars from 30 different countries have been published in the journal.
ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries is a double-blind, peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original research articles, studies and essays that address matters pertaining to the English language, literature, teaching and translation. The journal promotes the discussion of linguistic and literary issues from theoretical and applied perspectives regardless of school of thought or methodology. Covering a wide range of issues and concerns, ELOPE aims to investigate and highlight the themes explored by contemporary scholars in the diverse fields of English studies.
ELOPE has been listed in the MLA International Bibliography and is available through Google Scholar. ELOPE is also included in the ERIH PLUS database (the European Reference Index for the Humanities) and in the DOAJ directory (Directory of Open Access Journals). The articles are also searchable in the OCLC Worldcat Library Catalogue. In 2017, the journal was accepted for inclusion (2015-) in Scopus.
Contact and Membership
Comments and suggestions on the future activities of SDAŠ are always warmly welcome. Send them either to Smiljana Komar or Victor Kennedy.
If you are interested in becoming a member of SDAŠ and consequently ESSE, I cordially invite you to join us. Please, write to our secretary, Tomaž Onič. Our annual regular membership fee is €20 and the discounted fee (for students and retired members) is €10.
Smiljana Komar, Chair