About ACAH

Photographs of The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH2017) in Kobe, Japan

Photographs of The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH)

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH) is one of the longest established and best attended events organised by The International Academic Forum (IAFOR). ACAH brings together delegates from many different national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds to present new research and exchange ideas. This exceptional platform welcomes speakers and delegates for challenging debate and stimulating discussions around the latest concepts and newest approaches. IAFOR conferences are encouraging and nurturing environments where ideas can be shared and tested, where research synergies and collaborations can be formed, and where some of the biggest names in the field have the opportunity to interact with up-and-coming young faculty members.


About IAFOR’s Conferences on Arts & Humanities

IAFOR’s arts and humanities programme is rich and diverse, with interdisciplinary conferences which engage with a broad range of research fields and seek to be venues for both academic and cultural exchange.

The academic programme for these conferences is developed by leading scholars in various fields to ensure both timeliness and academic rigour, and our events are held in partnership with some of the world’s leading institutions, including Sussex University (UK), Birkbeck, University of London (UK), Lehigh University (USA), University of Indonesia (Indonesia), Virginia Tech (USA) and Waseda University (Japan). As well as working with top universities, we also encourage and nurture intercultural and interdisciplinary research groups such as the DAMIN project, which brought together historians, geographers and economists to look at the development of commerce along the Silk Road.

Literature has always been given a high profile in our programme, and as well as welcoming presentations by prominent authors and poets, IAFOR also runs the prestigious IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award, which is supported by the Haiku International Association (HIA), the Haiku UNESCO Promotion Council and The Haiku Foundation.

IAFOR actively supports culture and the arts, namely by running internationally recognised awards for both documentary photography and photojournalism (IAFOR Documentary Photography Award) and documentary filmmaking (IAFOR Documentary Film Award), which are supported by leading institutions and organisations, including World Press Photo, Metro Imaging, MediaStorm, Think Tank Photo, University of the Arts London, RMIT and Medill School of Journalism.

Our arts conferences also showcase local talent during featured performances by musicians, dancers and artists. The events offer the opportunity for delegates to not only exchange the latest in research ideas, but also the chance to see performances, and take part in workshops and demonstrations.


Previous Speakers

The speakers below, among others, have presented their research at IAFOR's conferences on arts and humanities.

Gloria Montero, one of Spain’s leading writers and playwrights and author of the award-winning play, Frida K; Astri Angela Soemantri, musician and psychologist; archaeologist, historian and CNRS Trustee Professor Georges Depeyrot of the French National Center for Scientific Research; Professor Gary Swanson, multiple Emmy award winning filmmaker and producer; Emiko Miyashita, prominent haiku poet and Director of the JAL Foundation; Kazuko Shiraishi, the Grande Dame of Japanese letters; Lord Charles Bruce, historian and former Chairman of the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland; Professor Yuriko Saito of the Rhode Island School of Design, philosopher and author of Everyday Aesthetics; Thomas Brian Mooney, ancient and moral philosopher; Michael Sakamoto, US-Japanese Butoh dancer and interdisciplinary artist.


Other IAFOR Conferences in Arts & Humanities


Ways to Get Involved

IAFOR depends on the assistance of a large number of international academics and practitioners who contribute in a variety of ways to our shared mission of promoting international exchange, facilitating intercultural awareness, encouraging interdisciplinary discussion and generating and sharing new knowledge. We are grateful for the time, effort and expertise donated by all our volunteer contributors.

Here are some of the ways you can get involved:

IAFOR Membership

IAFOR membership provides an exceptional opportunity to be a part of a leading global academic organisation, network and platform that is committed to nurturing the very best in interdisciplinary research in the global public interest. Membership is open to all scholars, professionals and policymakers, researchers, or those with a strong professional interest in education.

Reviewing

With thousands of abstracts submitted each year for presentation at our conferences, IAFOR relies on academics around the world to ensure a fair and timely peer review process in keeping with established international norms of double-blind peer review. Our peer review process, which involves both reciprocal review and the use of Review Committees, is overseen by the Conference Programme Committee under the guidance of the International Academic Board.

If you hold a PhD or another terminal degree in your field, are a current or former faculty member and have previous peer review experience, we encourage you to join the ACAH Review Committee.

Editing

IAFOR publishes six online, Open Access, editorially independent journals across a variety of disciplines, which are associated with IAFOR’s conferences. IAFOR journals are edited by academics who are experts in their fields, and journal submissions are evaluated by Editorial Board members and peer reviewers across the globe who have the relevant qualifications and expertise.

Publishing

Journals

Publish your research in one of IAFOR’s Open Access, editorially independent journals. Articles may be submitted via open calls for papers. Authors publishing with IAFOR are not required to pay submission or publication fees of any kind, and IAFOR journals are available to a global readership online, completely free of charge and without delay or embargo.


Conference Proceedings

If your abstract has been accepted, and you presented the work at ACAH (including Virtual Presentations), you are encouraged to submit a full paper via the online submission system for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings, which will be made available online. For further details of how to submit your paper, please view the Final Paper Submission page. IAFOR Conference Proceedings are Open Access research repositories that act as permanent records of the research generated by IAFOR conferences. Please note that works published in the Conference Proceedings cannot be considered for publication in IAFOR journals.


THINK

THINK, The Academic Platform, is IAFOR’s online magazine, publishing the latest in interdisciplinary research and ideas from some of the world’s foremost academics, many of whom have presented at IAFOR conferences. Content is varied in both subject and form, with everything from in-depth articles to shorter opinion pieces, interviews, film and photography.

THINK gives academics the opportunity to step outside of the traditional research publishing status quo – to get creative, explore different disciplines and to have their ideas heard, shared and discussed by a global academic audience.

To write for THINK, please view the Submit page on the THINK website and then send your article proposal to publications@iafor.org.

Student Internships

Are you a student? Would you like to meet delegates and academics who are experts in their fields, practice your communication skills and experience a truly international academic event? The IAFOR Internship Programme offers opportunities for students to assist at IAFOR conferences such as ACAH, involving responsibilities such as greeting participants, helping with registration and guiding participants to presentation rooms. To find out more about internships at an IAFOR event, please visit the IAFOR Internship Programme page.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to suggest additional ways in which you could contribute to IAFOR’s interdisciplinary activities, please feel free to email acah@iafor.org.