IAFOR > The Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS) > ACSS2023 > Programme

Programme

The Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (ACSS) is a multidisciplinary conference held concurrently with The Asian Conference on Arts & Humanities (ACAH). Keynote, Featured and Spotlight Speakers will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. Registration for either conference will allow participants to attend sessions in both.

This page provides details of featured presentations, the conference schedule and other programming. For more information about presenters, please visit the Speakers page.

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Conference Outline

Thursday, May 25, 2023Friday, May 26, 2023Saturday, May 27, 2023Sunday, May 28, 2023Monday, May 29, 2023

17:00-19:00: Conference Welcome Reception & Pre-Conference Registration | GARB Central

The Conference Meet & Greet is the perfect opportunity for conference delegates to get a head start on the conference and make valuable connections with other attendees before the event officially begins. The event will be held at GARB Central, a trendy bar and restaurant located in the heart of Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
The Conference Meet & Greet is included in the conference registration. Pre-registration is not required.

Hotel Le Port Kojimachi

10:00-10:30: Conference Registration & Coffee | Marble Room 3F

10:30-10:35: Announcements & Welcome | Marble Room 3F

10:35-10:45: Welcome Address & Recognition of IAFOR Scholarship Winners

10:45-11:30: Keynote Presentation | Marble Room 3F
Inaugural Address from the President of IAFOR: Climate Change Challenges and International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Jun Arima, University of Tokyo, Japan

11:30-12:15: Featured Interview | Marble Room 3F
Demographic and Societal Change through the Japanese Lens
Joseph Coleman, Indiana University Bloomington, United States

12:15-12:30: Conference Photograph

12:30-13:30: Lunch Break

13:30-14:15: Featured Panel Presentation | Marble Room 3F
Digital Transformation (DX) in Japanese Business Organisations
Will Baber, Kyoto University Graduate School of Management, Japan
Anshuman Khare, Athabasca University, Canada
Kanji Kitamura, Loyola University, United States and Hawaii Pacific University, United States
Yuko Onozaka, University of Stavanger, Norway

14:15-15:00: Featured Presentation | Marble Room 3F
Publishing in the Humanities
Alfonso J. García Osuna, City University of New York, Kingsborough & Hofstra University, United States

Toshi Center Hotel

15:15-16:15: Conference Poster Session | Room 701

16:15-16:45: Cultural Presentation | Room 701
Fusuma: The Art of Japanese Sliding Doors
Fusuma Club, University of Tokyo, Japan

Gonpachi

19:00-21:00: Conference Dinner (Optional Extra)

Toshi Center Hotel

08:30-09:30: Registration & Coffee

09:30-11:10: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 1
Room 703: Literary Studies
Room 704: Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts
Room 705: Psychology & Social Psychology
Room 707: Education and Social Welfare
Room 708: Economics and Management

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-13:05: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 2
Room 703: Interdisciplinary Language, Literature & Arts
Room 704: Teaching & Learning the Arts/Humanities
Room 705: Health Sciences/Social Work
Room 707: Education and Social Welfare
Room 708: Economics and Management

13:05-14:05: Lunch Break

14:05-14:55: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 3
Room 703: COVID-19 & the Arts
Room 704: Teaching Methods Across Disciplines and Cultures
Room 705: Research Methodologies, Quantitative and Qualitative
Room 707: Notions of Beauty, Harmony, and Composition in Theatre
Room 708: Law & Criminology

14:55-15:10: Coffee Break

15:10-16:50: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 4
Room 703: Sexuality, Gender, Families
Room 704: Society & Culture/Urban Studies
Room 705: Environmental and Health Sciences
Room 707: Sustainability
Room 708: Economics and Management

Toshi Center Hotel

08:30-09:30: Registration & Coffee

09:30-11:10: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 1
Room 703: Language, Linguistics/Teaching, Learning
Room 704: Teaching and Learning
Room 705: Global Issues & Human Rights
Room 707: Politics & Public Policy
Room 708: Science, Environment and the Humanities

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-12:40: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 2
Room 703: Literary Studies
Room 704: Teaching and Learning
Room 705: Media & Media Arts
Room 707: Politics, Public Policy, Law & Criminology
Room 708: Cultural and Media Studies

12:40-13:40: Lunch Break

13:40-14:55: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 3
Room 703: Aesthetics, Design
Room 704: Teaching and Learning
Room 705: Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Studies and Humanities
Room 707: Social History
Room 708: Economics and Management

14:55-15:10: Coffee Break

15:10-16:25: Onsite Parallel Presentation Session 4
Room 703: Journalism and Communications
Room 704: Ethnicity, Difference, Identity
Room 705: Interdisciplinary Sciences
Room 707: Education and Social Welfare
Room 708: Economics and Management

16:25-16:40: Onsite Closing Session | Room 703

Online via Zoom

11:30-11:35: Message from IAFOR

11:35-13:15: Online Parallel Presentation Session 1
Room A: International Social Studies
Room B: Interdisciplinary Arts

13:15-13:30: Break

13:30-14:45: Online Parallel Presentation Session 2
Room A: Religion, Spirituality
Room B: Visual Arts Practices

14:45-15:00: Break

15:00-17:05: Online Parallel Presentation Session 3
Room A: Literary Studies
Room B: Interdisciplinary Arts

17:05-17:10: Message from IAFOR

The above schedule may be subject to change.

Featured Presentations

  • Fusuma: The Art of Japanese Sliding Doors
    Fusuma: The Art of Japanese Sliding Doors
    Cultural Presentation: Todai Fusuma Club, University of Tokyo
  • Inaugural Address from the President of IAFOR: Climate Change Challenges and International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Perspective
    Inaugural Address from the President of IAFOR: Climate Change Challenges and International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Perspective
    Keynote Presentation: Jun Arima
  • Demographic and Societal Change through the Japanese Lens
    Demographic and Societal Change through the Japanese Lens
    Featured Interview: Joseph Coleman & Joseph Haldane
  • Digital Transformation (DX) in Japanese Business Organisations
    Digital Transformation (DX) in Japanese Business Organisations
    Featured Panel Presentation: William Baber, Anshuman Khare, Kanji Kitamura, Yuko Onozawa
  • Publishing in the Humanities
    Publishing in the Humanities
    Featured Presentation: Alfonso J. García Osuna

Conference Programme

The online version of the Conference Programme is now available to view below via the Issuu viewing platform. Alternatively, download a PDF version. The Conference Programme can also be viewed on the Issuu website (requires a web browser). An Issuu app is available for Android users.

Click to download as a PDF

The Conference Programme contains access information, session information and a detailed day-to-day presentation schedule.

Important Information Emails

All registered attendees will receive an Important Information email and updates in the run-up to the conference. Please check your email inbox for something from "iafor.org". If you can not find these emails in your normal inbox, it is worth checking in your spam or junk mail folders as many programs filter out emails this way. If these did end up in one of these folders, please add the address to your acceptable senders' folder by whatever method your email program can do this.

Pre-Recorded Virtual Presentations

A number of presenters have submitted pre-recorded virtual video presentations. We encourage you to watch these presentations and provide feedback through the video comments. A full list of these is on the conference website.

Virtual Video Presentations

Previous Programming

View details of programming for past ACSS conferences via the links below.

ACSS2022 ACSS2021 ACSS2020
ACSS2019 ACSS2018 ACSS2017
ACSS2016 ACSS2015 ACSS2014
ACSS2013 ACSS2012 ACSS2011
ACSS2010
Fusuma: The Art of Japanese Sliding Doors
Cultural Presentation: Todai Fusuma Club, University of Tokyo

The Todai Fusuma Club is a student organisation based at the University of Tokyo, also known as Todai, in Japan. The club is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of traditional Japanese art, specifically the art of fusuma, which are sliding panels used to divide rooms in Japanese architecture. The club members learn how to repair and decorate fusuma using traditional techniques, such as painting with mineral pigments and gold leaf. The Todai Fusuma Club provides a space for students to connect with Japanese culture and history through hands-on practice and artistic expression.

Inaugural Address from the President of IAFOR: Climate Change Challenges and International, Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Perspective
Keynote Presentation: Jun Arima

Climate change is one of the most difficult negative externalities at a global scale. While the benefits of climate mitigation are globally shared, mitigation costs need to be borne in each country, leading to the "free rider" problem.

Developed countries are pushing for increasingly ambitious mitigation targets, while developing countries demand more financial assistance. Developed countries give the highest priority to climate action; developing countries prioritise zero poverty, zero hunger, good health, education, and decent jobs as more urgent issues.

In addition to the inherent rift between the global north and south, the "new Cold War" emerging from the Ukraine War is pushing the world back to multi-polar power politics.

We need to examine climate change from the perspective of broader sustainable development. This calls for an interdisciplinary approach, addressing climate change not only from energy and climate perspectives but also many other aspects such as legal, social, and historical.

The purpose of this conference is to bring nations, cultures, disciplines, ideas, and people together, which is also relevant to global climate issues since mutual understanding and respect for different cultural, social, and national circumstances are prerequisites for finding solutions.

Read presenter's biography
Demographic and Societal Change through the Japanese Lens
Featured Interview: Joseph Coleman & Joseph Haldane

Japan is an interesting case study for ageing because it is one of the most rapidly ageing societies in the world. The proportion of people aged 65 years or older is currently around 28%, which is the highest among all major developed countries. The number of centenarians in Japan is also the highest in the world, with over 80,000 people aged 100 or older, as of 2021.

Since 2011, the Japanese population has also been declining. This demographic trend in Japan is due to a combination of factors, including a low fertility rate, a long life expectancy, and a lack of immigration at the levels seen in North America or Europe. These factors have important implications for various aspects of Japanese society, such as healthcare, social welfare, the labour market, and economic growth. Furthermore, Japan has implemented various policies and programs to address the challenges posed by its ageing population, such as promoting active ageing, increasing the availability of nursing care services, and encouraging immigration. These policies have important implications for other countries that are also facing ageing populations.

This interview will look at how these trends have affected Japan and Japanese society, and draw on comparative and contrastive cases from other countries as it is often seen as a canary in the coal mine. Japan might be in front, but it is certainly not alone, and there are many parts of the world with similar demographic trends looking closely at Japan as a model and anti-model, in particular looking at issues relating to an ageing workforce in both the US and China.

Read presenter's biography
Digital Transformation (DX) in Japanese Business Organisations
Featured Panel Presentation: William Baber, Anshuman Khare, Kanji Kitamura, Yuko Onozawa

This presentation will discuss Digital Transformation (DX) in Japanese business organisations, with a focus on the following areas:

  • How the technical skills of business leaders are hindering the implementation of DX in Japan.
  • How organisations in Japan are handling the challenge of insufficient IT skills among workers.
  • The potential impact of initiatives from Japan's Digital Agency and other government entities on business organisations.
  • How domestic and overseas partners motivate Japanese businesses to adopt DX.
  • Recommendations for business managers on their next steps.

    • Read presenters' biographies
    Publishing in the Humanities
    Featured Presentation: Alfonso J. García Osuna

    Publication is the unavoidable avenue for scholarly and academic interaction as well as for making one's way up the ladder in today's very competitive academic environment. The quality of a scholar's publications is a critical measure of the relative merit of not only the individual scholar, but of the institution where they work. A significant collection of publications not only gains respect among colleagues and students, but also paves the way for appointments, reappointments, grants, and promotions.

    However, publishing one's work is not as simple as just coming up with a great idea or theory, then articulating and submitting it. Many authors with whom I work as editor of the IAFOR Journal of Arts and Humanities, make similar disqualifying mistakes and work under the same misconceptions regarding the publication of their manuscripts. Consequently, we will be detailing the differences between successful and unsuccessful submissions in terms of academic language, urbane expression, and scope of analysis in order to maximise the manuscript's chances of acceptance. There is a widespread and evident deficiency in authors' understanding of the process and of how to participate in it to their advantage, so this conversation is an effort to correct mistakes in the process of submitting manuscripts through clear, practical, logical advice from a seasoned editor. The work of experts in publishing practice will be referenced to expand the scope of our discussion.

    Read presenter's biography