ICAS provides a space where Asia scholars and social and cultural actors from across the globe can interact directly. It is organised by local hosts (universities, organisations, and cities) in cooperation with the ICAS Secretariat. ICAS offers the organising host a unique opportunity to profile itself within the global framework of Asian studies. ICAS also connects dynamically with the host city, attracting participants from all continents to engage in interdisciplinary dialogues on Asia that transcend academic disciplines and geographic regions.

Since 1997, ICAS has brought more than 20,000 scholars, civil society representatives, practitioners and artists together at 13 conventions. Publishers, institutes and NGOs converge to display their products, services, and research outcomes at the ICAS Asian Studies Book Fair. 

The decentring of Asian Studies 
With all these activities ICAS is contributing to the decentring of Asian studies. Illustrations thereof are the ICAS multilingual Book and Dissertations Prize comprising of nine languages and the co-organisation with the Association of Asian Studies in Africa (A-ASIA) of its Africa–Asia conferences with its future edition in Senegal in 2025. 

The thirteenth edition of ICAS 
ICAS 13 was held in Surabaya, Indonesia, from 28 July to 1 August 2024, in collaboration with our local partner, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), and the Airlangga Institute of Indian Ocean Crossroads (AIIOC). ICAS 13 represented a new phase in the efforts of IIAS and its global partners to re-imagine the academic conference in the post-COVID-19 era. In today’s world, the effects of disturbed human-nature relations are visible in every aspect of daily life. We are convinced that, despite the expediency of digital platforms, in-person academic events remain important, provided they embrace a place-based approach to questions of global relevance.

ICAS 13 was organised as a Conference-Festival (ConFest) at the heart of Asia's realities, providing an engaging and embedded conference experience within the local context of Surabaya. By utilising the rich resources offered by the city and the people of East Java, ICAS 13 aimed to create an experiential local-global ConFest that celebrated diversity and fostered collaboration across academia, civil society, and the arts.

Surabaya is a compelling case study for the practical application and relevance of a cross-disciplinary approach to emerging socio-cultural issues. As a multicultural and densely populated city, Surabaya necessitates a multi-faceted perspective for any phenomenon. During the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing and resolving cases in various specific sites and scales in Surabaya required medical efforts as well as cultural and sociological approaches. From the early 2020s until now, this period has been transformative, encouraging people to view Surabaya holistically rather than fragmentarily (historically, culturally, or nationalistically). This reality underscores the importance of a cross-disciplinary approach, making Surabaya an ideal location for ICAS and Asian studies in the post-COVID-19 era.

The main theme of ICAS 13, ‘Crossways of Knowledge,’ represents the collaboration between IIAS and AIIOC. IIAS, the home of the ICAS Secretariat, has played an essential role in establishing AIIOC. As an institution navigating Asian studies in transdisciplinary, trans-sectoral, and transnational contexts, IIAS inspires Universitas Airlangga’s AIIOC to operate similarly. The four faculties that initiated AIIOC—the Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Public Health—exemplify the interlinked nature of AIIOC, even within its internal organisational structure.

The IIAS
The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) hosts and supports the ICAS Secretariat. IIAS is a global research organisation and knowledge exchange platform based in Leiden, the Netherlands. The Institute initiates and promotes interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral programmes that engage partners in and with Asia, globally. IIAS seeks to promote a contextualised understanding of Asian realities and pioneer new approaches to the study of Asia and the ‘Asian factor’ in a changing global environment. It does so through activities in research, education, publications, dissemination, network development, institutional support, and community services outside academia. IIAS aims to contribute culturally and socially informed, policy-relevant knowledge on/in/with Asia. One of IIAS’s flagship initiatives is ICAS. For more information on IIAS, please visit:http://iias.asia