February 2018 AAS Member News & Notes

The AAS has opened a search for its next Executive Director, who is expected to take up the position in early 2019. We request that all applicants submit their materials by April 25, 2018; full details are available here.

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Applications for the spring round of the AAS First Book Subvention Program are due by March 1. See here for application instructions.

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Apply by March 2 for the University of Michigan’s Medieval Komonjo Workshop 2018, on the theme of “Commoners and Authority in Medieval Japan.” The workshop (funded in part by an AAS Northeast Asia Council grant) will span one month (July 9-August 3) and include two sessions, with full financial support for housing costs available to those attending both sessions.

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Registration for the 2018 AAS-in-Asia conference in New Delhi is now open. Early bird prices are available only until February 28, 2018, so register now to secure your place at these special rates.

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Three regional AAS conferences are currently accepting proposals for their 2018 meetings:

• The regular deadline for proposals to Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast is February 28, with an extended submission period lasting until March 31; the conference will take place at Washington State University on June 8-10.

Submit a proposal to the New York Conference on Asian Studies by May 1 for its September 21-22 meeting at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

• The Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs will meet at Metropolitan State University (St. Paul, MN) on October 19-20 and has set a deadline of April 16 for paper and panel proposals.

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AAS Members Hans Bjarne Thomsen and Martin Dusinberre, both of the University of Zurich, have organized an exhibition at the Johann Jacobs Museum in Zurich. “A Painting for the Emperor: Japanese Labourers on Sugar Plantations in Hawai’i” opened on February 8 and will run through May 31. Professors Thomsen and Dusinberre will also lead a number of special events and lectures in conjunction with the exhibit, details of which are available at the link above.

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AAS Member Barbara Holthus shares the news that she will soon leave the University of Vienna; as of April 1, 2018, she will take up the position of deputy director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo.

AAS 2018 News & Notes

FINAL REMINDER Pre-registration for AAS 2018 closes on February 26; anyone who has not registered by that date will have to do so on-site at the conference in Washington, D.C. This year we are pleased to offer GREEN registration rates for the first time. Those who select the GREEN option at registration elect not to receive a print version of the conference program and will save $10 on their registration fees. GREEN conference participants can use the AAS 2018 mobile app (coming soon), online program, and/or PDF of the conference program to view and organize their schedules.

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This year’s conference will feature a number of special events and roundtables. In addition to the keynote speech by Haejoang Cho and presidential address by Katherine Bowie, there will be four #AsiaNow roundtables covering topics in the news, as well as a professionalization panel for young scholars interested in learning about careers in public policy.

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We are once again pleased to hold the AAS Member-Get-A-Member Sweepstakes in conjunction with conference pre-registration. The prizewinner will receive three free nights of lodging at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel during AAS 2018. As a current AAS member, each new member you recruit by February 22, 2018 will entitle you to one entry into the prize drawing. As you recruit more members, your opportunity to win increases. The new member you recommend is also entered in the drawing. Please click the link above for full contest rules and details, and good luck!

We welcome submissions for the AAS Member News & Notes column, so please forward material for consideration to mcunningham@asian-studies.org. Please note that we do not publish book announcements in this space; new books by AAS Members will be announced on the association’s Twitter feed (@AASAsianStudies) and Facebook page (@AASAsianStudies).