Previous conventions

Globalisation was the buzz-word in the 1990s. From the first year of its creation in 1993, the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) was a promoter of the internationalisation of Asian studies. The idea of an international conference was pitched to further internationalise Asian studies in a cross-regional and multidisciplinary way. The Association for Asian Studies (AAS), six European Associations for Asian Studies, and the European Science Foundation Asia Committee, collaborated for the first edition of ICAS. It took place near Leiden in 1998. Since then ICAS has – together with various co-organisers, hosts and sponsors – brought together more than 22,000 academics, civil society representatives, administrators and artists, at 11 conventions worldwide. Browse the short articles below to get an impression of the connectivity and dynamism of each convention.