Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) has profoundly affected teaching and research in Asian Studies, raising fundamental questions about why and how we study Asia. Nearly fifty years later, we are faced with a need to reflect on what has changed and remains unchanged since Said’s seminal intervention in Asian Studies. Specifically, Transnational Asia is calling for papers that address pedagogical and instructional issues––in particular, Asian Studies classes in colleges and universities that engage directly with the themes and critiques raised in Said’s Orientalism and its reverberating effects. We are particularly interested in papers illustrating changes in classrooms and on campuses that have happened and are happening hand in hand with changing socio-economic and political conditions, not only in Asia but also in the rest of the world. We especially welcome cross-disciplinary approaches, including language instruction, art, history, area studies, anthropology, literature, ethnic studies, and geography. Prospective contributors are asked to send their abstracts by August 31 to transnational.asia@rice.edu.
May 15, 2024