Call for Papers

The 55th International Conference organized by

The American Studies Association of Korea (ASAK)

“Identity Politics and Political Institutions”

Venue: Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea

Date: October 29-30, 2021

The American Studies Association of Korea (ASAK) is pleased to announce an international conference on the theme, “Identity Politics and Political Institutions” to be held in Seoul, South Korea, from October 29 to 30, 2021.

These are turbulent times in U.S. politics. The 2016 presidential election sparked heated confrontations that quickly spilled over from party politics into renewed debates on and divisions of every aspect of American society and its institutional underpinnings. Not only branches of federal and state government but also courts, police forces, schools, corporations, media outlets, and medical facilities have become battlegrounds of virulent polemics. Some see in these political developments an alarming fragmentation of society, worrying that the recent rise of identity politics has eroded shared political values and public confidence in American institutions. Others see the current crisis as symptomatic, instead, of a nation whose core institutions have time and again succumbed to an identity politics grounded in racial and gendered privilege, and warn that this deeply entrenched political praxis cannot be dismantled unless Americans commit to fundamental structural realignments comparable to the post-Civil War reconstruction, the New Deal, and the civil rights revolution. By the same token, some hope that the 2020 elections signal a return to normalcy in U.S. politics, while others hope to further new political trends that emerged during this moment of crisis?whether it be right-wing populism, democratic socialism, “woke” culture, or the Black Lives Matter movement. These starkly divergent assessments and outlooks prompt us to reconsider the nature of U.S. politics from every possible angle?whether cultural, social, institutional, or historical.

For this year’s conference, we are delighted to welcome Robin D. G. Kelley, Distinguished Professor of History and African American Studies and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA, as our keynote speaker. Professor Kelley has received numerous awards and recognitions for his pioneering work on social movements, race relations, black culture, and radical thought in modern America. His prolific output includes acclaimed books such as Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression (1990), Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class (1994), Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional!: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (1997), Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (2002), Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (2009), and Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times (2012). His forthcoming book Black Bodies Swinging: An American Postmortem situates the recent uprisings against endemic racism in the U.S. within a long history of racial capitalism, state-sanctioned racialized violence, and grassroots resistance.

The 2021 ASAK conference calls for thought-provoking analyses of the divergent assessments and expectations that stem from continuing debates on identities and institutions in American politics. Scholars across multiple disciplines are encouraged to examine the current crisis in U.S politics and to consider its potential to produce new political movements and communities, and to reevaluate the relevance of ongoing struggles surrounding identities and institutions in American society.

Interdisciplinary perspectives are encouraged and new research methodologies are welcome.

Proposals may be submitted for either individual papers or sessions.

Individual paper proposals should include an abstract of no more than 250 words and a one-page abbreviated CV, along with a short bio.

Session proposals should include a one-page proposal with a title and topics for a session of three to four presentation papers, along with individual abstracts, one-page abbreviated CVs, and short bios.

Delivered in either Korean or English, each presentation will be no longer than 20 minutes, followed by discussions and Q&A sessions. Graduate students are also welcome to submit proposals and to participate in the conference.

Call for Papers

The American Studies Association of Korea

The 54th International Conference

          “America, Nation of Great Divide and Tolerance”  

Organized by The American Studies Association of Korea (ASAK)

Venue: Korea University, Seoul, South Korea

Date: September 20-21, 2019

The American Studies Association of Korea (ASAK) is pleased to announce an international conference on “America, Nation of Great Divide and Tolerance” to be held in Seoul, South Korea, from September 20 to 21, 2019.

Early in the last century, American playwright William Vaughn Moody dramatized the American theme of ‘East-West contrast’ in his play The Great Divide (1906). It revealed the distinct difference between a wild landscape in southern Arizona and a civilized town in Massachusetts, as well as the ‘divides’ at various levels, such as those among people, culture, customs, and social values inherent in the two regions. Starting as a nation of immigrants with diverse national and ethnic backgrounds, the United States had from birth an inexplicably heterogeneous identity that cannot be explained in simple terms. Accordingly, she has been exhibiting divides from the beginning in various fields and levels such as region, language, religion, economy, politics, culture, and related values. She has suffered and finally overcome the many conflicts that stem from these divides. The moments of history that have overcome each of the divides offer us a lesson, which is the virtue of ‘tolerance.’ The divides can be causes of disagreements and discord. But, on the other hand, they can be opportunities to lead to more productive agreements and consensus. In this respect, divide and tolerance are not entirely confrontational but can be complementary and cooperative. With the new millennium, the United States has been given a weightier responsibility and mission in an unprecedented and rapidly changing international order. At this point, the virtue of ‘tolerance’ is more in demand than ever, and this virtue is of greater value in redefining the relationship between the United States and the international community.

The 2019 ASAK conference will look into how the terms ‘divide’ and ‘tolerance’ have been redefined in the process of shaping the culture of the Unites States from various perspectives and dimensions: historical, cultural, social, political, and economical. In addition, we will situate the terms within the global and transnational context by tracing how they have been appropriated across the world in relation to America. Finally, and most importantly, this conference hopes to anticipate how the virtue of tolerance will be applied to redefining US domestic and international relations and what changes it will bring in the future.

Paper topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

   Race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality

   Racism, xenophobia, and segregation

   Immigration, citizenship, and globalization

   Crossing borders vs. border walls

   Imperialism, exceptionalism, expansionism, and regionalism

   Urbanization, suburbanization, and gentrification

   Nation and nationality

   Multiculturalism, transculturalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism

   Memory, identity, and representation

   Democracy and its discontents

   Puritanism, Manifest Destiny, American Dream

   Political correctness and social justice

   Wars, disasters, and crimes

   History and historiography

   Religion and ethics

   Activism and protests

   Economy and neoliberalism

   Media cultures of television, cinema, theater, and SNS

   Fashion and cuisines

   Civil rights movements and human rights movements

   Nature and the environment

Proposals may be submitted for either individual papers or sessions. ? Individual paper proposals should include an abstract of no more than 250 words and a one-page abbreviated CV, along with a short bio. ? Session proposals should include a one-page proposal with a title and topics for a session of three to four presentation papers, along with individual abstracts and short bios. Delivered in either Korean or English, each presentation will be no longer than 20 minutes, followed by discussions and Q&A sessions. Graduate students are also welcome to submit proposals and to participate in the conference. All proposals should be sent to the Organizing Committee at 2019asak@gmail.com by April 15, 2019. Applicants will be notified of the acceptance of their proposals by April 30, 2019. For further inquiry, please contact the Organizing Committee.

Important Dates:

   Deadline for submitting abstracts: April 15, 2019

   Notification of acceptance of papers: April 30, 2019

   Submission of papers for the conference proceedings: June 30, 2019

Registration Fees:

   Standard: USD 50

   Students: USD 30

Registration Fee includes:

   2 lunches (September 20-21, 2019)

   Reception and dinner banquet (September 20, 2019)

   Two daily refreshment/coffee/snack breaks

   Conference program and proceedings

 Accommodation Information 

   Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul ‘Dongdaemun’

   Address: 226, Jangchungdan-ro, Jung-gu, 04565 Seoul, Korea

   Location & Access: check the website