CFP: Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference 2021 – Innovation, Adaptation, and Resilience

“Innovation, Adaptation, and Resilience: Overcoming Challenges Across Asia”

The School of Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS) and the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) welcome proposals for papers, performances, and panels for the 32nd annual Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference. The conference will be held on Zoom in synchronous webinar format April 14-15, 2021. 

We are proud to present the theme Innovation, Adaptation, and Resilience: Overcoming Challenges Across Asia for the 2021 Conference. From climate change to COVID-19, the past several decades have challenged the Asian region to find ways to innovate, adapt, and remain resilient.  New normals brought about by modernization have necessitated the adaptation of groups across the region. Additionally, the challenges faced by indigenous groups have allowed for a renewed sense of cultural solidarity and tradition preservation. The development of 5G and cyber security abilities by China and South Korea have surpassed technological advancement across the world. Innovation, adaptation, and resilience in Asia is not exclusively a modern phenomenon; from the rise of new religious systems like Buddhism or Confucianism in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE to the colonization of the region starting in the 16th century, Asia is historically an innovative, adaptive, and resilient region. The goal of this conference is to evaluate the ways in which Asian nations have innovated, adapted, and remained resilient in the face of adversity, thus we welcome submissions from interdisciplinary fields that tackle novel theoretical approaches to new and old challenges alike. 

The 2021 Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference will feature three keynote speakers: Dr. Jeremy Spoon of Portland State University, Dr. Aynne Kokas of the University of Virginia, and Dr. Mireya Solís of The Brookings Institution.

Why Apply?

The SPAS Graduate Student Conference gives students an opportunity to present their research to a friendly group of peers and professors. As many students from across the U.S. Europe, and Asia attend the conference, there are ample opportunities to network with fellow academics with a passion for the study of Asia. Additionally, there will be several “Best Paper” prizes awarded of an amount to be determined. 

Who Can Apply?

Graduate students in any academic discipline with a focus on Asia. 

How to Apply?

Applicants should submit a 250-300 word abstract to gradconf@hawaii.edu with “SPAS 2021 Grad Conf Abstract” as the subject by January 31^st, 2021. 

Please direct any questions to conference organizers Kimery Lynch and Hannah Cole at gradconf@hawaii.edu. 

Co-sponsored by the School of Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS) and Department of Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.