IAFOR > The Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS)

The 16th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS2025)

ACSS is organised by IAFOR in association with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) in Osaka University, Japan.


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Join us in Tokyo for ACSS2025!

May 11-16, 2025 | Held in Tokyo, Japan and Online

Welcome to the 16th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS2025).

Held in partnership with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University, this international conference encourages academics and scholars to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum stimulating respectful dialogue. This event will afford an exceptional opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, networking, and facilitating partnerships across national and disciplinary borders.

Since its founding in 2009, IAFOR has brought people and ideas together in a variety of events and platforms to promote and celebrate interdisciplinary study, and underline its importance. Over the past year we have engaged in many cross-sectoral projects, including those with universities (the University of Barcelona, Hofstra University, UCL, University of Belgrade and Moscow State University), a think tank (the East-West Center), as well as collaborative projects with the United Nations in New York, and here, with the Government of Japan through the Prime Minister’s office.

With the IAFOR Research Centre, we have engaged in a number of interdisciplinary initiatives we believe will have an important impact on domestic and international public policy conversations. It is through conferences like these that we expand our network and partners, and we have no doubt that ACSS2025 will offer a remarkable opportunity for the sharing of research and best practice, and for the meeting of people and ideas.

The 16th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS2025) will be held alongside The 15th Asian Conference on Cultural Studies and The 16th Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities. Registration for one of these conferences will allow delegates to attend sessions in all three.

Key Information
  • Location & Venue: Held at the Toshi Center Hotel, Tokyo, Japan and Online
  • Dates: Sunday, May 11, 2025 ​to Friday, May 16, 2025
  • Early Bird Abstract Submission Deadline: November 29, 2024*
  • Final Abstract Submission Deadline: February 14, 2025
  • Registration Deadline for Presenters: March 27, 2025

*Submit early to take advantage of the discounted registration rates. Learn more about our registration options.

Submit an Abstract

If you would like to receive email updates for ACSS, please join our mailing list. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Speakers

  • Harnessing Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Displaced Population Empowerment
    Harnessing Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Displaced Population Empowerment
    Panel Presentation: Fan Li, Souzan Housseini
  • Umberto Ansaldo
    Umberto Ansaldo
    VinUniversity, Vietnam
  • Jun Arima
    Jun Arima
    University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Thomas G. Endres
    Thomas G. Endres
    University of Northern Colorado, United States
  • Kiichi Fujiwara
    Kiichi Fujiwara
    Juntendo University, Japan
  • Suzan Husseini
    Suzan Husseini
    Waseda University, Japan
  • Marie Lall
    Marie Lall
    University College London, United Kingdom and Keio University, Japan
  • Fan Li
    Fan Li
    Stanford Social Innovation Review, Japan
  • Emiko Miyashita
    Emiko Miyashita
    Haiku International Association, Japan
  • Rebecca Olive
    Rebecca Olive
    Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia
  • Apipol Sae-Tung
    Apipol Sae-Tung
    IAFOR, Japan
  • Kyoko Uchimura
    Kyoko Uchimura
    Haiku International Association, Japan

IAFOR's Conference Themes for 2025-2029

IAFOR Themes 2025-2029
Our selected themes for 2025-2029 bring together ideas and encourage research and synergies in the following areas:

  • Technology and Artificial Intelligence
  • Humanity and Human Intelligence
  • Global Citizenship and Education for Peace
  • Leadership

    • Our four themes can be seen as standalone themes, but they are also very much in conversation with each other. Themes may be seen as corollaries, complementary, or in opposition/juxtaposition with each other. The themes can be considered as widely as possible and are designed, in keeping with our mission, to encourage ideas across the disciplines.

    Conference News

    Accepted Presentations

    One of the greatest strengths of IAFOR’s international conferences is their international and intercultural diversity. As of March 11, 2025, ACSS2025 has received over 731 submissions from over 58 countries and territories - including: Philippines, United States, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, ...
    Introducing ‘The Forum’, an Exciting New Discussion Format for IAFOR Conferences

    Introducing ‘The Forum’, an Exciting New Discussion Format for IAFOR Conferences

    The Forum is designed as a platform for international, intercultural, interdisciplinary—and inclusive— discussions, joining experts and practitioners alike in an interactive and open dialogue format ...
    IAFOR Scholarship Winners

    IAFOR Grant and Scholarship Recipients 2024

    We are delighted to announce the recipients of IAFOR grants and scholarships for The 15th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS2024) to be held in Tokyo in May 2024 ...

    Read Last Year's Conference Report

    View the ACAH/ACCS/ACSS2024 Conference Photo Gallery

    About IAFOR

    "Inspiring Global Collaborations"

    Founded in 2009, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) is a mission-driven politically independent non-partisan and non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary discussion, facilitating intercultural awareness and promoting international exchange, principally through educational interaction and academic research. Based in Japan, its main administrative office is in Nagoya, and its research centre is in the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), a graduate school of Osaka University. IAFOR runs research programs and events in partnership with universities, think tanks, and other associations. Through its international, intercultural and interdisciplinary conferences, research, and publications, IAFOR is a network hub for interdisciplinary discussion across Asia and beyond.
    Read more about IAFOR.

    Marie Lall
    University College London, United Kingdom and Keio University, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Marie Lall is a South Asia expert, with 30 years of experience in the region specialising in political issues and education in India, Pakistan, and Burma/Myanmar. Her political research focuses on the domestic and foreign policy of South Asia. Her education expertise encompasses Education Policy, Higher Education, Teacher Training, and Language of Instruction. She has a particular interest in the linkage between national identity, citizenship, and education. She has authored over 100 publications, including 12 widely cited books.

    In South Asia and internationally, she has been instrumental in providing thought leadership to development agencies, policy makers, and governments. She has worked with the World Bank, UNICEF, the British Council, AUSAID, South Asian philanthropic bodies, and government ministries.

    Professor Lall is the former Pro-Vice-Provost for South Asia at University College London (UCL), United Kingdom, where she was instrumental in developing four UCL university partnerships with India‘s top-ranking universities in engineering, medicine, aerospace, and science. She is currently a Visiting Professor at Keio University, Japan.

    Professor Lall completed a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE), and her MPhil from Cambridge University, United Kingdom.

    Panel Presentation (2025) | Peace Education in Times of Conflict
    Suzan Husseini
    Waseda University, Japan

    Biography

    Suzan Husseini is a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, Japan. Her doctoral research focuses on refugee-background students' integration and education pathways in Japan.

    Ms Husseini is a Co-Delegate of EmPATHy, a youth organisation that includes Japanese students and people of refugee backgrounds with the aim of aiding forcibly displaced persons in Japan. She is also involved in Japan Bridge, a group that was initiated to support earthquake-affected families in Syria and Turkey and expanded its activities to advocacy in Japan.

    Ms Husseini has over three years of experience working with international NGOs such as the Qatar Red Crescent and Global Communities. She also has nine years of experience as a translator, five years of experience working at the British Council, Japan, and is currently a project officer at Pathways Japan. Her work continues to bridge academic research with practical advocacy to support refugee empowerment through education.

    Featured Interview (2025) | Harnessing Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Displaced Population Empowerment
    Apipol Sae-Tung
    IAFOR, Japan

    Biography

    Apipol Sae-Tung is an Academic Coordinator at IAFOR, where he contributes to the development and execution of academic-related content and activities. He works closely with the Forum’s partner institutions and coordinates IAFOR’s Global Fellowship Programme. His recent activities include mediating conference reports for the Forum’s international conference programme and facilitating the IAFOR Undergraduate Research Symposium (IURS).

    Mr Sae-Tung began his career as a Program Coordinator for the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He was awarded the Japanese Government’s MEXT Research Scholarship and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan. His research focuses on government and policy analysis, particularly on authoritarian regimes. He currently takes part in research projects on international student education in Thailand, Southeast Asian politics, Japan-Asia digital economy, and AI-language model training.

    Mr Sae-Tung holds an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Thammasat University, Thailand, where he studied foreign policy analysis and Thailand-China relations. He also holds a BA in History from the same institution, with a focus on modern Western and Southeast Asian comparative history and historiography.

    Mr Sae-Tung has interned for the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) in Japan, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Thailand. He served on the Lifelong Learning Team while with UNESCO, working specifically on projects enhancing education access through online platforms among Thai NEET individuals and supporting Myanmar migrant children, providing shelters and access to proper education along the Thai-Myanmar border.

    Forum Discussion (2025) | TBA
    Harnessing Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Displaced Population Empowerment
    Panel Presentation: Fan Li, Souzan Housseini

    In 2022, the global population of forcibly displaced people exceeded 100 million, with projections to surpass 130 million by 2024. At the same time, the International Monetary Fund predicts a global shortfall of 85 million digital workers by 2030, highlighting an urgent need for skilled labor in technology-driven sectors. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly being utilised for displaced population empowerment, while keeping its societal implications and envisioning a more inclusive and equitable digital future in mind.

    This panel will explore how technology and AI can empower displaced populations by creating work opportunities and fostering skill development. Originally from Syria, Ms Souzan Husseini currently leads AI training at Robo Co-op, and will share insights on combining up-skilling programs with paid tech work to integrate displaced youth into the global digital economy. Beyond such opportunities, the panel will also examine the other side of AI and technology, reviewing the current state of AI development and the significant societal challenges it presents. Strategies for addressing these concerns and the role of the social innovation sector in building equitable solutions will be outlined.

    Read presenters' biographies
    Kyoko Uchimura
    Haiku International Association, Japan

    Biography

    Ms Kyoko Uchimura is a haiku poet born in Tokyo. She earned a BA in Art History from International Christian University, Japan, and studied at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom, from 1988 to 1989 as an exchange student. She worked for Christie’s art auction house from 1990 to 2014, contributing her expertise there for over twenty years.

    Ms Uchimura began writing haiku in 2002, receiving the New Talent Award of the haiku group ‘Ten’I’, led by Dr Akito Arima, in 2008. She recently won first prize in the group’s essay contest in 2023. In 2013, she published her first haiku collection, titled ‘Venus’. She is currently a member of the Association of Haiku Poets in Japan.

    Since 2014, Ms Uchimura has worked in an editorial role for Ten’I and the Haiku International Association since 2018, where she serves as a councilor and is responsible for editing the association’s quarterly haiku magazine, ‘HI’. She often writes short reviews for other haiku magazines. She has supported the administrative office of the Haiku UNESCO Promotion Council since 2018.

    Haiku Workshop (2025) | What is Haiku?
    Kiichi Fujiwara
    Juntendo University, Japan

    Biography

    Kiichi Fujiwara is a Professor in the Graduate School of International Liberal Arts at Juntendo University and Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, Japan. He taught International Politics at the Graduate Schools of Law and Politics and the Graduate School of Public Policy until 2022. Professor Fujiwara founded the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo, a university think-tank that engages in multidisciplinary approaches to global challenges. His publications include Remembering the War (2001), A Democratic Empire (2002), Is There Really a Just War? (2003), Peace for Realists (winner of the Ishibashi Tanzan award, 2005), International Politics (2007), Conditions of War (2013), A Destabilizing World (2020), and Predatory Imperialism (forthcoming). Professor Fujiwara is a commentator on international affairs and writes a monthly column for Asahi Shinbun. He is also a film buff, and serves as a film reviewer for the NHK.

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | Peace Education in Times of Conflict
    Rebecca Olive
    Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia

    Biography

    Dr Rebecca Olive is a Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Urban Research at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia. She leads the research theme of ‘Regenerative Environments and Climate Action’ at the Centre. Dr Olive also serves as the current President of the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia (CSAA). With a background in feminist cultural studies of sport and leisure, her current work explores how recreational sports shape our relationships to ecologies. In this work, she focuses on swimming and surfing to understand human relationships to coasts and the ocean, and has a growing focus on urban swimming including at beaches and in rivers and pools. She has a co-edited book, Women in Action Sport Cultures, and recently co-edited special issues in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Journal of Sport History, and Health and Place. Aside from academic publications, Dr Olive is active in community and public engagement, including community presentations and contributions to national and international media. You can learn more about this work at her website https://movingoceans.com.

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | Swimming Together: World-Making with Everyday Practices
    Thomas G. Endres
    University of Northern Colorado, United States

    Biography

    Dr Thomas G. Endres is Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Northern Colorado, United States, where he coordinates the university’s Communication Studies Extended Campus online degree completion program and teaches for the university's honours and leadership programs. In a career marked primarily by administrative (chair or director) responsibilities, Dr Endres found time to conduct research in the areas of pedagogy, popular culture, and the use of story to create rhetorical communities. He has published several dozen refereed articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, and an encyclopaedia entry, applying Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory to the study of such communities: examining diverse collectives such as single mothers, father-daughter dyads, laity in the Catholic church, and tattooed people. He is author and photographer of two books: ‘Sturgis Stories: Celebrating the People of the World’s Largest Motorcycle Rally’ and ‘My Costume, Myself: Celebrating Stories of Cosplay and Beyond,’ and co-author with Deanna D. Sellnow on Sage's 4th edition of ‘The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture: Considering Mediated Texts.’ He has delivered more than 250 presentations, workshops, and keynote addresses across the United States and abroad, including presentations in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Japan, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. He lives in Greeley, Colorado, with his wife, Maki Notohara Endres.

    Keynote Presentation (2025) | Turning the Faucet to Full: Expanding the Use of Bormann's Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) in Asian Humanities, Social Science, and Cultural Studies Research
    Emiko Miyashita
    Haiku International Association, Japan

    Biography

    Emiko Miyashita is a prominent and widely published haiku poet, as well as an award-winning translator who has given invited lectures and workshops around the world. She serves as a councillor for the Haiku International Association, as well as secretary of the Haiku Poets Association International Department in Tokyo. She is a dojin (leading member) of Ten’i (Providence) haiku group lead by Dr Akito Arima, and also a dojin of the Shin (Morning Sun), haiku group lead by Dr Akira Omine. From January 2008, until March 2010, she judged and wrote an English-language haiku column with Michael Dylan Welch every first Sunday in the Asahi weekly paper.

    Haiku Workshop (2025) | What Is Haiku?

    Previous Presentations

    Haiku Workshop (2024) | What Is Haiku?
    Umberto Ansaldo
    VinUniversity, Vietnam

    Biography

    Professor Umberto Ansaldo is currently Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at VinUniversity, Vietnam. He previously served as Head of the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University, Australia from 2021 through 2023, Head of the School of Literature, Art and Media at the University of Sydney, Australia from 2018 through 2020, and Head of the School of Humanities at HKU, where he taught from 2009 to 2018.

    Professor Ansaldo’s disciplinary roots are in linguistics, specifically in the study of language contact, linguistic typology, and language documentation. He is the author of four books to date (with CUP, OUP, Routledge, and Stockholm University Press), has edited or co-edited 11 volumes and journal special collections, and has authored multiple journal articles and book chapters. His most recent publication is the co-editorship of The Routledge Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Languages (Routledge, 2021).

    At HKU, Professor Ansaldo led the Humanities Area of Inquiry on the Common Core Curriculum Committee in HKU’s major revision of its curriculum (2010-2013), a time when, along with the University of Melbourne, Australia, HKU was leading in reimagining undergraduate curricula. As Chair of Linguistics, he was instrumental in establishing the Department within the top ten programmes in Linguistics (QS rankings), with the programme ranking at number one in Hong Kong.

    At the University of Sydney, Professor Ansaldo sat on the University Executive Research Committee and led his School through a transformative period in terms of curriculum innovation and research engagement. He was in charge of overseeing the incorporation of the Sydney College of the Arts into the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

    Professor Ansaldo has secured competitive research grants and leveraged industry funding for the advancement of the humanities and social sciences throughout his career. One of his proudest achievements was his role in securing financial support to develop and host an exhibition on language and the brain, the ‘Talking Brains’ exhibition at the CosmoCaixa in Barcelona, Spain in 2017. This type of engagement and championing of the Humanities is what Umberto is most passionate about.

    Professor Ansaldo has lived and worked in Sweden, The Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. and speaks seven languages, including Mandarin. He is well-acquainted with Asia and has conducted fieldwork in Muslim communities of the Indian Ocean, and has developed strong international networks in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe.

    Panel Presentation (2025) | Peace Education in Times of Conflict

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    Keynote Presentation (2024) | Can Today’s Universities Contribute to a Better Future?
    Jun Arima
    University of Tokyo, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Jun Arima is the President of IAFOR, and the senior academic officer of the organisation. In this role, Professor Arima is the Honorary Chair of the International Academic Advisory Board, as well as both the Academic Governing Board and its Executive Committee. He also sits on the IAFOR Board of Directors.

    Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP.

    Since 2015 Jun Arima has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches Energy Security, International Energy Governance, and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy. (GraSPP). He is also currently a Consulting Fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Executive Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Public Policy Institute, Principal Researcher at the International Environmental and Economic Institute (IEEI), Distinguished Senior Policy Fellow, at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environment, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and was the Lead Author, the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).

    Panel Presentation (2025) | Peace Education in Times of Conflict

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    Keynote Presentation (2023) | Climate Change Challenges and International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Perspective
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    Fan Li
    Stanford Social Innovation Review, Japan

    Biography

    Inspired by the power of people with vision and determination to make the world a better place, Ms Fan Li has spent the last 20 years working to connect, engage, and catalyse innovators and change makers in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

    Ms Li founded Global Links Initiative with Mr Robin Rowland in 2003, a nonprofit organisation that fostered practical links among social entrepreneurs around the world. She was a founding member of the China-US Strategic Philanthropy Partnership (CUSP), a leading network that promotes research, exchange, and collaboration between the philanthropic sectors of China and the United States, and worked with CUSP from 2010 to 2016. Ms Li connected and advised partnership building in Japan and China from 2009 to 2012, which resulted in the first China-Japan social joint venture in sustainable farming.

    Ms Li is co-editor-in-chief of Stanford Social Innovation Review China. She also serves as East Asia Regional Representative for Alliance magazine and East Asia Advisor for WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grant-maker Support). She is currently based in Tokyo and runs the East Asia Social Innovation Study Group, a community of research, dialogue, and knowledge sharing on social innovation in East Asia.

    Featured Interview (2025) | Harnessing Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Displaced Population Empowerment