Background

How did the ICAS come about? For some of years the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) had been thinking of ways of internationalizing Asian Studies. Internationalizing meetings took place during the annual meetings of the AAS. This transatlantic dialogue gradually matured and was thought of as an arena in which American and European Asianists could get together. It acquired a name: the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS). Apart from the AAS and the IIAS, the European Science Foundation Asia Committee and the six major European Asian Studies associations participated. This was the first time that these associations had formally co-operated in an Academic Programme Committee, which itself should be considered a promising sign. Quite apart from this European and transatlantic collaboration the organising committee attached great value to setting up a cultural programme to encourage the cultural rapprochement between East and West, which it sees as one of the most important challenges facing Asianists. It joined forces with Film South Asia, the School for New Dance Development Amsterdam, the Nederlands Filmmuseum, the Rotterdam Conservatory, some thirty renowned publishers in the field of Asian Studies, the Gate Foundation Amsterdam, and Canvas World Art, and organised the ‘The Eurasian Century’ forum of journalists.

 

Scope of ICAS

There was never doubt that Asianists from all over the world should have the chance to participate and once the convention was announced, enthusiastic replies came from every quarter of the world. Thus the convention grew to a platform on which Asian, American, and European Asianists could study problems of Interest to all. Nothing can demonstrate this more clearly than the geographic origin of the participants and participating institutions. More than three hundred and fifty universities, institutes, and organizations were represented at the ICAS. There were nearly a thousand participants from some forty countries and there was a remarkably equal distribution continent-wise. Thirty-five per cent of the home institutions is located in America, an equal percentage in Europe, and thirty per cent in Asia. It is no exaggeration to say that the main goal of the ICAS and its Programme Committee was to transcend the boundaries between disciplines, between nations studied, and between the geographic origins of the presenters in its more than a hundred and thirty panels.

Geoffrey Wade, also on behalf of his colleagues of the Centre of Asian Studies (Hong Kong) wrote: ‘The greatest value of the ICAS was that it did allow greater mixing of Asian, North American and European scholars than we have experienced at any previous such gathering. This was of course one of the aims of the Convention and we hope that its unqualified success will be sufficient incentive to encourage you to attempt a ‘repeat performance’ in future. We were all greatly impressed with the Convention – its venue, its scope, the excellence of the organization, the diversity of activities and the range of scholars who attended. The only drawback was that it was impossible for one to attend all of the sessions, but that indicates a surfeit rather than a deficiency. Particular thanks are due to your administrative staff who handled each and every query with concern and good grace’.

 

History of ICAS

 

ICAS 1

In this context a meeting took place on 27 June attended by representatives of European Asian Studies associations, the AAS, and the IIAS during which it became clear that the second ICAS was deemed desirable. There were discussions on when it should be held (every three to four years), where it should be held and who should organize it. No conclusive decisions were taken. The participants of the meeting recommended setting up an ICAS Steering Committee. This committee is still in the process of formation but plans are to have the first meeting during the Annual Meeting of the AAS in Boston, 11-14 March 1999. Information will be disseminated both through the IIAS Newsletter and the AAS Newsletter. All ICAS 1 participants will be informed about the outcome of the meeting of the Steering Committee.

On behalf of Helga Lasschuijt (the ICAS Project Manager), I would like to thank the numerous sponsors, all ICAS staff members, the organizers of the cultural events, the booth holders, the Leeuwenhorst Congres Centrum, and all participants who turned ICAS into an unforgettable experience of which Helga and I think that it will ultimately seriously change everybody’s orientation.

ICAS 2

All Asia Scholars around the world were invited to participate in the Second International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 2) to be held in Berlin, Germany, between August 9 and 12, 2001. In view of the growing international cooperation in the field of Asian studies, the idea on which ICAS 1, held in the Netherlands in June 1998 was based, was governing ICAS 2, as well. The conference is aimed at providing a broad and inclusive forum for all scholars working on issues related to Asian studies and seeking a way of establishing or improving their international networks. Across continents, disciplines, regional specializations and conceptual approaches, the main purpose of ICAS 2 will be to present both a formal platform and an academic stimulus to improving the exchange of scholarly contacts in Asian Studies. After the success of the first convention, ICAS 2 thus is meant to be another major step towards a continuous improvement of internationalization and cooperation in all fields of Asian studies. ICAS 2 is co-organized by the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and the European Science Foundation (ESF) Asia Committee, representing the following six European Associations: Association for Korean Studies in Europe (AKSE), European Association of Chinese Studies (EACS), European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS), European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS), European Society for Central Asia Studies (ESCAS), and European Association for South East Asian Studies (EUROSEAS). Furthermore involved is the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), Leiden, as the organizing unit of ICAS 1. At the present stage, other associations of Asian Studies are cordially invited to join us in the endeavor to establish a global network of scholarly exchange in Asian studies. The Association of Chinese Political Studies (ACPS) followed this call and joined the ICAS 2 Organisation. The National University of Singapore as host of ICAS 3 joined the organisation as an observer. ICAS organization will be based on a broad spectrum of panels, roundtable discussions, poster presentations and papers presented from the field. An informal program will include cultural activities, book exhibitions and a series of activities which will be closely connected to activities of the Third Asia Pacific Weeks in Berlin. In cooperation with the German Association of Asian Studies (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Asienkunde, (DGA) ICAS 2 will be organized by an executive committee (for formal organisation) and a program committee of representatives of the co-sponsoring associations. Local organisation in Berlin lies with the Center for Chinese and East Asian Studies and its director Prof. Dr. Eberhard Sandschneider of the Freie Universitat Berlin.

ICAS 3

The International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) is one of the largest regular gatherings of scholars whose research centres on Asia and/or Asians, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Asian studies at the start of the new millennium is increasingly cross-disciplinary and inter-regional in character, a positive development which ICAS both demonstrates and seeks a further. Convened in Leiden, the Netherlands in 1998, and Berlin, Germany in 2001, the next conference (ICAS 3) will take place in Singapore in August 2003, jointly hosted and organised by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore. The Organising Committee, ICAS 3, was pleased to invite the participation of scholars in any Asia-related field of research. Over 1,000 scholars from around the world participated in ICAS 3.

ICAS 4

The International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) was at the outset an experiment in terms of the parties involved, the nature of the participants, the contents, the manner of organization, and its size. How did the ICAS come about? As of 1995 the Association for Asian Studies, the European Associations for Asian Studies and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) had been thinking of ways of internationalizing Asian Studies. This transatlantic dialogue gradually matured and acquire a name: ICAS. Thus ICAS became a platform on which Asianists from all corners of the world could study problems of interest to all. Nearly 1000 participants from 40 countries attended ICAS1 which was organized by the IIAS and held in Leiden in 1998. More than 350 universities, institutes, and organizations were represented. ICAS 2, which was hosted by the Freie Universitet Berlin in 2001, was attended by 800 scholars. In 2003 the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, jointly hosted ICAS 3. Over 1200 scholars from 54 countries participated and some 940 papers were presented in 250 sessions, on a wide variety of topics. ICAS 3 also provided a platform for scholars to explore ways of coordinating Asia research in Asia.