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SWCAS 53rd Annual Conference
DEADLINE EXTENDED
Submit abstracts by July 15, 2024
Technology, Knowledge and Belonging:
Asia and the Global Dynamics of Thought, Development and Human Endeavors
November 1 – 2, 2024
Stephen F. Austin State University,
Member of the University of Texas System
Nacogdoches, TX
Format: In-Person & Online
CALL FOR PAPERS
53rd Annual Meeting of the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies
The 53rd Annual meeting of the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies will be held November 1st – 2nd, 2024 on the campus of the Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The theme of this year’s conference is: technology, culture, and identity.
The rapid advancement of technology has profoundly shaped the way we perceive and construct our identities and sense of belonging. As technology continues to evolve, it influences not only the ways in which we communicate and interact but also how we conceptualize our individual and collective identities. Debates regarding the emancipatory power of technology or its more controlling, limiting and respective aspects continue to remain an ongoing conversation compelling us to anticipate future challenges to our conception of self and belonging.
The production and consumption of technology is also beginning to realign global networks of exchange, trade and politics. For instance, the silicon-based world impacts global stability and trade while AI tools promise untold revolution in all industries and sectors. Some portent a horrible, dystopian future of robotic enslavement and melted ice-caps flooding islands of e-waste. Others predict a hopeful new era of human flourishing and freedom mediated by technological evolution. While we are faced with a modern profusion of technological innovation, humanity has had a long history of using technology, both in productive and problematic ways. Does technology hurt or harm or do both? Does technology alter our conception of humanity and how does technology mold our visions of the future?
This interdisciplinary conference invites scholars to explore the multifaceted connections between technology, ideas, and identity/belonging. We encourage submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following topics:
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Digital Identities: Examining how technology shapes and mediates individual and collective identities in the digital age.
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Cultural Narratives in the Digital Era and beyond: Exploring the impact of technology on cultural narratives, storytelling, translation, and the formation of shared ideas.
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Virtual Communities and Belonging: Investigating how online spaces and virtual communities contribute to the construction of identity and a sense of belonging.
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Ethics and Technology: Analyzing the ethical implications of technological advancements on identity formation, social belonging, and the generation of knowledge.
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Historical Perspectives: Investigating historical instances where technology, ideas, and identity intersected and influenced one another.
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New Approaches to Religious Studies, Gender Studies, Youth and Aging: Exploring topics around Asia from the perspective of religion, gender, feminist, queer studies, youth studies, and gerontology.
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Disability and Body: Exploring issues surrounding disability, ableism, and the body.
Paper/Panel proposals on other topics related to Asia are also welcome.
Roundtables, pedagogically focused panels, and submissions from graduate students and early career scholars are highly encouraged. The conference will simultaneously take place in person and online. Note: Space for virtual presentations is limited and priority will be given to scholars based outside of the US. 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 forms at this link:
SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND PANEL ABSTRACTS: July 15, 2024
Panel Proposals of three to four papers should include the following: (1) a 300-word summary, including a brief description of each paper and the connection between them; (2) a list of participants, paper titles, affiliations, and e-mail addresses; and (3) mode of presentation (in-person or virtual) [note: all panelists must present in the same mode]
Individual Paper proposals should include the following: (1) a paper title and 150-word abstract; (2) the presenter’s name, affiliation, and e-mail address; and (3) 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 July 15, 2024 and a full paper draft by October 1, 2024.
For further questions regarding submissions, conference logistics, or local arrangements, please contact Prof. Aryendra Chakravartty (chakravaa@sfasu.edu).
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53rd 2024 Annual SWCAS Registration will be available soon
SWCAS 2023, at University of Houston
SWCAS Board of Directors
Allison J. Truitt (2026)
Miao Dou (2026)
Christopher Born (2025)
John Barnett (2025)
Aryenda Chakravartty (2024)
Jooyoun Lee (2024)
SWCAS Officers 2023-24
Aryendra Chakravartty, President
Zhaojin Zeng, Vice President
Melody Yunzi Li, Past President
Leah Renold, Secretary-Treasurer
Miao Dou, Webmaster
Jooyoun Lee, CoC Rep
Click here for a PDF of the directory. If you would like to join the SWCAS Mailing List, all you will need is an institutional email address. Send a request to the SWCAS administrator in the contact form below.
Journal of the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies
Click HERE to access the Call for Submissions to the 2021 edition of the Journal.
Annual
Click here to access former programs and other information about SWCAS Annual Meetings.
Past Meeting: October 7-8, 2022
University of Central Arkansas Hybrid (In Person & Online)
The 51st Annual SWCAS meeting was held in-person and virtually at the University of Central Arkansas on October 7 - 8, 2022. Focusing on the theme of “Reconnecting in a (Post) Pandemic World,” the conference invited over one hundred scholars, teachers, and students representing fifteen different countries. The conference featured a keynote lecture from AAS President Dr. Kamran Asdar Ali, a roundtable on Asian and Asian American Studies under the framework of Global Asia, cultural performances from Dr. Melody Li and Dr. Cynthia Ma, and a public teacher education workshop on “Asia Across the Curriculum.”
* Our logo depicts a tree bending in the prevailing southwest wind, inscribed in a red ochre circle symbolizing the southern sun. Our conference in general encompasses Asianists located in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, although anyone is invited to join.