55th Annual Conference of 

SouthWest Conference on Asian Studies (SWCAS)

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November 6-7, 2026

Angelo State University

San Angelo, TX

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Conference Theme:

Asian Studies in Motion: 

Place, Power, and Possibility Across Asia 

and Its Diasporas

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Proposal submission deadline: June 1st, 2026​

 

The 2026 SouthWest Conference on Asian Studies invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables that explore Asia and Asian diasporas across time, space, and discipline. This year’s theme—Place, Power, and Possibility—asks how Asian worlds are shaped by movement and rootedness, by local histories and global circulations, and by the imaginative, political, and material forces that connect Asia to the world.

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Hosted on the campus of Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, the conference welcomes work that bridges Asian Studies with regional contexts, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. At the same time, we aim to create a vibrant intellectual space for scholars based in Asia and across the globe to join virtually and contribute perspectives grounded in local knowledge, transnational networks, and comparative frameworks.

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We welcome submissions from the humanities, social sciences, arts, and community-engaged scholarship. 

• Transnational migration, labor, and remittance economies across Asia and the Americas.

• Religion, ritual, and spiritual practice in Asian and diasporic communities.

• Borders, borderlands, and maritime worlds in East, Southeast, South, and Central Asia.

• Media, digital cultures, and AI in Asian contexts.

• Art and performance.

• Language, translation, and multilingualism in Asian and diasporic communities.

• Education, pedagogy, and community-engaged research in Asian Studies.

• Asian futurisms, speculative worlds, and technological imaginaries.

• Archival innovation, oral history, and community-based documentation of Asian and diasporic experiences.

• Geopolitics, regional security, and shifting power dynamics in Asia and the Transpacific.

• Chips, semiconductors, supply chains, and technological sovereignty in Asia’s shifting economic power dynamics.

 

Roundtables, pedagogically focused panels, and submissions from graduate students and early career scholars are highly encouraged. The conference will primarily take place in person but will include a special presentation block for all-virtual panels. Note: Space for virtual presentations is limited and priority will be given to scholars based outside of the United States. Scholars who submit a paper to present in-person will be unable to present virtually.

 

Please submit either an individual or panel proposal using the following links:

Individual Submission

Panel Submission 

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SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND PANEL ABSTRACTS: June 1st, 2026

 

Panel Proposals of three to five papers should include the following:

• a 200-word summary, including a brief description of each paper and the connection between them

• a list of participants, paper titles, affiliations, and e-mail addresses

• mode of presentation (in-person or virtual) [Note: All panelists must present in the same mode.]

 

Individual Paper proposals should include the following:

• a paper title and 150-word abstract

• the presenter’s name, affiliation, and e-mail address

• mode of presentation (in-person of virtual)

 

Graduate Students: A limited number of $100 travel stipends will be available for graduate students presenting papers in person at the conference. Also, SWCAS awards a $200 prize for the best graduate student paper. To be considered for this award, graduate students must submit an abstract by June 1, 2026 and a full paper draft by October 1, 2026.

 

Undergraduate Students: SWCAS will award a $200 prize for the best undergraduate student paper. To be considered for this award, undergraduate students must submit an abstract by June 1, 2026 and a full paper draft by October 1, 2026.

For further questions regarding submissions, conference logistics, or local arrangements, please contact the conference organizers at swcas2026@gmail.com or visit the SWCAS website https://www.swcas.net/.  ​​​​​​​​​​​​

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