The Department of Asian Studies at Palacký University Olomouc is currently accepting proposals for its 19th Annual Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS), which will be held on November 21–22, 2025 in Olomouc, Czech Republic.
We are pleased to hold this conference as part of critically engaged Asian Studies. We look forward to thoughtful discussions and appreciate your participation in these conversations at our institution. To facilitate these debates, this conference is primarily an in-person event. However, participants based at non-European institutions and those with no institutional affiliation living outside of Europe will have the option to participate online.
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Theme
The central theme of ACAS 2025 is “Truths, Tensions, Technologies.” We seek scholarly contributions that deal with issues related to (at least one or two of) the keywords with a focus on the cultures, societies, languages, and histories of Asia as well as their diasporic manifestation, using a variety of theoretical, methodological, and (inter)disciplinary approaches. We welcome proposals grounded in original research in anthropology, history, international relations, linguistics, literature, philosophy, political science, sociology, visual art, and other fields in the humanities and social sciences.
#Truths We encourage diverse perspectives that explore the complexities of truths in the context of historical, cultural, and social narratives within Asian studies. Varying interpretations highlight how the same historical event, for example, can be viewed through multiple lenses—such as colonial perspectives versus indigenous accounts.
#Tensions There are many tensions in Asia today, including geopolitical tensions, economic inequalities, and cultural clashes. Asia today is characterized by a variety of tensions, including geopolitical rivalries, economic disparities, linguistic diversity, and cultural differences, often shaped by contrasting narratives.
#Technologies Technologies have shaped Asia over the course of history. Today, AI and digitalisation are developing at a rapid pace, presenting new opportunities but also widening existing social divides. Often, those who benefit most from technologies are the ones who develop and control them.
These dynamics often arise from conflicting views on values and interpretations of reality that we can consider truths. In a post-truth era like the current one, where fake news is proliferating, it is vital to reflect on how truths are produced, contested, and circulated in Asia. We invite scholarly contributions reflecting how Asian Studies scholars can meaningfully address multiple truths. How do these truths manifest in different societal contexts? How do tensions unfold, and how can they be reduced? In what ways do technologies bring certain truths to the fore and obscure others? What does this imply for the future of development in Asia?
These questions exemplify the main concepts we intend to explore during this conference. We encourage related inquiries that examine these themes, inspired by—but not limited to—the following keywords:
- Truths
- Tensions
- Technologies
- Asian Studies
- Historical Narratives
- Cultural Perspectives
- Material Culture
- Geopolitical Conflicts
- Economic Disparities
- Social Inequality
- Linguistic Diversity
- Indigenous Accounts
- Colonial Perspectives
- Digitalization
- AI Development
- Communication Challenges
- Diverse Perspectives
- Cultural Clashes
- Scholarly Contributions
- Social Narratives
- Historical Complexity
We invite proposals in the following formats: (1) individual papers; (2) organized panels; and (3) alternative formats, such as roundtable discussions, book presentations, film screenings, art projects, etc. The conference will also include a session dedicated to (4) individual student papers which can also deal with topics that are unrelated to the main theme of the conference. See the guidelines below.
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Submission Guidelines
The working language of the conference is English. The proposals should be submitted in the form of fully anonymized abstracts (see details below). The deadline for the submission of abstracts is July 15, 2025.
We use Microsoft CMT for managing the peer-review process for this conference. Please read the submission guidelines below and submit your proposal via this CMT submission link. You need to have/create an account on the Microsoft CMT platform to be able to make a submission. The CMT author submission guidelines are available here.
Please note that each person can submit only one proposal for an individual paper (format no. (1) below) or have one research paper submitted as part of an organized panel proposal (format no. (2) below). In addition, you may also submit a proposal for an alternative activity (format no. (3) below). You can also be the co-author of another research paper submitted by another author.
Below, you can find more information regarding each participation format.
(1) Individual papers: Abstracts of individual research papers must be anonymized and up to 2,000 characters long, including references. At the conference, each presenter will have 20 minutes to present their paper, followed by 10 minutes for discussion and Q&A.
(2) Organized panels: Organized panels may consist of three or four research papers. A panel consisting of three papers will be allocated a 90-minute time slot, while a panel consisting of 4 papers will be allocated a 120-minute time slot. It is up to the convenor of the panel to decide how to dispose of the time available to their panel. Submissions for panels must include: (1) the title of the panel, (2) the panel abstract up to 2,000 characters long, and (3) the titles and abstracts of the papers included in the panel (each abstract can be up to 2,000 characters long) submitted in a separate PDF file. The submission must be fully anonymized, there can be no identifying information in the PDF file either. If you wish to organize a panel of more than four papers, you need to divide it into two parts, both consisting of three or four papers, and submit your proposal as an “organized double panel“.
(3) Alternative formats: You can submit a proposal for an alternative activity, such as a roundtable discussion, a book presentation, a film screening, or an art project. Proposals must include a description of the activity, including information how much time it would require and how it would contribute to the theme of the conference. Proposals should be up to 2,000 characters long, including references.
(4) Student papers: This format is reserved for research papers by undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. students. The conference will include a dedicated session for the presentation of these papers, where each paper will be allocated 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes for discussion and Q&A. In this format, submissions on topics that are unrelated to the main theme of the conference are also welcome. The sole author or the first author of these papers must be currently enrolled in a university study program. Abstracts must be anonymized and up to 2,000 characters long, including references.
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Further Information
Decisions on the abstracts will be sent out by e-mail by September 15, 2025. The authors of accepted proposals will have to register and pay the conference fee by September 30, 2025. Details regarding the registration are available here.
We do not require full papers to be submitted before the conference. After the conference, participants will have the opportunity to submit their papers for inclusion in an open access and print-on-demand edited book. The submitted papers will undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process by at least two reviewers. The volume will be published by Palacký University Press as Volume 6 in the Olomouc Asian Studies (OLAS) series.
Any questions can be addressed to acas(at)upol.cz.
We look forward to your proposals!
The Organizing Team of ACAS 2025