The Selection Committee of ICAS 5 met in Kuala Lumpur in November 2006 to evaluate the individual abstracts and almost all of them have been placed in panels. This was done in line with the border and disciplinary transcending spirit of ICAS. The Committee is most pleased to report that more than 1000 submissions have been received. The wide variety of themes, disciplines and regions covered, as well as the participation from more than 50 countries and 400 institutes, promises an intellectually challenging Convention.

A provisional list of panels and its participants is now online at www.icas5kl.com . This list will be updated frequently with the remainder of abstracts which have not been panelized so far. Each panel has four presentations followed by discussion and will last for two hours.
All accepted individual paper presenters, will receive a letter of invitation by mail in the near future. The appointed chairs of the panels have been asked to contact the other panel members to construe a panel abstract by 1 March 2007.
Participants who have submitted an application for a ICAS 5 grant will be notified as soon as possible, but no later than 1 May 2007.

The ICAS Book Prizes (IBP) deadline, 31 December 2006, is in sight. So far we have received 70 submissions. Long lists will be announced at the AAS Annual Meeting 2007 in Boston. A new feature of the IBP is the Colleagues Choice Award. This award has been established following numerous requests to give the academic community the opportunity to voice their choice.

So visit our virtual polling station at http://www.icassecretariat.org from 22 March until 15 July 2007 and vote!

ICAS depends on voluntary contributions of people sympathetic to the idea of ICAS. By becoming a friend of ICAS (biennial contribution of € 50) you will receive a 30 % discount on the ICAS 5 registration fee and numerous other advantages. Please download the form at www.icassecretariat.org

Package deals - discount prices for ICAS 5 participants - with 10 different hotels are presented online at www.icas5kl.com . The prices for hotel rooms range from around 40 to 80 euros a night. They are all conveniently located in the neighborhood of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, the venue of ICAS 5 right opposite the Petronas Twin Towers.

The ICAS 5 Host, ATMA/IKON UKM and the ICAS Secretariat wish you a happy New Year and we hope to see you all at ICAS 5 in Kuala Lumpur!

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The Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON) and the Institute of The Malay World and Civilization (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia are pleased to announce the Fifth International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 5) :

Date: 2nd-5th August 2007

Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

'Sharing a Future in Asia'

Asia is often proclaimed as the fastest growing region in the world today. This is in spite of the fact that nearly a billion of its population is still living in poverty. It is Asia's resilience in the face of extreme adversities and its ability to rise above and overcome the challenge of dividedness and differences that has enhanced the global perception that it is a region of hope and prosperity for everyone, both from inside and outside Asia, to participate and share. Thus ICAS 5 Kuala Lumpur provides a timely opportunity to examine and elaborate critically this possibility.

The venue for ICAS 5 is Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) situated at the centre of Kuala Lumpur's central business district. The KLCC is the city's most technologically-advanced purpose-built facility for international and regional conventions and public exhibitions. Designed as a "city within a city" and it offers a stimulation environment with views overlooking the KLCC Park and the landmark PETRONAS Twin Towers. The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre also enjoys a prestigious location alongside extensive public transport and a wide range of hotels.