Call for Papers – Religion and Populism in Asia: Institutional Contexts and Political Consequences
The intersection of religion and populism has emerged as one of the most consequential political dynamics shaping contemporary Asia. Yet despite growing scholarly attention to both populism and religion separately, our understanding of their convergence remains fragmented and theoretically underdeveloped. Existing research on religious populism suffers from three critical limitations. First, the literature remains heavily Western-centric, focusing predominantly on Christian-majority secular democracies while neglecting Asia’s diverse religious and institutional landscapes. Second, while scholars document how populists mobilize religion, we lack systematic explanation for why such mobilization succeeds in some contexts but not others. Third, insufficient attention has been paid to the institutional conditions – particularly varying forms of secularism – that enable or constrain the convergence of religion and populism.
This workshop seeks to address these gaps by bringing together scholars examining the institutional, ideological, and social mechanisms through which religion and populism interact across Asian contexts. We welcome both theoretical contributions and empirical case studies that advance comparative understanding of this phenomenon. We invite papers addressing (but not limited to) the following topics relating to religion and populism:
(a) Institutional Configurations
(b) Legitimation Crises and Tipping Points
(c) Religious Nationalism vs Religious Populism
(d) Comparative Regional Dynamics
(e) Democratic Consequences
(f) Religious Actors and Strategies
(g) Methodological Innovations
Please submit abstracts of 300 words to sss-rpa_cpc@ntu.edu.sg by June 8, 2026.
CFPs: Council on Thai Studies Annual Meeting, November 6-8, 2026
The Council on Thai Studies (COTS) invites students, scholars, and practitioners to attend its 2026 Annual Meeting, which will be hosted by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University (NIU). The meeting will be held in-person at NIU’s Holmes Student Center. COTS 2026 is free and open to the public.
More Details and the Call for Proposals @ https://www.niu.edu/cots/index.shtml
Submit your proposal online no later than August 1, 2026 (July 1, 2026 for those who need an invitation letter to obtain funding or an entry visa). Notifications of acceptance will be sent by August 15, 2026.
Call for Proposals: “Global China: Transregional Connections Past and Present” Dissertation Workshop
Call For Abstracts
The Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is proud to be a co-organizer of The 3rd International Conference on Southeast Asian Socio-Cultural Studies (ICSAS) 2026, hosted by National Chengchi University (NCCU).
🗓 Conference Dates: November 14–15, 2026
📍 National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Theme:
Transformation of Socio-Cultures, Languages, and Identities in Southeast Asia
🔗 Scan the QR code on the poster for more details
📩 Contact: icsas.nccu@gmail.com
11th International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies, Department of Tourism Management, University of Patras, Greece, 15-17 June 2026
Proposal Submissions Still Open
Call for Papers: 2026 International Interdisciplinary Conference on Myanmar’s Borderlands
Online conference, July 10-12, 2026
The organizers invite submissions that explore social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental dynamics across Myanmar’s border regions. We welcome individual papers, organized panels, roundtables, book presentations, and film presentations from across disciplines.
Full call for papers and submission portal: https://orcfellowships.smapply.org/prog/2026_iicmb/
16th International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society, University of Guadalajara, México, 10-11 September 2026
The Health, Wellness, & Society Research Network is brought together by a common concern in the fields of human health and wellness, and in particular their social interconnections and implications. We seek to build an epistemic community where we can make linkages across disciplinary, geographic, and cultural boundaries. As a Research Network, we are defined by our scope and concerns and motivated to build strategies for action framed by our shared themes and tensions
Call for Submissions: Justice in Translation (JSEALab)
Call for short-to-medium length translations [up to 10,000 words] from a Southeast Asian language to English, to be included in a web publication each month. Send submissions and questions to: tyrell.haberkorn@wisc.edu. Click here for more information.
Conference Call for Papers and Panels
“History, Archives, and U.S.-Vietnam Relations”
June 5-6, 2026, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
The Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive and Institute for Peace & Conflict
at Texas Tech University and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam
National University in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, are pleased to announce a conference focused on
“History, Archives, and U.S.-Vietnam Relations.” This conference will approach a wide range of
historical topics and events by hosting presenters who will examine diplomatic, economic,
political, social, cultural, international, regional, domestic, and military aspects of the U.S.-
Vietnam relationship.
This conference seeks to explore all topics regarding the evolution of U.S.-Vietnam
relations from Thomas Jefferson’s initial interests in Vietnamese rice seed in 1787 to the
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership today. Conference organizers encourage and welcome
proposals that discuss a wide range to topics to include but not limited to early trade and
diplomatic relations, U.S.-Viet Nam relations during World War II, the French Indochina War,
the American War in Viet Nam, normalization of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the
U.S., expanding the bilateral relationship and strategic partnership between the U.S. and Viet
Nam, postwar legacy issues, and the importance of archives and archival research in promoting
understanding and reconciliation between our two nations. We desire to include all perspectives
and seek presentations that reflect all participant nations. Presentations by veterans and wartime
participants are also encouraged, as are proposals from graduate and undergraduate students.
This conference will be hosted in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Additional venue information
will be posted once it becomes available. Conference organizers welcome individual proposals
as well as pre-organized panel proposals that include a moderator and individual presentations.
Conference sessions will follow a 90-minute format to include 60 minutes for presentations
followed by 30 minutes for questions/discussion. All presentations will be video recorded and
made publicly available after the conference via the Vietnam Center & Archive website. Select
papers will also be published as a “Proceedings of the Conference.”
“Making Knowledge, Making History: Producing the Indonesian Past, Present and Future”
May 26-30, 2026 (Virtual)
The American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS) and Michigan State University (MSU) Asian Studies Center will convene the 6th annual AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies from May 26-30, 2026. Presented in a bilingual and virtual format, the conference is designed to bring together scholars working across geographic and disciplinary frameworks to explore the evolving field of area studies research in Indonesia.
