Invitation to participate in the 5th World Conference of Chinese Studies 第五屆世界漢學論壇 (Aug 2021, Witten & Brussels) focusing on literature and humanities as well as on Chinese society in transition
The annual meetings of the World Association for Chinese Studies every August gather 100 to 150 speakers at two places in Europe. One of the two places being Witten/Herdecke University in Germany, the other one this year (August 7-9, 2021) is Brussels in Belgium, after Vienna, Paris and London the years before. The meetings breath a unique spirit, bringing Chinese and international scholars together in discussions, showing different approaches and attitudes like in a magnifying glass. The experience for both, mainland Chinese scholars and international scholars is rewarding. Several young Chinese scholars, reflecting on their participation in recent years, called the variety of critical perspectives life changing.
The idea arose from the desire to save Chinese and American colleagues half the flight distance so that they do not have to spend half a day each time to meet in the USA or China. In addition, such a meeting in the summer in Europe has the very special charm of exploring the old world: Some scholars extend their stay to enjoy a visit to European capitals. Scheduling in August enables US colleagues to combine their participation with a summer vacation and Chinese colleagues to take a deep breath before the start of the semester.
This year’s conference of course comes with a full reimbursement guarantee until July 1st, depending on the coronavirus pandemic development. The conference bag contains complimentary conference proceedings and a valuable English-Chinese-English electronic dictionary pen from a commercial sponsor. The items can be kept even in the unlikely case of a conference cancellation.
The current pandemic control and vaccination in Germany looks promising, so that conferences this size are likely to be possible from May on. However, negative test results are requested by airlines and the conference organizing committee also requests a proof of vaccination. All of this can be provided shortly before the conference.
Please register now (http://bit.ly/WACS_5) with a topic and abstract of your expertise. Both, individual presentation and panel registration are welcome. The abstracts will be reviewed by the end of March, so that there is still enough time to plan the trip (and to cancel it for free before July 1, 2021). Further information is available on http://china-studies.com.