Trace and Trajectory in East Asian Culture

Trace and Trajectory in East Asian Cultures

Call for Papers

Arizona State University (Tempe Campus) III East Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference

January 16-17, 2026

A trace evokes the marks, remnants, and residues of the past. Rather than static records, trace embodies the temporal and spatial dimensions of the actions that produced them, representing intersections of movement, perception, and interaction. A trace can be the smallest and subtlest thing–a memory knot, a mark left by animals, travelers, or strangers, or can be the space between the lines of historical texts. A trajectory, on the other hand, is the path of movement that implies direction, growth, narrative, discourse, coming into an account, taking shapes, and becoming present. What is the dynamic tension between trace and trajectory? How do trace and trajectory translate and communicate with each other? How do texts, images, and materials reflect on the relationship between them? How can “trace and trajectory” help us rethink the histories of East Asia?

In the 2026 ASU East Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference, we invite innovative approaches to conceptualizing trace and trajectory in East Asian cultures. The keynote speakers are Dr. Andrea Bachner (Professor of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, Cornell University) and Dr. Nicholas Morrow Williams (Professor of Chinese Literature, Arizona State University). We welcome papers from humanistic fields that address these issues through such perspectives including but not limited to: art history; literature and literary criticism; comparative studies; philosophy; translation studies; film and media studies; religious studies; language and linguistics; gender studies; cultural studies; socio-historical transformation; human/non-human relationships.

Abstracts (max. 250 words) should be submitted by Sep. 15, 2025. Limited financial assistance may be available for graduate student presenters, subject to funding availability. Please state your intention to apply for financial assistance along with the abstract submission. Successful applicants will be notified on Oct. 1, 2025. In case of acceptance, presenters are required to submit a full conference paper by Dec. 1, 2025.

Please direct any questions as well as submissions to the conference organizers to the East Asian Studies Graduate Student Association (EASGrad): easgradconference@asu.edu.