The Italian American Studies Association (IASA), formerly the American Italian Historical Association (AIHA)*, celebrates its fifty-first year of academic inquiry into all things Italian and Italian American. This year’s conference theme will address (teaching) the conflicts and tensions in the diaspora, and especially about bringing attention to collective phenomena and how the Italian Diaspora intersects with other diasporic communities.  The Thursday, October 18 keynote and reception is being sponsored and held at the The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. The annual conference sessions are being held at the University of Illinois, Chicago on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20.