Image credit: Walailak Channel

GEO-SOCIAL CONNECTION: THE CONTINUING JOURNEY OF CRITICAL INQUIRY

The 2025 conference website can be accessed here.
The full Call for Papers can be accessed here.

Mission
We are pleased to announce the theme for our highly anticipated 2025 Inter-Asia Conference: “Geo-Social Connection: The Continuing Journey of Critical Inquiry,” We introduce the term “geo-social” as a conceptual tool to capture Inter-Asian connections that go beyond the geopolitical. This theme emphasizes the interconnectedness of geography and society as key sites of knowledge production across Asia. Our mission is to spark innovative research methods, promote collaborative solutions to Asian challenges, and ignite deep intellectual curiosity. One tactical approach to fostering existing and emerging geo-social connections is through “inter-referencing,” which highlights shared issues, political processes, and societal dynamics that often remain hidden. Join us on a journey of critical inquiry and intellectual exploration with warm hospitality!

Important Dates
Proposal Submission Deadline: 1 November 2024
Acceptance Announcement: 15 February 2025
Final Cluster Submission: 30 April 2025

Location
Drawing on Gramsci’s concept of The Southern Question, we seek to explore the solidarity of subjugated knowledge from other southern locations. Nestled on the east coast of southern Thailand, Nakhon Si Thammarat province (นครศรีธรรมราช) derives its name from Sanskrit, meaning “City of the Sacred Dharma King.”  Locally known as “Muang Khon” and in Malay as “Ligor,” the province is situated between the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal, right in the maritime Trans-Asiatic trade network, equidistant from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Its intellectual atmosphere is steeped in intercultural exchanges, diverse languages, and multiple local beliefs. The province offers a rich setting for examining how we can forge geo-social connections to challenge hegemonic alliances in global geopolitics and knowledge production. Scholars, practitioners, and activists from Asia and beyond are welcome to visit Nakhon Si Thammarat. It is easy to reach by one-hour flight from Bangkok or overnight bus or train.

Hosts
Center of Geosocial and Cultural Research for Sustainable Development, Walailak University
School of Political Science and Public Administration, Walailak University

In Collaboration With
Social Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University
Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University
Department of Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Victoria
The Association of Researchers of Thailand

For inquiries about the 2025 conference, please contact iacs2025wu@gmail.com