North-American Catalan Society
Encyclopedia
The North American Catalan Society or NACS is a professional association that joins all the researchers, students and all the people in general, specially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, that show or have interest in any aspect of the culture from the Catalan Countries
Catalan Countries
The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...

 and the Catalan language
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...

 (literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....

, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

s, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, amongst others).

It was founded in 1978, during the First Colloquium of Catalan Studies in North America, that took place in the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign), and that was promoted by Josep Roca i Pons. The NACS is devoted to foster the studies about the Catalan language
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...

 and its culture in the academical areas of North America. It also publishes the Catalan Review: International Journal of Catalan Culture.

In 1997, the Institute of Catalan Studies and the Catalan regional government granted the NACS the prestigious Ramon Llull prize for its fostering of the Catalan culture internationally. In 1998 the NACS received also the Creu de Sant Jordi, (Saint George cross), a high distinction given by the regional Catalan government.

Its present president (for 2007-2010) is Enric Bou, who teaches in the Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

.
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