we will fight to the end! (or ten years, as you can't very well expect us to stay away from chicago forever)

I was talking with a friend about New Orleans the other night, and said something I've said to other people: the American Sociological Association should hold its annual meetings in New Orleans at the first opportunity. It's arguably the most sociologically interesting city now, and "arguably" only because there is always Las Vegas (but it isn't like ASA is ever going show its official face there).

But then I thought of something I hadn't before: is it even possible for ASA to meet in New Orleans?

The reason I wondered is that I know the anthropologists have a rule about not holding their annual meetings in states that have sodomy laws. The rule is still in force and excludes Louisiana even though Lawrence v. Texas effectively rendered sodomy laws inert nationwide. I know, this is not the same as the law being repealed, but some states on anthropology's list as sufficiently sodomy friendly to host meetings are places in which the law remains on the books but was nullified by state court decisions (i.e., Massachusetts). (The previous two sentences are all my understanding of the situation, for which I welcome correction in whatever ways it's wrong.)

Interestingly, anthropology also won't meet in Illinois, in protest of the almost-absurdly offensive mascot Chief Illiniwek. In that regard, their resolution shows less resolution, saying:

AAA will cease scheduling Annual Meetings of the American Anthropological Association in the State of Illinois until such time as the administration and trustees of the University of Illinois... replace their "Chief Illiniwek" mascot with one that does not promote inaccurate, anachronistic and damaging stereotypes of Native American people... If this has not happened in ten years AAA will revisit our position.

I presume this is in recognition of the fact that the sodomy rule mostly keeps the organization from meeting in places where academics wouldn't be inclined to hold national meetings anyway (like Boise and Oklahoma City and Birmingham and Kansas City). But it would be harder to stay away from Chicago forever, especially if there is the idea that the national meetings should be in the Midwest now and then.

Anyway, so far as I can tell from online sources, sociology has historically had all kinds of political considerations influence its choice of meeting sites, but it doesn't have specific hard rules like anthropology does. So: New Orleans! I will personally sponsor some kind of blogging-and-beignets event.

Postscript: I used to have a crazy friend who kept up this inexplicable friendship with someone even crazier than either of us, in part because I think it made her feel more sane/together/normal to be close witness to this walking psychological disaster. If you are a sociologist who sometimes feels despairing about certain trends in the discipline, start trolling around anthropology professional organization websites and look at some of the debates and such that go on there. I mean, I don't want to equate various online manifestations with whatever the larger intellectual and institutional reality might be, but the online disciplinary-presentation-of-self gives the impression of an enterprise both moribund and hellbent on self-evisceration. Of course, there's a certain prominent sociologist who regularly holds up anthropology as his dream for sociology's future, which seems to me like a lemming watching the lemming in front of him plunge off a cliff and saying, "Dude, wait up!"*

* Yes, I know lemmings don't really do mass suicide. I also know they don't really talk.