Throughout history, Asia has been a global crossroads of civilizations, politics, trade, migration, religions, arts, and material cultures. In the modern era, especially since the last century, Asia’s role as a key player in the global flow of ideas, people, and materials has become even more pronounced, from the impact of the Japanese auto industry to the explosion of K-pop, the globalization of Bollywood films, the political influence of the Southeast Asian region, and China’s New Silk Road Initiative. Asian diasporas in the Americas, Oceania, Africa, and Europe are also important conduits of global finance, art, food, and education. Diasporas from other continents are also migrating to Asia, creating a new dynamism. In discussions of these phenomena, “Asia” is sometimes talked about as a homogeneous entity; however, it has always been highly diverse, complex and fluid. In the twenty-first century, we face numerous challenges, such as the crisis of democracy, the impact of the global order of neoliberalism, the affirmative and problematic advances in digital technology, including AI, and the escalating environmental crisis. This particular historical juncture calls for innovative approaches that shed new light on Asia as an idea, a method, and a framework.

The theme of the conference is “Global Asias” as a new historical, conceptual, and methodological lens for exploring the multiplicity, complexity, and dynamics of Asia in its manifest and hidden connections within the region and with the rest of the world from antiquity to the present. With the AAS-in-Asia Conference 2024 being held in Indonesia, where pluralism lives in its history, constitution, culture, languages, religions, and physical geography, the city of Yogyakarta will be well suited for our intellectual and cultural exchange on Global Asias. We therefore welcome all disciplinary and thematic approaches to Global Asias: history, literature, religion, cinema, law, politics, labor, economics, gender, archaeology, linguistics, sociology, anthropology, media studies, social movements, public health (pandemic) and the environment.