A Asociación Internacional de Estudos Galegos (AIEG) xurdiu na década de 1980 na costa leste dos Estados Unidos, onde se celebran os tres primeiros congresos da AIEG. O primeiro deles organizado en 1985 na Universidade de Maine-Orono e o segundo na Universidade de Brown en 1988. Trals terceira edición en 1991, celebrado na Universidade da Cidade de New York, o congreso trasládase en 1994 por primeira vez a Europa, á Universidade de Oxford. A partir dese ano, os congresos trianuais da AEIG abandonarán terras anglófonas e comezarán a alternar sedes sudamericanas e europeas ata a actualidade: Trier (1997), La Habana (2000), Barcelona (2003), Salvador da Bahia (2006). O IX Congreso celebrarase por primeira vez en Galicia en 2009 (A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela e Vigo).
Estes congresos, que nas dúas primeiras edicións aínda foron "congresos de estudos galegos", acadan o seu status internacional na edición de Nova York e constitúen nestas últimas dúas décadas a principal actividade da asociación, xunto coa edición das actas correspondentes.
As orixes da asociación, de enfoque claramente académico, estiveron relacionadas co traballo e coa dedicación de galicianistas de Estados Unidos na súa primeira década de existencia. A súa vitalidade viuse reforzada, de maneira considerable, a partir dos anos 90 coa creación e expansión dos Centros de Estudos Galegos mais os correspondentes lectorados galegos creados arredor do mundo, co patrocinio e financiamento da Xunta de Galicia.
A AIEG foi impulsada e desenvolveu o seu labor nomeadamente no terreo académico e universitario. As áreas de traballo das estudosas e dos estudosos comezaron sendo a literatura, a historia, cultura e a lingua galegas. Ao se desenvolver a conexión coa comunidade académica de Galicia tras o congreso de 1991, intensifícase o interese polos estudos sobre a lingua galega. Con todo, nesta última década vénse observando un maior interese por outras áreas do saber con pouca visibilidade ata o momento, como serían os estudos de tradución, a economía ou o dereito. No futuro, a AIEG potenciará a presenza dos estudos doutras áreas e procurará levar a cabo máis actividades entre congresos.
Congresos da AIEG celebrados ata a actualidade e respectivas/os presidentas/es:
The International Association for Galician Studies (AIEG) emerged during the 1980s on the east coast of the United States, where the initial three conferences of the Association were held. The first of these was organised in 1985 and held at the University of Maine and the second at Brown University in 1988. After the third gathering held at the City University of New York in 1991, the conference transferred for the first time to Europe and the University of Oxford in 1994. Following this event, the triannual conferences ceased to be held in English-speaking countries and began to alternate between Latin American and European destinations until the present day: Triers (1997), Havana (2000), Barcelona (2003) and Salvador de Bahía (2006). The IX Conference will take place in Galicia for the first time in 2009.
The AIEG conferences, which in their initial format fell within narrow parameters of “Galician Studies”, attained their international status in New York in 1994 and represent the principal activity of the Association over the last two decades, together with the publication of their proceedings. The origins of the Association, clearly academic in focus, were the result of the work and dedication of North American Galicianists during the first decade of the AIEG’s existence. Its strength and standing was considerably increased during the 1990s with the creation and expansion of the Centres for Galician Studies, with their corresponding lecturereships in Galician Studies, created around the world through the patronage and funding of the Xunta de Galicia.
The AIEG was created and has existed primarily in the academic and university world. Its spheres of activity and research comprised originally Galician literature, history, culture and language. After developing its contact with the Galician academic community at the 1991 conference, the AIEG’s interest in Galician language studies grew. However, during the last decade there has been a growing focus on other areas of knowledge until now not highly prominent, such as Translation Studies. In the future, the AIEG wishes to strenghten the presence of such fields in its activities and intends to realise more projects between triannual conferences.
AIEG Conferences 1985 – present:
