Call for proposals: Connections, Disruptions, and Reconnections in China Studies and Beyond

The 17 biennial Conference of the Nordic Association of China Studies + PhD workshop

China’s modern history has been marked by periods of dramatic flux, with the COVID-19 pandemic representing a recent, powerful disruption against broader uncertainties. The NACS Conference 2025 will seek to explore the complex layers of China’s past and present, focusing on themes of connection, disruption, and reconnection. We invite scholars from across disciplines to reflect on what these patterns of connection and disconnection mean for our understanding of China’s history, culture, society, and global role. 

  • Fieldwork and physical reconnection: As scholars return to field sites, archives, and research institutions in China, how have recent shifts altered these physical engagements? What new challenges and insights arise as we reconnect on the ground?
  • Methodological innovations and digital reconnection: In the wake of disruptions, how have recent challenges transformed our methodological approaches? We invite reflections on digitally-aided research, remote access, and the changing utility of digital connectivity in China Studies. Do we study China differently now, and what does this entail?
  • Historical and cultural dynamics of (re)connection: How have people, products, and ideas historically traveled across and within regions, organizations, and communities? We welcome papers that analyze the cultural and social transformations produced by the movement of people and ideas and examine how these patterns of disruption and reconnection reshape our collective imaginations of China.

Call for proposals

We invite proposals on, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Domestic, regional, and international (re)connections
  • How media serve to connect and disconnect
  • (Dis)connecting with the past through history and memory
  • Managing Dissent in the Digital Age
  • Literature, cinema, and popular culture
  • Religion and Philosophy
  • The state of scientific and academic cooperation
  • Chinese language teaching

Format

We invite proposals for panels (3-4 papers + chair + discussant), individual paper presentations, and roundtables.

The 2-day conference will be followed by a 1-day PhD workshop (on June 14) where experienced scholars will provide feedback to PhD draft chapters or extended research proposals.

  • Individual papers: 300-word abstract
  • Panels: 300-word abstract for each paper, a paragraph tying the presentations together, and information about chair and discussant(s)
  • Roundtable: 500 words presenting the topic, the aim, and the participants of the roundtable
  • PhD workshop contribution: 1000-word extended abstract (incl. research questions, methodological and theoretical approaches)

Application and deadlines

Submit your panel, individual abstract, or extended abstract for PhD workshop contribution to nacs2025@hum.ku.dk no later than 10 March 2025. PhD students applying to participate in the PhD workshop are welcome to also submit an abstract to participate in the first two days of the conference. Acceptance notice will be given no later than 10 April 2025.

Conference fee

100 EUR. Graduate students can be exempt from the conference fee if they are selected to participate in the PhD Workshop.