Omni Parker House 60 School Street Boston, MA 02108
ASDP 31st National Conference
Asian Studies Connections
March 7-9, 2024
Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts
Conference Theme
Asian Studies Connections
Asia is plural, and how Asia matters depends on angles of connection. Asian studies connect diverse inter- and cross- disciplinary approaches and perspectives, but also encourage tightly focused engagements with contemporary issues and identities. The 2024 ASDP National Conference invites papers that explore how connections (and disconnections) with and within Asia have mattered and continue mattering, culturally, economically, ecologically, scientifically, and politically. In addition to sharing multidisciplinary research, the Conference will provide a forum for exploring both pedagogical and institutional innovation and insights.
Call for Papers and Proposals Guidelines
The Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) committee is now accepting proposals for the 2024 National Conference. Proposals can be for individual papers, panels, poster sessions, or round-table sessions and should not exceed 250 words. Proposals addressing some aspect of this year’s theme, Asian Studies Connections, are encouraged, but we welcome any that touch on issues in Asian Studies broadly construed.
All proposals must be submitted by November 15, 2023. Early submissions greatly facilitate putting together meaningful panel sessions.
For Graduate Student Submissions:
The ASDP Alumni Chapter supports the next generation of scholars interested in research about Asia. Broadly defined. To help grad students as they embark on their careers, we are offering two prizes for the best papers presented at the annual conference in Boston. The first prize is $150, and the second prize is $100, and each will be accompanied by a certificate and recognition at the conference. If you indicate on your proposal form that you are planning to participate in the contest, an additional document will be sent to you laying out all of the provisions for your participation.
- Download the Individual Proposal Form Complete and submit proposals to: [email protected]
- Download the Panel Proposal Form Complete and submit proposals to: [email protected]
Conference Registration
All presenters and attendees must register for the program. Registration covers an opening reception, two lunches, and breaktime refreshments.
Registration Fees:
- Registration: US$325 (through December 15, 2023)
- Late Registration: US$375 (after December 15, 2023)
- Student registration: US$275 (ID required at time of check in)
For payment by check, download this registration form to print and fill out.
Make your check payable to East-West Center with the notation ASDP National Conference. Mail your payment and form to:
East-West Center
Asian Studies Development Program
Attn: Erin Watanabe
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96848-1601
Note: Mail-in registrations take approximately two to three weeks to arrive. Please take this into consideration and send mail-in registrations at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your cooperation.
Conference Location & Hotel Accommodations
Make your reservation by the February 5, 2024 deadline to secure the conference rate.
The conference will be held in Boston, Massachusetts at the Omni Parker House Hotel. The group room rate is $169 + tax per night for single & double occupancy and $199 + tax per night for triple occupancy.
Hotel & City:
Omni Parker House
60 School Street
Boston, MA 02108
The city of Boston is steeped in history, and the Omni Parker House is ideally situated in the city’s historic center, directly across from Old City Hall. Many of Boston’s most beloved sites and attractions are within walking distance and easy access so your guests may experience the best of Boston during their stay at the Omni Parker House.
Learn more about Boston: Visiting Boston Guide Website
Field Trips - Thursday, March 7
Field trip registration information forthcoming.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)
- Location: 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
- Schedule:
- Depart hotel 12:00pm and arrive at MFA 12:30pm
- Tour - 12:45pm
- Depart MFA at 3:00pm for hotel
- Includes:
- transportation to and from museum (14 people)
- guided tour
- self-guided museum exploration
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Location: 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
- Schedule:
- Depart hotel 12:00pm and arrive at Gardner 12:30pm
- Tour - 12:45pm
- Depart Gardner at 3:00pm for hotel
- Includes:
- transportation to and from museum (14 people)
- guided tour
- self-guided museum exploration
- Peabody Essex Museum (PEM)
- Location: 161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970
- Schedule:
- Depart hotel 9:00am and arrive at PEM 10:00am
- Depart PEM at 3:00pm for hotel
- Includes:
- transportation to and from museum (14 people)
- guided tour
- self-guided museum exploration
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Ya-Wen Lei
Ya-Wen Lei is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. She is also affiliated with the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard. She is the author of The Contentious Public Sphere: Law, Media, and Authoritarian Rule in China (Princeton University Press, 2018) and The Gilded Cage: Techno-State Capitalism in China (Princeton University Press, 2023). Her publications have received various awards from the American Sociological Association, the Law and Society Association, and The China Quarterly.
Dr. Merry White
Merry (“Corky”) White is Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, specializing in Japanese studies, food, and material culture. Her research interests have included Japanese education, Japanese families and social policy, urban life in Japan, and food culture in Japan. Her career includes professional catering and cookbook writing. Her first cookbook, Cooking for Crowds, was recently republished as a 40th Anniversary edition by Princeton University Press.
Merry White’s current research concerns food work in Japan, including all aspects of the production and provision of food. She has visited farms and large-scale factories, artisanal food workshops, home kitchens, restaurants and yatai, cooking schools, and training programs for chefs. With Debra Samuels, she organized and created an exhibition of Japanese food tools, “Objects of Use and Beauty: Japanese Culinary Tools” held at the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts. Another current project is an ethnographic study of Japan’s whisky industries, with a case study of the Suntory Corporation. Soon to appear in September 2023 is a co-authored book she wrote with her son, Benjamin Wurgaft, an anthropological-historical study of food called Ways of Eating (University of California Press).
Merry White received an Imperial honor from the Government of Japan, the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon.
ASDP 31st National Conference
Asian Studies Connections
March 7-9, 2024
Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts
Conference Theme
Asian Studies Connections
Asia is plural, and how Asia matters depends on angles of connection. Asian studies connect diverse inter- and cross- disciplinary approaches and perspectives, but also encourage tightly focused engagements with contemporary issues and identities. The 2024 ASDP National Conference invites papers that explore how connections (and disconnections) with and within Asia have mattered and continue mattering, culturally, economically, ecologically, scientifically, and politically. In addition to sharing multidisciplinary research, the Conference will provide a forum for exploring both pedagogical and institutional innovation and insights.
Call for Papers and Proposals Guidelines
The Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) committee is now accepting proposals for the 2024 National Conference. Proposals can be for individual papers, panels, poster sessions, or round-table sessions and should not exceed 250 words. Proposals addressing some aspect of this year’s theme, Asian Studies Connections, are encouraged, but we welcome any that touch on issues in Asian Studies broadly construed.
All proposals must be submitted by November 15, 2023. Early submissions greatly facilitate putting together meaningful panel sessions.
For Graduate Student Submissions:
The ASDP Alumni Chapter supports the next generation of scholars interested in research about Asia. Broadly defined. To help grad students as they embark on their careers, we are offering two prizes for the best papers presented at the annual conference in Boston. The first prize is $150, and the second prize is $100, and each will be accompanied by a certificate and recognition at the conference. If you indicate on your proposal form that you are planning to participate in the contest, an additional document will be sent to you laying out all of the provisions for your participation.
- Download the Individual Proposal Form Complete and submit proposals to: [email protected]
- Download the Panel Proposal Form Complete and submit proposals to: [email protected]
Conference Registration
All presenters and attendees must register for the program. Registration covers an opening reception, two lunches, and breaktime refreshments.
Registration Fees:
- Registration: US$325 (through December 15, 2023)
- Late Registration: US$375 (after December 15, 2023)
- Student registration: US$275 (ID required at time of check in)
For payment by check, download this registration form to print and fill out.
Make your check payable to East-West Center with the notation ASDP National Conference. Mail your payment and form to:
East-West Center
Asian Studies Development Program
Attn: Erin Watanabe
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96848-1601
Note: Mail-in registrations take approximately two to three weeks to arrive. Please take this into consideration and send mail-in registrations at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your cooperation.
Conference Location & Hotel Accommodations
Make your reservation by the February 5, 2024 deadline to secure the conference rate.
The conference will be held in Boston, Massachusetts at the Omni Parker House Hotel. The group room rate is $169 + tax per night for single & double occupancy and $199 + tax per night for triple occupancy.
Hotel & City:
Omni Parker House
60 School Street
Boston, MA 02108
The city of Boston is steeped in history, and the Omni Parker House is ideally situated in the city’s historic center, directly across from Old City Hall. Many of Boston’s most beloved sites and attractions are within walking distance and easy access so your guests may experience the best of Boston during their stay at the Omni Parker House.
Learn more about Boston: Visiting Boston Guide Website
Field Trips - Thursday, March 7
Field trip registration information forthcoming.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)
- Location: 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
- Schedule:
- Depart hotel 12:00pm and arrive at MFA 12:30pm
- Tour - 12:45pm
- Depart MFA at 3:00pm for hotel
- Includes:
- transportation to and from museum (14 people)
- guided tour
- self-guided museum exploration
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Location: 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
- Schedule:
- Depart hotel 12:00pm and arrive at Gardner 12:30pm
- Tour - 12:45pm
- Depart Gardner at 3:00pm for hotel
- Includes:
- transportation to and from museum (14 people)
- guided tour
- self-guided museum exploration
- Peabody Essex Museum (PEM)
- Location: 161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970
- Schedule:
- Depart hotel 9:00am and arrive at PEM 10:00am
- Depart PEM at 3:00pm for hotel
- Includes:
- transportation to and from museum (14 people)
- guided tour
- self-guided museum exploration
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Ya-Wen Lei
Ya-Wen Lei is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. She is also affiliated with the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard. She is the author of The Contentious Public Sphere: Law, Media, and Authoritarian Rule in China (Princeton University Press, 2018) and The Gilded Cage: Techno-State Capitalism in China (Princeton University Press, 2023). Her publications have received various awards from the American Sociological Association, the Law and Society Association, and The China Quarterly.
Dr. Merry White
Merry (“Corky”) White is Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, specializing in Japanese studies, food, and material culture. Her research interests have included Japanese education, Japanese families and social policy, urban life in Japan, and food culture in Japan. Her career includes professional catering and cookbook writing. Her first cookbook, Cooking for Crowds, was recently republished as a 40th Anniversary edition by Princeton University Press.
Merry White’s current research concerns food work in Japan, including all aspects of the production and provision of food. She has visited farms and large-scale factories, artisanal food workshops, home kitchens, restaurants and yatai, cooking schools, and training programs for chefs. With Debra Samuels, she organized and created an exhibition of Japanese food tools, “Objects of Use and Beauty: Japanese Culinary Tools” held at the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts. Another current project is an ethnographic study of Japan’s whisky industries, with a case study of the Suntory Corporation. Soon to appear in September 2023 is a co-authored book she wrote with her son, Benjamin Wurgaft, an anthropological-historical study of food called Ways of Eating (University of California Press).
Merry White received an Imperial honor from the Government of Japan, the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon.
