The biennial Asian Studies Association of Australia conference is the largest gathering of expertise in Asia in the southern hemisphere. The theme for 2008 invites you to assess how the regions and issues on which you are interested are faring. The ASAA conference is multi-disciplinary and covers Central, South, South-East and North East Asia and the relationship of all of these with the rest of the world.
The 17th biennial conference on 1-3 July 2008 will bring together specialists to assess trends in Asian law, medicine and health, science, ethics/human rights, politics, regional security, economics, culture, religion, environment, media, the performing arts and many other fields. Given the theme, we encourage cross-country and inter-regional analysis. To assess how Asia is doing, we need to think broadly about Asia and compare trends in India and China, the new giants of Asia, with the older industrial power Japan and newly emerging economies of Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. We also need to link up these trends with events outside Asia.