CFP: TRANSFORMATIONS: RESEARCHING ASIA (1 Apr; 26-28 Sept; York U, Toronto)

York Centre for Asian Research Graduate Student Conference
York University, Toronto, Canada

September 26 to 28, 2008


Call for Papers deadline: April 1, 2008


What does it mean to "research Asia"?
Asian Studies is a growing field within and, we hope, beyond Area Studies.
Recent developments in Asian research reflect modern and contemporary
events across a wide range of disciplines. As the body of research on Asia
grows, questions concerning the production and mediation of ?Asia? become
more pressing. The critical and fundamental questions? What is Asia? and
"How to study Asia"? remain unresolved and contested. As a field,
moreover, Asian Studies remains driven by disciplinary divides;
interdisciplinary intersections remain disappointingly rare. With this
conference we seek to address the epistemology and methodology of
researching Asia within and beyond the geographical and disciplinary
constraints traditionally associated with Area Studies. We invite papers
from graduate students engaged in interdisciplinary research in Asian
Studies focusing on the modern and contemporary periods.

Possible paper topics could address (but are not limited to) these sub-themes:
Epistemology of Asian Studies
Methodology and Practices in Asian Studies
Orientalism & Re-Orientalism
Knowledge/Power
Time and Temporality
Modernity
North/South Divide
Globalization
Race and Ethnicity
Migration and Diaspora Race, Gender, and Class
Positioning and Subjectivity Body and Representation
Sexuality
Media and Technology
Environmental Challenges Art and Visual Culture
Music and Performing Arts

Interested participants should submit a paper title, abstract (250 words
maximum) and brief biographical information by April 1, 2008. Selected
participants must submit completed papers by August 1, 2008. Inquiries and
email submissions can be sent to the conference organizers at:
transformationsasiaconference@gmail.com. More information about the
conference can be found on the conference website:
www.yorku.ca/ycar/Events/graduate_conference.html.

This Conference is hosted by the York Centre for Asian Research at York
University. York University has a proud history as a leader in innovative
and creative learning approaches with an emphasis on multidisciplinary
research that covers wide geographical areas. This Conference reflects the
strengths of York faculty and students in interdisciplinary approaches to
research and learning. For more information about the Centre: please
visit: www.yorku.ca/ycar.