The COVID-19 pandemic brought to sharp focus many weaknesses of the Asian socioeconomic terrain and sparked a wave of speculations about its likely contours once the pandemic has been brought to heel. Pundits portrayed pre-pandemic societies as characterized by the normalization of wasteful consumption, the devastation of nature, injustice and enmity between fellow human beings, disconnection, and confusion in social values. Asian societies, it is argued, are no exemption, and it is thought that the pandemic, ironically, presents an opportunity to break with the past, and to imagine the world anew. As the Indian novelist Arundhati Roy writes in an essay on her country’s response to the pandemic: “. . . Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to “normality”, trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists. . . Nothing could be worse than a return to normality.”
Indeed by sheer necessity the pandemic has reshaped nearly all domains of human life and society in Asia and elsewhere. The changes encompass family life and social relationships, work, education, healthcare, entertainment and leisure, commerce, consumption, religion, communication and media, governance and expectation and perceptions of citizenship. With the changed lifestyles, practices and priorities, the pandemic is touted as a turning point, a watershed in the history of mankind, an opportunity to reform and rebuild. Sustainability scholars regard the pandemic as a potential catalyzer of changes to achieve progress in the response to climate change, biodiversity loss, unequal distribution of wealth, consumerism, the future of work, so as to forge a more livable, environmentally sounder, and just society.
With a focus on Asia, the 11th ACAS International Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS-ICAS) joins the discussion on the consequences of the pandemic to development. The conference invites research and conceptual works from a broad range of disciplines encompassing the social sciences, biological and physical sciences, arts and culture and the humanities as well as management and business. It is hoped that these contributions would identify principal issues and bring to the surface solutions and recommendations that could spur Asia towards the attainment of sustainable development goals beyond the pandemic.
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:
Major socioeconomic issues confronting Asian societies as a consequence of the pandemic
Impact of the pandemic on the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in Asia
Strategies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on development trajectories in Asia
Social inequality and the role of ethnicity, class and gender: dynamics arising from the pandemic
Social policies to address the systemic inequalities that have been revealed by the pandemic in Asia
Response of state and non-state entities in Asia to cross-border health issues
Re-alignment of transnational relations in Asia in light of the pandemic
The impact of the pandemic on our understanding of security in Asia, in particular, state and human security
Implications of the pandemic to the nature of work and the role of technology in the workplace in Asia
New models of consumer behavior in Asia as a consequence of the pandemic and their implication
Implications of the pandemic to the ongoing fourth industrial revolution in Asia
New behavioral norms to overcome COVID-19 problems and future outbreaks and their compatibility with Asian cultures
Public health factors in the design of and planning of Asian city regions
Disruptions in education and their consequences to vulnerable populations in Asia
Changes in various fields of endeavor or discipline after the pandemic
The future of social research in Asia as a consequence of the pandemic
The conduct of social research during a pandemic: responses to issues such as the threat to public health, the need for social distancing
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.
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.
What is the format of the 11th ACAS ICAS Conference?
The 2022 ACAS ICAS biennial conference is a hybrid event. It will take place in a virtual and an in-person environment. The in-person conference environment will be held at the Loyola Campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
More information on virtual and in-person sessions and activities will be available at a later date, i.e., after the program committee has completed the review of all paper and panel proposals.
Arrangements will be made, whenever possible, for the live-streaming of in-person sessions.
What does ‘hybrid’ mean in the context of the 11th ACAS ICAS conference?
The hybrid conference includes sessions and activities that will take place online and in-person. In-person sessions will be live-streamed whenever possible. Some activities will understandly be accessible only to in-person attendees, for instance, the onsite exhibits, pre-and post-conference receptions and campus tours.
All sessions and activities taking place in the virtual environment will be accessible to in-person attendees.
In what time zone will the virtual sessions take place?
The virtual sessions will be held on Manila time (UTC/GMT +8 hours)
What should I expect if I choose to attend in-person?
There will be in-person sessions and activities on each conference day. In-person attendees will have access to all the in-person sessions and activities, the virtual sessions, and the extended conference, ie, the recorded proceedings which will be available up to 31 December 2022.
Health and safety measures will be in place during the two-day conference. In view of these measures and other preparations for the in-person conference environment, the fees for in-person participation will be higher than that of virtual participation.
What should I expect if I choose to attend the virtual conference?
Virtual attendees will have access to all the virtual sessions in real time, and to all activities such as online exhibits and networking opportunities, the live-streaming of in-person sessions, and the extended conference, i.e., the recorded proceedings which will be available up to 31 December 2022.
Is accommodation available at the in-person conference venue at the Loyola campus of Ateneo de Manila University?
On-campus accommodation may be available at the Ateneo de Manila International Residence Hall, depending on health and safety guidelines that will be in force during the conference period.
What health and safety measures will be in place for the in-person conference environment?
Ateneo de Manila University is closely monitoring and actively engaging in the fight against the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Every effort is made to provide a safe environment conducive to scholarship and interaction, guided by the latest science, and in full compliance or exceeding the requirements set by the Philippine government.
What airport will I fly into to attend the conference in-person?
The airports closest to Ateneo de Manila University are the international and domestic airports in Metro Manila.
In case of a surge in COVID-19 cases or other emergencies, will the conference be cancelled?
The conference will not be cancelled due to health or other emergencies. Rather, the in-person sessions will be cancelled and the entire conference will transition to the online environment.
Will I receive a certificate of participation as hard copy?
A certificate of participation will be sent to everyone as a softfile. Only those attending in -person will receive a hard copy.
If I register for the in-person conference environment and that is cancelled, will I get a refund?
Your fee will automatically be considered for the virtual conference environment. The difference in the fees will not be refunded as the bank charges for such amounts may be higher than the actual amount that needs to be refunded.
