March 14 – 17, 2024
Association for Asian Studies (Seattle, WA)
Submission Deadline: August 3, 2023

The Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference is the largest gathering of individuals devoted to the study of Asia. Bringing together over 3,000 attendees each year from across the globe this conference is the premiere event for individuals interested in connecting with scholars, students, librarians, and historians.


Harvard-Yale Southeast Asia Studies Graduate Conference 2024
March 29 – 30, 2024
Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
Submission Deadline: January 30, 2024

The conference will be hosted by Harvard University, and will feature panels, workshops, and a keynote lecture by Professor Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Professor of Anthropology at University of California, Santa Cruz.

Drawing upon the research strengths of Harvard and Yale affiliates conducting research in the region, this conference aims to support graduate students at all stages of their academic careers, be it early dissertation research, fieldwork research, dissertation writing, and monograph development. The key goal of this conference is to afford researchers the space to present their research and receive in-depth feedback.

The conference will feature the research of graduate students across academic departments, fostering interdisciplinary discussion and a burgeoning network of young Southeast Asian Studies scholars.


NIU’s Southeast Asia Student Conference
April 6, 2024
Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL)
Abstract Deadline: February 7, 2024

Northern Illinois University’s annual Southeast Asian Studies Student Conference is inviting submissions for its annual symposium, which is set for Saturday, April 6, 2024. Our purpose is to celebrate original research from a broad range of fields that engage with Southeast Asia creatively; undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to submit papers from various disciplines. The Southeast Asian Studies Conference Committee will review the abstracts, select presenters, and organize panels by theme. To aid the process, we ask that you please include a few keywords summarizing your presentation along with your abstract.


First Graduate Symposium on Asian Studies
April 13, 2024
Asian Studies Group at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana-Champaign, IL)
Submission Deadline: December 24, 2023

This year’s theme, “Transcending Boundaries,” calls for research that goes beyond established borders of knowledge, expanding deep interconnections in people’s lived experiences across time, spaces, and identities. Boundaries can take many forms, such as social conditions of exclusion and discrimination, unequal access to capital and safety, or canonical narratives imposed on our epistemology to understand the world. For our symposium, we pose the following question: what boundaries restrict our research methodologies and epistemologies, and what is to be gained by transcending such boundaries shaped by disciplines, ideologies, and everyday experiences in our societies? We invite presenters to identify the boundaries they aim to cross in their research and how these boundaries perpetuate narratives that might constrain our vision and isolate us from generating collective change. As humanities scholars, we see it as our commitment to dismantling these artificial barriers by demonstrating to the public that these boundaries are often porous, unstable, arbitrary, and constructed by power dynamics that are often unacknowledged. We invite pioneering scholarship that promises to make an impact in the field by challenging established canons and narratives that have perpetuated exclusivity.

Moreover, the theme of “interconnection” underscores the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the field of Asian Studies. To bridge studies of Asia with the burgeoning fields of global studies and Asian American studies, we invite scholars to explore voices and perspectives that have been historically marginalized by the meta-narrative that centered on the nation-state. Our symposium calls for a paradigm shift that acknowledges the interconnectedness of Asian societies with the wider world. We believe that by raising public awareness of the interconnections between various sources of oppression, we can empower solidarity among transnational movements addressing ongoing inequalities based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and social class. By fostering an interdisciplinary and transnational approach, we can gain a deeper understanding of Asia’s multifaceted landscape. Through this approach, we can better appreciate how Asia engages with global processes and, conversely, how global phenomena impact the diverse peoples and cultures that call Asia home.

The theme “interconnection” does not exclude research that focuses on certain specific geographical regions. Rather, we encourage such submission and expect most of our presenters to be specialists in regions such as East Asia, Inner Asia, Middle East, and South Asia. As an interdisciplinary forum, we welcome research from various disciplines such as anthropology, critical literature, history, media and communication, education, political science, religion, and all relevant fields of study. We welcome themes that deal with questions of race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, environment, technology, medicine, and media. We especially encourage submissions that delve into issues that have received less attention in academic discourse.


Trans-Asia Graduate Student Conference: Bridging Glocal Asias
April 19 – 20, 2024
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
Submission Deadline: January 15, 2024

The Trans-Asia Graduate Student Association is pleased to announce the Tenth Annual Trans-Asia Graduate Student Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, encompassing Asia-related research. Participants will have the opportunity to present their work, receive constructive feedback from peers and senior researchers, and gain insights into the latest developments in interdisciplinary Asia-related research.

This year’s theme, “Bridging Glocal Asias,” encourages conversations about connections and interconnections, balance and imbalance, micro and macro tendencies and perspectives across and within regions of Asia. “Glocal,” a fusion of “global” and “local,” seeks to delve into the potential intersections between the global and local spheres. It encapsulates the complex interconnectedness and recognition that characterize the interplay between global and local dimensions, seeking a re-examination of the “trans-” from the perspective of the “periphery” across time and space.


2024 Asia Scholar Network Conference
April 20, 2024
FedEx Global Education Center, UNC-Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)
Proposal Deadline: March 8, 2024

The Carolina Asia Center is proud to host the 2024 Asia Scholar Network conference for academics across the state of North Carolina working on East, Southeast, and/or South Asia or trans-regional approaches to Asia.


Southeast Asia and Taiwan Conference
April 25 – 26, 2024
UW Center for Southeast Asia & its Diasporas, Taiwan Studies Program, and East Asia Center, University of Washington, Seattle (Seattle, WA)
Abstract Deadline: September 1, 2023

Southeast Asia and Taiwan have been linked for millennia by migrations of indigenous peoples and maritime trade.  Today, both have become rising economies and embroiled within global political conflicts.  This conference seeks to bring together scholars working on broad issues between Southeast Asia and Taiwan, historically and contemporary.


PBIC International Thai Studies Conference: The Jataka Tradition of Thailand
June 1, 2024
Pridi Banomyong International College, Thammasat University (Bangkok, Thailand)
Abstract Deadline: March 31, 2024

Aiming to bring together both Thai and English language scholarship, this conference will feature presentations on old and new jatakas in Thailand and the surrounding region.


2024 International Interdisciplinary Conference on Myanmar’s Borderlands: Myanmar’s Borderlands: Past, Present & Future
June 17 – 19, 2024
Inya Institute, hosted by Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok, Thailand)
Submission Deadline: January 31, 2024

Myanmar’s currently expanding crisis is bringing to the fore long-standing developments and narratives about its borderlands, which now assume additional critical relevance. Of particular significance are the socio-economic, political, and cultural dynamics of communities living in areas that have been often described as “peripheries.” These communities have long been challenging the physical and administrative barriers imposed by successive government administrations and have developed their own forms of governance.

The interdisciplinary conference’s theme is deliberately broad in the time span it covers and will offer presenters and the audience an opportunity to pursue an inclusive conversation on Myanmar’s borderlands; to consider alternate framings of these territories and their populations, not just through the typical lenses of geographical and methodological borders; and to emphasize the unique contributions of these communities to the ecosystems, history, economy, and cultures of the Southeast Asia Region and their interconnectedness.


AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies
June 18 – 22, 2024
The American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS),  Michigan State University (MSU) Asian Studies Center (Virtual)
Submission Deadline: March 7, 2024

Indonesia is experiencing a kind of ascendance on the global stage that is drawing a lot of attention and interest. Notably, Indonesia’s success stands out compared to other contexts as the nation continues to be a global exemplar of religious pluralism and democracy. And yet there is a sense of the Indonesian project being somehow “unfinished,” stuck, or backsliding in some ways. What progress (kemajuan) has been made and how do we know? In environmental management, Indonesia is either on the cusp of fulfilling great opportunity as a leader in global climate change or of resource degradation and collapse. Inspired images of the plan to construct a national eco-capital city, Nusantara, symbolizes Indonesia’s sustainable future but contrasts with continued dependence of resource extraction evident from the many coal barges pummeling past the banks of the Mahakam river.

A discourse of Indonesia’s ascendance suggests there is great change on the horizon: hopes for a just transition of power, improvements in the downstream impact of governance and policy (hilirisasi), decreased forms of digital authoritarianism and legal discrimination, sustainable development achievements, an expanded role for women across professions and in public life, and strengthened relationships between civil society and the state. There is a great sense of creative energy within Indonesia, and as a by-product, within Indonesian Studies. Poverty pressing with genius, a landscape in which people are emboldened to assemble things together in new ways, not just as a means of survival but a reflection of innovation and resilience.

The program committee invites abstract submissions from scholars across broad disciplinary perspectives in the study of Indonesia. While abstracts on any topic focusing on Indonesia are welcome, the committee is especially interested in research that engages discourses on the trajectory of Indonesia, past and present, and broadly defined.


AAS-in-Asia 2024
July 9 – 11, 2024
Association for Asian Studies, hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Submission Deadline: PASSED

Get ready for an unforgettable experience at AAS-in-Asia 2024, the conference that brings Asian Studies to a more intimate and engaging setting. Designed specifically for scholars and enthusiasts of Asian Studies, this event offers an incredible opportunity to participate in panel sessions, network with colleagues, and explore the latest research in a smaller, more focused environment.

AAS-in-Asia 2024 is a joint collaboration between the prestigious Association for Asian Studies and the Universitas Gadjah Mada. While it may be smaller in size compared to the Annual Conferences held in North America, this conference packs a punch with its exciting features. You can expect a diverse range of sessions, thought-provoking keynote speakers, captivating book exhibits, and delightful receptions.

For those who are unable to attend the Annual Conferences located in North America, AAS-in-Asia provides a unique chance to dive deep into Asian Studies within a select country within Asia and connect with like-minded individuals. Whether you’re a seasoned scholar or a passionate student, this event promises valuable insights, meaningful discussions, and the opportunity to expand your professional network.


De/Centering Southeast Asia: The 5th SEASIA Biennial International Conference 2024
July 18 – 20, 2024
University of the Philippines (Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines)
Submission Deadline: November 30, 2023

“De/Centering Southeast Asia” is the 5th SEASIA Biennial International Conference. It will be hosted by the Asian Center, University of the Philippines, one of the member institutions of the Consortium of Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA). The conference is intended to be platform for centering Southeast Asian scholarship within Asia, by shifting one’s analytical position away from a dominant center towards the periphery to strengthen expertise, amplify voices, and resist subordination in these peripheries. De/Centering challenges dominant narratives and perspectives historically centered in the “West” and its gaze on Southeast Asia, and highlights the diverse and complex experiences, histories and cultures of the region as told by Southeast Asians themselves.


EuroSEAS 13th Conference
July 23 – 25,  2024 with excursion on 26 July.
Roeterseiland Campus, University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, NL)
Proposal deadline: March 30, 2024

The European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) will hold its 13th conference at the University of Amsterdam, Roeterseiland Campus in the centre of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 23 July to 25 July 2024, with the option to join an excursion and guided tour on 26 July.

As an international and multi-disciplinary scholarly organisation, EuroSEAS invites scholars and PhD students (if supported by a senior) from all academic disciplines with an interest in Southeast Asia to submit panels that explore relevant research topics from an interdisciplinary perspective as well as discuss theoretical and methodological aspects of research generated in the field of Southeast Asian Studies.


Asia Pacific Feminist Forum 2024: Feminist World-Building: Creative Energies, Collective Journeys
September 12 – 14, 2024
Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Applicant Deadline: March 11, 2024
Workshop Proposal Deadline: April 22, 2024

APWLD invites feminists and activists from all across Asia and the Pacific region to register for the 4th Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF)! The Asia Pacific Feminist Forum is a three-day tri-annual event which brings together feminists, activists and Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) for building our feminist analysis; strengthening our linkages and solidarities within and across feminist and women’s rights movements; and sharing our herstories and narratives of feminist resistance and alternatives. Under the theme of Feminist World-Building: Creative Energies, Collective Journeys, the 4th APFF will be a space for Asia Pacific feminist movements to dream, build and lead critical pathways to a new feminist world.


73rd Annual Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs (MCAA)
September 13 – 15, 2024
Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN)
Proposal Deadline: May 1, 2024

Open to participants across the world, the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs (MCAA) is an annual conference bringing together scholars of Asian studies from the US Midwest Region (North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin). The MCAA seeks to promote Asian Studies at the university, secondary, and primary levels. Our mission is to encourage scholarly interchange between Asianists in the American Midwest with colleagues from other parts of the US and around the world.


6th Hmong Studies Consortium International Conference
November 1 – 3, 2024
Hmong Studies Consortium, hosted by Merced College (Merced, CA)
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2024

The Hmong Studies Consortium is an international group of both senior and emerging scholars from several disciplines that approach Hmong Studies with a critical lens. In an effort to strengthen ties with scholars in California’s Central Valley, the Hmong Studies Consortium will host its Sixth International Conference at Merced College. Merced College is one campus in the vast 116-campus California Community College system. Like the surrounding community, Merced College has been home to Hmong people since the early 1980s and is one of the first campuses in the United States to offer courses in Hmong language.

In an effort to foster dialogue between the academy and community, we hope to make this conference a generative experience for Hmong people in the Central Valley. Although this is an academic conference with a strong focus on fostering dialogue in Hmong Studies in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, geography, linguistics, development studies, gender studies, and ethnic studies, artists and activists of various kinds are also encouraged to participate.