Call for Proposals: Workshop on New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia

Workshop on New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia

An Association for Asian Studies project supported by the Open Society Foundations

Updated January 4, 2021: The application deadline has been extended from January 6 to January 20, 2021.

The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is calling for research proposals on the theme of academic censorship for a virtual workshop on “New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia,” to be held on May 6, 2021. We look forward to a diverse pool of proposals and encourage submissions from scholars of all backgrounds and career stages.

Workshop participants will have an opportunity to present their research and collect feedback. Select contributions will be invited to form chapters for a new AAS Asia Shorts volume focused on academic freedom, sponsored by the Open Society Foundations, promoted by AAS and Columbia University Press and distributed by Columbia University Press.

The AAS has always promoted and fought for academic freedom. Most recently, following China’s 2017 request that access to 100 of our online Journal of Asian Studies articles be blocked in China, the AAS launched a series of special roundtables on the subject which have since expanded to cover topics related to censorship throughout the Asian region. The planned workshop, which will result in an edited volume, represents a continuation of these efforts and a venue for our community to discuss emerging threats, as well as the downstream political, economic, and societal impact of those threats.

Interested participants are invited to submit a one-page (single or double-spaced) abstract of their research along with a current CV (two-page maximum) via our online application portal by January 6, 2021 January 20, 2021. Notifications of acceptance will be made by early February 2021. Invited participants will be expected to contribute an essay or research note of approximately 7,000 words prior to the workshop. While AAS membership is not needed to apply, all accepted participants will be required to join the AAS prior to the workshop date.

Questions about the workshop or publication plans can be directed to Krisna Uk (AAS Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors in Outreach and Strategic Initiatives) at krisnauk@asianstudies.org, or the workshop organizer, Dimitar Gueorguiev (Syracuse University), at ddgueorg@syr.edu.