Call for Papers: 12th ACAS International Conference on Asian Studies

Conference Announcement and Call for Papers:

The 12th ACAS International Conference on Asian Studies 

The Socioeconomic Landscape in Asia After the Pandemic: Scenarios and Implications to Development

On-site Conference

14-15 November 2022

About the Theme

With the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, the transformative potential of artificial intelligence captured widespread attention, triggering a cacophony of reactions and speculations ranging from the euphoric and optimistic to the panic-ridden and foreboding, conjuring visions of a utopia on one hand, and the spectre of an apocalypse, on the other. As it is AI-powered applications have been reshaping our lives in the way they are already in use in diverse settings including education, healthcare, transport, production management, business processes, agriculture, media and communication and the arts, to name a few. But generative AI is a game changer, giving rise to a pressing need to unpack the existential implications of AI. 

And yet in spite of the imminence of AI's pervasive impact on life across the global landscape, the dominance in this field of knowledge generated in the Global North persists while a gap in research that specifically addresses AI in light of  Asian realities remains. There is need for robust discussions, insightful discourse, and vigorous debates that will shed light on AI's implications in the Asian context.

The 12th ACAS International Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS ICAS 12) aims to amplify the significance of AI within Asia's diverse sociocultural, economic, and political tapestry through a multidisciplinary and translocal perspective.  It seeks to serve as a platform for scholars and practitioners to examine the opportunities, challenges, risks and social dynamics generated by AI in Asian societies. It is designed to bring to light knowledge and foster informed discussions on AI’s transformative potentials in Asia,  the contours of Asian societies shaped by AI, and the Asian perspective on humanity’s future with AI.  It is hoped that the conference will help narrow gaps in contemporary AI research in the region. 

Call for Papers

The conference invites scholars and practitioners to present papers that expound on the conference theme in the context of developed and developing Asian societies. Papers and panels may explore the following topics: 

1. Major socioeconomic issues confronting Asian societies as a consequence of the pandemic
2. Impact of the pandemic on the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in Asia
3. Strategies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on development trajectories in Asia
4. Social inequality and the role of ethnicity, class and gender: dynamics arising from the pandemic
5. Social policies to address the systemic inequalities that have been revealed by the pandemic in Asia
6. Response of state and non-state entities in Asia to cross-border health issues
7. Re-alignment of transnational relations in Asia in light of the pandemic
8. The impact of the pandemic on our understanding of security in Asia, in particular, state and human security
9. Implications of the pandemic to the nature of work and the role of technology in the workplace in Asia
10. New models of consumer behavior in Asia as a consequence of  the pandemic and their implication
11. Implications of the pandemic to the ongoing fourth industrial revolution in Asia
12. New behavioral norms to overcome COVID-19 problems and future outbreaks and their  compatibility with Asian cultures
13. Public health factors in the design of and planning of Asian city regions
14. Disruptions in education and their consequences to vulnerable populations in Asia
15. Changes in various fields of endeavor or discipline after the pandemic
16. The future of social research in Asia as a consequence of the pandemic 
17. The conduct of social research during a pandemic: responses to issues such as the threat to public health, the need for social distancing
18. Social media: menace or safeguard of public health? 

Papers and panels may also explore the theme along other topic clusters including business, environment, communication and media, philosophy, anthropology, theology and the arts.

General Proposals

Papers, panels and workshops that relate to general topics in Asian Studies are also welcome. These will be presented in the pre-conference and post-conference days. See below for submission, presentation and participation, and publication guidelines.

Submission Guidelines

Papers, panels and workshops that relate to general topics in Asian Studies are also welcome. These will be presented in the pre-conference and post-conference days.

Proposals should be submitted by 31 July 2024 to ACAS-ICAS@ateneo.edu.

The acceptance of abstracts and proposals will be announced by 30 August 2024.

Individual papers

Please send a 300 to 500-word abstract of the proposed paper. The submission packet should be formatted as follows:

• Page 1 should contain the following:

1. Title, subtitle (if any),
2. Author’s/authors’ name/s,
3. Email address and contact number/s,
4. Name and address of affiliation (institution),
5. Author/s resumé in paragraph form, maximum of 200 words.

• Page 2 should contain the abstract. Word length: 300 to 500 words. Do not include any information that may identify the author/s.

Panel proposals

Please send an abstract of the panel topic and discussion as well as an abstract for each individual paper. The submission packet should be formatted as follows:

• Page 1 should contain information about each member of the panel. See information listed for individual papers, above.
• Page 2 should contain the abstract of the panel, and an abstract for each of the individual papers. The length of the abstracts should be between 300 to 500 words.

Note: Full papers do not need to be submitted unless these are to be proposed for publication at the conference’s journal.

Presentation and participation (Online and in-person)

Conference format and participation

ACAS ICAS 12 is primarily an in-person conference to be held at the Loyola Campus of Ateneo de Manila University.  Selected sessions will be conducted using a hybrid, interactive format. All sessions will be recorded for post-conference viewing accessible only to registered participants.

In-person presentations are preferred. A small number of virtual paper and panel presentations taking place synchronously will be accepted. Recorded presentations are not accepted.  

To be included in the program, presenters must register for the conference by 30 SEPTEMBER 2024. Detailed presentation guidelines will be announced in due time.

Conference attendees may register up to 12 NOVEMBER 2024.

In-person presentation and participation

The conference will be held in person at the Loyola campus of Ateneo de Manila University. Virtual participation will be managed from this venue. Guidelines for in-person participation including instructions regarding accommodations and travel will be announced in due time.

Publication of conference papers

The conference’s publication outlet is Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South. Those who want their papers considered for publication must submit their full papers of about 6,000 words by 30 November 2024.

Papers may also be submitted for publication in the following journals published by Ateneo de Manila University:

• Kritika Kultura
• Philippine Studies, Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints
• Budhi, Journal of Ideas and Culture
• Perspectives of the Arts and Humanities, Asia
• The Journal of Management for Global Sustainability
• Landas, Journal of the Loyola School of Theology

Dates to Remember

July 31
Last day for submission of abstracts, panel, and other proposals

Aug 30
Announcement of acceptance of abstracts and other presentation proposals

April 15
Start of early bird registration

Aug 30
Last day for early bird registration

Sept 30
Last day for registration of presenters for inclusion in the conference program

Nov 12
Last day for registration

Nov 14-15
Conference days

Nov 21-Dec 21
Access to video-recorded conference 

Nov 30
Last day for submission of full papers

Please address inquiries to:
ACAS Conference Secretariat
Email: acas.soss@ateneo.edu
Tel.: 84266001 loc. 5285 or 5286