The International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) is a global platform enabling individuals and institutions from all over the world to come together to exchange views on a variety of issues pertaining to Asia. The Convention attracts participants from around 75 countries to engage in global dialogues on Asia that transcend boundaries between academic disciplines and geographic areas. The meeting place for the twelfth edition of ICAS is Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto is famous for its world-heritage sites, temples, gardens, palaces, and craft centres. Kyoto Seika University (SEIKA) will be the main host of ICAS 12; it will partner with the city, Kyoto Prefecture, The Consortium of Universities in Kyoto, and the city’s museums and craft centres.
Events will include: panels and roundtable discussions, craft exhibitions, an Asian film festival and the ICAS Asian Studies Book Fair. With all these activities ICAS contributes to the decentring of Asian Studies while convening a global space in which Asia scholars and social and cultural actors from the whole world can directly interact. Participate at ICAS 12 and enjoy the multitude of networking opportunities, possibilities to share your research and to meet with publishers.
The main venue for ICAS 12 will be the iconic modernist Kyoto International Conference Center, set in a beautiful garden. Around 2000 Asia specialists and representatives of civil society are expected to attend.
Call for proposals – deadline: 1 October 2020
The submission deadline for proposals of Individual Abstracts, Panels, Roundtables, Book Presentations and PhD Dissertation Presentations is 1 October 2020. This year we are also calling for documentary submissions and welcome you to share your ideas that can positively impact the future of Asian Studies. If you would like to suggest a different format and/or are willing to run a session with a different format, please share the details with us. For more information see all proposal formats descriptions (including the number of participants per panel/roundtable) and see the step-by-step submission manual for a guide through the submission process.
The special focus of ICAS 12 is Crafting a Global Future, but proposals for ICAS 12 may involve topics from all Asian Studies disciplines in the broadest possible sense. Topics may include, among others: Arts; Economy, Development and Urbanization; Education and Knowledge; Environment and Climate Change; Gender and Diversity; Heritage and Culture; History; Language and Literature; Media and Digital Age; Migration and Diasporas; Politics and International Relations; Philosophy, Religions and Beliefs; Society and Identity.
Please note that all abstracts and presentations should be in English and can only be submitted through this online submission system. For the ICAS 12 Books and Dissertations Presentation Carousel, we also strongly encourage authors of non-English titles to present (in English) their publications at the ICAS 12. Participants will be notified before 31 December 2020 about the selection results.
Looking for panel participants or a panel to join? Check out the Colleagues Calling Forum.
Participants of ICAS 12 are expected to fund their own registration fee, travel and accommodation. Limited financial support is available for selected PhD students and early career scholars (PhD degree obtained after 1 January 2018). The grant application process will only start after the review process. Further information about registration fees, accommodation, and logistics will be provided after completion of the review process. For more information on ICAS 12, please visit the ICAS website or contact us by email.