ACAH2026 Overview

ACAH is organised by IAFOR in association with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) in Osaka University, Japan.

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Join us in Tokyo for ACAH2026!

May 09-13, 2026 | Held in Tokyo, Japan and Online

Welcome to the 17th Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH2026).

Held in partnership with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University, this international conference encourages academics and scholars to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum stimulating respectful dialogue. This event will afford an exceptional opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, networking, and facilitating partnerships across national and disciplinary borders.

Since its founding in 2009, IAFOR has brought people and ideas together in a variety of events and platforms to promote and celebrate interdisciplinary study, and underline its importance. Over the past year we have engaged in many cross-sectoral projects, including those with universities (the University of Barcelona, Hofstra University, UCL, University of Belgrade and Moscow State University), a think tank (the East-West Center), as well as collaborative projects with the United Nations in New York, and here, with the Government of Japan through the Prime Minister’s office.

With the IAFOR Research Centre, we have engaged in a number of interdisciplinary initiatives we believe will have an important impact on domestic and international public policy conversations. It is through conferences like these that we expand our network and partners, and we have no doubt that ACAH2026 will offer a remarkable opportunity for the sharing of research and best practice, and for the meeting of people and ideas.

The 16th Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH2026) will be held alongside The 15th Asian Conference on Cultural Studies and The 16th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences. Registration for either conference will allow delegates to attend sessions in the other.

– The ACAH2026 Programme Committee

Conference Programme Committee

Professor Grant Black, Chuo University, Japan
Dr Joseph Haldane, IAFOR and The University of Osaka, Japan, & University College London, United Kingdom
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Professor Bradley J. Hamm, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, United States
Professor Fan Li, LePing Social Entrepreneur Foundation & Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), China
Dr James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging
Professor Sela V. Panapasa, University of Michigan, United States
Professor Chi-Shing Tse, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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Key Information
  • Location & Venue: Held at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo, Japan, and Online
  • Dates: Saturday, May 09, 2026 ​to Wednesday, May 13, 2026
  • Early Bird Abstract Submission Deadline: November 27, 2025*
  • Final Abstract Submission Deadline: February 12, 2026
  • Registration Deadline for Presenters: March 25, 2026

*Submit early to take advantage of the discounted registration rates. Learn more about our registration options.

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Programme

To be Announced

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Speakers

To be Announced

  • Umberto Ansaldo
    Umberto Ansaldo
    VinUniversity, Vietnam
  • Katsuya Iijima
    Katsuya Iijima
    Keio University, Japan
  • Miles Pennington
    Miles Pennington
    The University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Yuko Takahashi
    Yuko Takahashi
    Tsuda University, Japan

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Conference Committees

The International Academic Board (IAB)

Professor Anne Boddington, IAFOR, Japan (IAB Chair)
Dr Joseph Haldane, IAFOR & The University of Osaka, Japan, & University College London, United Kingdom
Professor Jun Arima, IAFOR & The University of Tokyo, Japan
Professor Virgil Hawkins, IAFOR Research Centre & The University of Osaka, Japan
Mr Lowell Sheppard, IAFOR & Never Too Late Academy, Japan

Professor Umberto Ansaldo, VinUniversity, Vietnam
Dr Susana Barreto, University of Porto, Portugal
Professor Grant Black, Chuo University, Japan
Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, United Kingdom
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Professor Brendan Howe, Ewha Womans University, South Korea & The Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA)
Dr James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging

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Conference Programme Committee

Dr Grant Black, Chuo University, Japan
Dr Thomas G. Endres, University of Northern Colorado, United States
Dr Joseph Haldane, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
Professor Bradley J. Hamm, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, United States
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Professor Fan Li, LePing Social Entrepreneur Foundation & Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), China
Professor James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging
Professor Sela V. Panapasa, University of Michigan, United States

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ACAH2026 Review Committee

Dr Songül Aral, İnönü Üniversitesi MALATYA-TÜRKİYE, Turkey
Dr Lalnunhlui C, ICFAI University, India
Dr Bianca Yin-ki Cheung, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
Professor Barbara Dobretsberger, University of Music and Performing Arts Mozarteum Salzburg, Austria
Dr Kris Ho, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, China
Professor Mae-hyang Hwang, Gyeongin National University of Education, South Korea
Dr Andrej Kapcar, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic
Dr Man Fung Kwong, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong
Dr Man Chi Lo, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong
Dr Josit Mariya, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kottayam, India
Dr Zlatina Nikolova, Burgas State University "Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov", Bulgaria
Dr Gaman Palem, Presidency University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Dr Elymar Pascual, Department of Education, Philippines
Dr Adrien Pouille, Duke Kunshan University, China
Dr Nilda San Miguel, Department of Education, Lumban District, Laguna, Philippines
Dr Patama Satawedin, Bangkok University, Thailand
Dr Fafa Sene, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan
Dr Orrapavadee Serewiwattana, Bangkok University, Thailand
Dr Radovan Škultéty, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taiwan
Dr Yulia Tregubova, British University Vietnam, Vietnam
Professor Tsunhung Tsai, Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Dr Jualim Vela, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines
Professor Ana Teresa Vicente, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Dr Ouled Hacini Youcef, University of Tamanghasset Algeria, Algeria

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Umberto Ansaldo
VinUniversity, Vietnam

Biography

Professor Umberto Ansaldo is currently Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at VinUniversity, Vietnam. He previously served as Head of the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University, Australia from 2021 through 2023, Head of the School of Literature, Art and Media at the University of Sydney, Australia from 2018 through 2020, and Head of the School of Humanities at HKU, where he taught from 2009 to 2018.

Professor Ansaldo’s disciplinary roots are in linguistics, specifically in the study of language contact, linguistic typology, and language documentation. He is the author of four books to date (with CUP, OUP, Routledge, and Stockholm University Press), has edited or co-edited 11 volumes and journal special collections, and has authored multiple journal articles and book chapters. His most recent publication is the co-editorship of The Routledge Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Languages (Routledge, 2021).

At HKU, Professor Ansaldo led the Humanities Area of Inquiry on the Common Core Curriculum Committee in HKU’s major revision of its curriculum (2010-2013), a time when, along with the University of Melbourne, Australia, HKU was leading in reimagining undergraduate curricula. As Chair of Linguistics, he was instrumental in establishing the Department within the top ten programmes in Linguistics (QS rankings), with the programme ranking at number one in Hong Kong.

At the University of Sydney, Professor Ansaldo sat on the University Executive Research Committee and led his School through a transformative period in terms of curriculum innovation and research engagement. He was in charge of overseeing the incorporation of the Sydney College of the Arts into the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

Professor Ansaldo has secured competitive research grants and leveraged industry funding for the advancement of the humanities and social sciences throughout his career. One of his proudest achievements was his role in securing financial support to develop and host an exhibition on language and the brain, the ‘Talking Brains’ exhibition at the CosmoCaixa in Barcelona, Spain in 2017. This type of engagement and championing of the Humanities is what Umberto is most passionate about.

Professor Ansaldo has lived and worked in Sweden, The Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. and speaks seven languages, including Mandarin. He is well-acquainted with Asia and has conducted fieldwork in Muslim communities of the Indian Ocean, and has developed strong international networks in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe.

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2025) | Peace Education in Times of Conflict
Keynote Presentation (2024) | Can Today’s Universities Contribute to a Better Future?
Katsuya Iijima
Keio University, Japan

Biography

TBA

Keynote Presentation (2026) | TBA
Miles Pennington
The University of Tokyo, Japan

Biography

TBA

Keynote Presentation (2026) | TBA
Yuko Takahashi
Tsuda University, Japan

Biography

Professor Yuko Takahashi was named the eleventh president of Tsuda College (now Tsuda University) in 2016. She holds a BA from Tsuda College, an MA in International Affairs from the University of Tsukuba, Japan; and an MA in History and a PhD in Education from The University of Kansas. Her major research areas are American studies, American social history, and gender history.

Professor Takahashi has held numerous academic leadership roles, including president of the Japan University Accreditation Association (2023–present), president of the International Federation for Research in Women's History (2020–2025), and president of the Japanese Association for American Studies (2018–2020). She also served as a commission member of the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (2018–2022), is a council member of the Science Council of Japan, and a trustee of the American Studies Foundation. A two-time Fulbright scholar, she conducted research at Stanford University in 2003 and Wellesley College in 2013. Her publications include Tsuda Umeko no Shakaishi (Umeko Tsuda: A Social History, 2002) and Tsuda umeko ̄ joshi kyōiku o hiraku (Umeko Tsuda: Pioneering Women’s Education, 2022).　

Featured Roundtable (2026) | TBA