The emergence of Covid-19 and the restrictions imposed by governments necessary to combat its spread have affected us all. ASEN’s 2020 Conference, which would have also marked anniversaries for Nations and Nationalism, Studies in Ethnicity & Nationalism, the nationalism programme at the University of Edinburgh, and the Association itself, had to be cancelled at short notice.

Our seminars are now taking place online – we invite you to join in on Facebook Live – and it is our intention to continue to make them available in this manner even when we return to normality.

ASEN’s 2021 Conference will likewise take place online and we will broadcast our plenaries on Facebook Live. Panels will take place via Zoom, a technology with which we have all become familiar. While not a replacement for the professional and social opportunities of a physical conference, we hope that it will provide a fair approximation as well as the usual forum for presenting and refining our ideas.

We look forward to welcoming you to our 2021 Conference, and hope that we will be able to meet again in person before too long.

Jonathan Hearn.