54th Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies (MARAAS) Conference
Asian Pasts, Global Futures
Redefining Multiple Global Asias
October 9-11, 2026
Lehigh University
| The 2026 Mid-Atlantic Region for Asian Studies Conference invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables on all topics related to Asia from any discipline. We especially welcome presentations that explore topics on global Asias, broadly defined across time, space, and disciplines. The conference is hosted at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA in the Lehigh Valley, a vibrant and historic area in close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia (respectively ~1.5 hour and 1 hour drive away). The conference welcomes participants from the Mid-Atlantic states and from around the world. We welcome submissions from the humanities, social sciences, arts, and community-engaged scholarship. Presentations may fall under the following areas and more: – Transnational migration, labor, and remittance economies across Asia and the Americas. – Religion, ritual, and spiritual practice in Asian and diasporic communities. – Borders, borderlands, and maritime worlds in East, Southeast, South, and Central Asia. – Media, digital cultures, and AI in Asian contexts. – Art and performance. – Language, translation, and multilingualism in Asian and diasporic communities. – Education, pedagogy, and community-engaged research in Asian Studies. – Asian futurisms, speculative worlds, and technological imaginaries. – Archival innovation, oral history, and community-based documentation of Asian and diasporic experiences. – Geopolitics, regional security, and shifting power dynamics in Asia and the Transpacific. – Chips, semiconductors, supply chains, and technological sovereignty in Asia’s shifting economic power dynamics. Roundtables, pedagogically focused panels, and submissions from graduate students and early career scholars, and undergraduates are highly encouraged. The conference will take place in person. |
| SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR INDIVIDUAL AND PANEL ABSTRACTS: July 1st, 2026 Panel Proposals of three to four papers should include the following: – a 200-word summary of the panel and the connection between them – a 150-word abstract of each paper a list of participants, paper titles, affiliations, and e-mail addresses Individual Paper proposals should include the following: – a paper title and 150-word abstract – the presenter’s name, affiliation, and e-mail address To propose a panel, individual paper, or poster presentation, please create an account on our website (maraas.org) and follow the instructions for proposal submission. Please send any inquiries to the Organizing Committee at le**************@***il.com. |