Frequently Asked Questions

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Proposal selection criteria

Proposals are welcomed from scholars throughout the field of Asian Studies, wherever they may be based academically, and are especially encouraged from scholars representing academic communities that are relatively underrepresented in international meetings. One of the goals of this AAS-in-ASIA conference is to foster lines of dialogue and scholarly communication that cross the ordinary (often nation-specific) boundaries of academic networks. The Program Committee will strongly favor and give preference to proposals that include participants from two or more countries, whether the panel focuses on a single nation or culture or focuses on some comparative dimension. The program discourages panel proposals from a group of scholars all based at the same institution. Generally speaking, panels with diverse (gender, academic rank, national origin, disciplinary approach) participation will be favored over narrowly constructed panels. Panels that address topics of broad relevance will also be preferred.

The criteria on which the committee focuses are:

• Relevance of panel topic to conference theme
• Intellectual quality of the research (originality of material or interpretations, soundness of methodology, knowledge of the field, etc.).
• Coherence of the papers proposed for a given panel.
• Quality of the written abstracts, the overall panel abstract being of greatest importance (clear, jargon-free prose is especially valued).
• Indication of a commitment to stimulating active discussion at panel sessions.
• Gender, ethnic, and institutional balance and a combination of junior and senior scholars.
• Attention to the conference submission guidelines (deadline, prohibition on more than one appearance, limits on the number of presenters, etc.).