The conference “A Multitude of Encounters with Asia – Gender Perspectives” takes place at the University of Iceland, 13–17 October 2014. It is the 8th annual conference of the Nordic Institute for Asia Studies (NIAS) and is co-sponsored by the EDDA Center and Gendering Asia Network. A two-day Ph.D. course will be held following the conference.

This year‘s theme is macro and micro level encounters with Asia, including relations between Asia and the Nordic countries. The traveling of theories, concepts, ideas, practices, products and people is the starting point of discussion. On the one hand, the question is posed how gender and gender relations play into, create, and are recreated in the course of a multitude of encounters. On the other hand, it will be explored how transnational feminism has produced knowledge within the context of globalization.

On Tuesday, 14 October 2014, plenary sessions on the theme “Travelling Theory and Cultural Translation” will be open to the public. Keynote speakers are Kathy Davis, Senior Research Fellow, VU University, Amsterdam, who will give a lecture entitled “Feminism as Traveling Theory and Transnational Practice: The Case of ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’” and Mary E. John, Senior Fellow, Centre for Women‘s Development Studies, New Delhi, who will give the lecture “Rethinking ‘Local’ and ‘Global’ Feminisms: Perspectives from India”. The keynote speeches will be followed by three paper sessions on the same theme, at 11:30–12:30, 13:30–15:00, and 15:30–16:30.

The sessions take place in Radisson Blu Saga Hotel, conference room Katla II, 9:00–16:30. For further information, see the program for Tuesday 14 October.