The first graduate symposium on Asian Studies at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was held from April 13 to 14, 2024 at the Levis Faculty Center and virtually. This symposium was organized by the Asian Studies Group at U of I and focused on featuring emerging scholars contributing to our collective understanding of Asian societies and communities.

The symposium theme in 2024 is “Transcending Boundaries: The State of Interconnections in Studies of Global Asia.” This symposium calls for research that goes beyond established borders of knowledge, expanding deep interconnections in people’s lived experiences across time, spaces, and identities in Asian societies and communities. Further, organizers invite scholars to explore voices and perspectives that have been historically marginalized by the meta-narrative that centered on the nation-state. The symposium calls for a paradigm shift that acknowledges the interconnectedness of Asian societies with the wider world.

The keynote speakers are:

• Prof. A. Naomi Paik (University of Illinois, Chicago)
• Prof. Ikuko Asaka (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

More information about the 2024 symposium is available at on the First Graduate Symposium on Asian Studies website.