Past ACAH Conferences

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH) is one of IAFOR's longest established and best attended events, bringing 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's 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 faculty members.

IAFOR’s arts and humanities conferences are organised in partnership with some of the world’s most reputable institutions, including Birkbeck, University of London (UK), University of Sussex (UK), Waseda University (Japan), Moscow State University (Russia), University of Barcelona (Spain) and Virginia Tech (USA), and feature programmes developed by leading academics to ensure both timeliness and academic rigour.


ACAH2022

June 01-04, 2022 | Held online from Tokyo, Japan


ACAH2021

May 24-26, 2021 | Held online from Tokyo, Japan


ACAH2020

May 25-27, 2020 | Held online from Tokyo, Japan


ACAH2019

Conference Theme: "Reclaiming the Future"

March 29–31, 2019 | Toshi Center, Tokyo, Japan


ACAH2018

Conference Theme: "Recentering: Asian Spaces, Cultures and Ideas in the 21st Century"

March 30 – April 01, 2018 | Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art & Art Center Kobe, Kobe, Japan


ACAH2017

Conference Theme: “History, Story, Narrative”

March 30 – April 2, 2017 | Art Center Kobe, Kobe, Japan


ACAH2016

Conference Theme: “Justice”

April 7–10, 2016 | Art Center Kobe, Kobe, Japan

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2016 (ACAH2016) was held alongside The Asian Conference on Literature 2016 (LibrAsia2016) and brought together 162 delegates from 33 countries to consider the conference theme of “Justice”: the various symbolic definitions of justice, the more sinister ideas and practices that relate to justice, crime and punishment, the shaping of narratives and contentious issues of meaning to see truth as justice, and justice as seen through the lens of the media.

Speakers included Dr Monty P. Satiadarma, clinical psychologist and former rector of Tarumanagara University, Indonesia, and Professor Myles Chilton of Nihon University, Japan, who presented with Dr A. Robert Lee, formerly of the English Department at Nihon University, Tokyo, on the subject of "Literature and Justice: Text, Teaching".


ACAH2015

Conference Theme: “Power”

April 2–5, 2015 | Osaka International Conference Center, Osaka, Japan

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2015 (ACAH2015) was held alongside The Asian Conference on Literature & Librarianship 2015 (LibrAsia2015) in the culturally rich Kansai region of Japan, home to the modern metropolis of Osaka/Kobe and the historical capitals of Nara and Kyoto. It was in these wonderful surroundings that we welcomed more than 350 attendees from more than 40 countries to an event promising to stimulate personal and professional research collaborations around the conference theme for this year, “Power”. That promise was fulfilled in a diverse and truly interdisciplinary IAFOR gathering. Power remains one of the most contested, debated, omnipresent yet ungraspable of concepts. While the fact of power remains constant, changes in political, social, economic and cultural conditions require us as scholars to periodically take stock of, analyse and trace the workings and origins of power. Our 350 delegates grasped the opportunity to explore and discuss this theme with great passion within the disciplinary orbits of Arts, Humanities, Literature and Librarianship and the forthcoming conference proceedings will certainly bear this passion and energy for outstanding research and deliberation out.

LibrAsia annually hosts the award ceremony for the IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award. This year the winner was named as Boris Nazansky of Croatia by Keynote Speaker Dr A Robert Lee. IAFOR was also thrilled to welcome Emiko Miyashita and Hana Fujimoto of the Haiku International Association back to LibrAsia to run their popular Haiku Workshop, during which participants were invited to write their own poems and listen to some of the most famous examples of the poetry form.

It was an honour to play host to award-winning Osaka-based Akutagawa Senior High School Drum Club whose performance was an exemplary illustration of the “Power” theme, and was a highlight of the conference. IAFOR values the local cultural community and our delegates’ experience of it, so we go to every length to reflect this in our rich and varied programme of events.


ACAH2014

Conference Theme: “Individual, Community & Society: Conflict, Resolution & Synergy”

April 3–6, 2014 | Osaka International Conference Center, Osaka, Japan

The Asian Conference on Arts and Humanities 2014 (ACAH2014) was held alongside The Asian Conference on Literature & Librarianship 2014 (LibrAsia2014) from April 3–6, 2014, at the Rihga Royal Hotel and the adjoining Osaka International Conference Center, Osaka, Japan.

The joint conference, with its theme of "Individual, Community & Society: Conflict, Resolution & Synergy", attracted around 350 people from over 35 countries and offered a diverse variety of papers that encouraged interdisciplinary reflection and explored new avenues of interdisciplinary study in the wonderfully rich cultural environment of Japan.

The year’s conference had an excellent plenary programme of highly regarded and informed speakers and was followed by a range of diverse parallel sessions across the academic scope from Librarianship through to African and Arabian Art. IAFOR would like to especially thank its 2014 LibrAsia keynote speaker Professor Bill Ashcroft of the University of NSW, Australia. Professor Ashcroft’s inspiring address titled "Revolution, Transformation and Utopia: the Function of Literature" focused on the phenomenon of revolution, with respect to showing the function of art and literature in transforming power and imagining the future. We were also most fortunate to have with us the ACAH featured speaker Paul Lowe of the London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London. Paul is one of the most highly regarded photojournalism specialists in Europe and provided the conference with an enthralling plenary presentation on how photojournalists and the images they produce can be used to enhance global and local understanding of genocide, and help in both reconciliation and remembrance in post-conflict societies.

In this year’s featured Haiku Workshop session we were pleased to welcome back Emiko Miyashita and Hana Fujimoto from the Haiku International Association, Japan. As world experts on Haiku it was a rare treat for literature delegates to meet and discuss the finer points of this ancient Japanese art form. Also present was His Excellency Dr Lars Vargö, the Ambassador of Sweden to Japan who spoke to the Plenary Sessions and was on hand to present the 4th Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award to Anthony Kudryavitsky, Ireland. We thank His Excellency for taking the time out from his busy schedule to speak to the conference and congratulate Anthony Kudryavitsky on winning this year’s haiku award, which drew over 280 submissions.

IAFOR was also pleased to welcome the DAMIN research group on silver monetary depreciation and international relations lead by Georges Depeyrot of the French National Center for Scientific Research, France.

Lastly we wish to thank the continuing contribution of ACAH/LibrAsia2014 Conference Chair & Featured Speaker Professor Stuart D. B. Picken, founding Chairman of the IAFOR International Advisory Board, and Professor Akiyoshi Suzuki of Nagasaki University, Japan, our LibrAsia Co-Chair. Finally we wish to thank all our attending delegates.


ACAH2013

Conference Theme: “Connectedness, Identity and Alienation: The 21st Century Enigma”

April 4–7, 2013 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan

Over 275 delegates from over 40 countries were welcomed to Osaka for The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2013 (ACAH2013) and The Asian Conference on Literature & Librarianship 2013 (LibrAsia2013). The conference, which had the theme of “Connectedness, Identity and Alienation: The 21st Century Enigma”, was fortunate to have a high caliber of feature speakers and presenters.

The 2013 keynote address by Professor Mark Williams of Akita International University was titled "“Life after Death? Writing within the Alienated Self in Post-War Japan"”. It was a fascinating insight into the lives of Japanese authors Shimao Toshio and Shiina Rinzo and the role that literature played in dealing with the horror and trauma of war. This year’s featured speaker at the conference was Professor Tien-Hiu Chiang from the National University of Tainan, Taiwan. Professor Chiang, a widely noted and published scholar, gave an address on how teachers contribute towards the pedagogy of normalised cultural capital, which results in the phenomenon of cultural reproduction within their students.

A continuing feature of IAFOR’s Osaka based conferences is the showcasing of the Arts and Culture of Japan. The 2013 conference saw the awarding of the third annual Vladmir Devide Haiku Poetry Award to Krzysztof Kokot of Poland, as well as a creative Haiku writing workshop given by prominent Haiku exponents Emiko Miyashita and Hana Fujimoto. The performance of the Taiko drums by leading Japanese group Batiholic was also a cultural highlight for the conference attendees. The conference attendees also had the opportunity to gain knowledge and practical experience of the Japanese art of Calligraphy, with an informative demonstration given Calligraphy students from Ritsumeikan University.


ACAH2012

Conference Theme: “Encounters and Exchanges”

April 5–8, 2012 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2012 (ACAH2012) was held again this year with The Asian Conference on Literature & Librarianship 2012 (LibrAsia2012) in Osaka, Japan.

IAFOR conferences are interdisciplinary international conferences that invite academics, practitioners, scholars and researchers from around the world to meet and exchange ideas. These joint conferences encourage us to reflect upon how we think, as well as reason, believe and behave. The conference theme of "Encounters and Exchanges" is thus an important one to all delegates, and was reflected in the friendships and bonds that were created, strengthened and renewed during our time together in Osaka.

We would like to thank all the delegates for their contributions to the event, including keynote and featured speakers, Akito Arima, Emiko Miyashita, Georges Depeyrot and Monty Satiadarma. We would also like to congratulate the winners of the 2012 Vladimir Devide Haiku Award, Anthony Kudryavitsky and Tomislav Maretić.


ACAH2011

Conference Theme: "Brave New World"

May 27–30, 2011 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2011 (ACAH2011) was held with The Asian Conference on Literature & Librarianship 2011 (LibrAsia2011) in Osaka, Japan. The event offered a diverse variety of papers that encouraged interdisciplinary reflection, and the forging of new relations across national borders. Although the the conference was smaller this year as a reflection of the March 2011 earthquake and aftermath, the conference was a success and attracted over 100 people.

We would like to thank all the delegates who made the event so enjoyable, including conference chair and featured speaker, Professor Stuart Picken, conference Keynote and Founding Judge of The IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award His Excellency Dr Drago Štambuk and Featured Speakers Kazuko Shiraishi and Dr Bashabi Fraser.


ACAH2010

Conference Theme: "East Meets West"

June 18–21, 2010 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan

The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities 2010 (ACAH2010) was held jointly with the Asian Conference on the Social Sciences 2010 (ACSS2010) on the weekend of June 18–21, 2010. More than 450 participants from 42 countries around the world congregated in Osaka for the inaugural conferences on Humanities and the Social Sciences. IAFOR aims to make internationalisation in higher education a reality by encouraging academics to forge partnerships across boundaries of subject discipline, creed and nationality.

We would like to thank the keynote speaker, the featured speakers and each and every participant for making ACAH2010 and ACSS2010 a success.