Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Unit

ANARCS 2026 CFP

The ANARCS Unit welcomes all types of proposals, including but not limited to individual papers, prearranged papers panels, and roundtable discussions for the 2026 AAR Meeting in Denver, CO. All proposals related to Asian North American religions will be considered. In addition, we especially welcome proposals on the following topics:

Reconfiguring AAPI Religious Futures

In light of the 2026 AAR Presidential Theme (“FUTURE/S”), we invite proposals related to the future of Asian American religions and the study thereof. How do AAPI religious traditions consider the concepts of eschatology, teleology, and/or apocalypse? What do past/current studies of genealogical and generational trends tell us about the next generations of Asian American religious communities and identities? Are there new or emerging generational trends that raise questions about the future of Asian American religions? Especially in this time of political and economic uncertainty, what is the state of the academic study of AAPI religions? What is the role and responsibility of AAPI religion scholars to ensure the future of our field?

War, Conflict, and AANHPI Political Coalitional Identity

This past year has been marked with the initiation, persistence, and escalation of wars and political conflicts in the US and around the world. As such, we invite proposals related to the political identity and category of “Asian American” from religious perspectives. What are Asian American religious perspectives and/or activism in response to wars and political conflicts, domestic or international? In what ways do international wars/conflicts inform Asian American religio-political perspectives, whether it be the ongoing war in Palestine or the enduring US militarization of Asia-Pacific? How does the election of South Asian Muslim leaders like Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, signal new local as well as global expressions of leadership amid rising international conflict? 

Asian American Religions, Technology, and Science Fiction

We invite proposals that address the intersection of Asian American religions, technology, and science, both factual and fictional. How has the digital world and advancements in technology influenced Asian American religious sensibilities, especially as a function of digital diasporas? In what ways do Asian American religious traditions and communities reject or embrace evolving technologies, like artificial intelligence? What are the religious themes and undertones of Asian American literary and cinematic science fiction, especially pertaining to conceptions of Asian American futurism? How do popular extraterrestrial (aliens) and multiversal theories influence religious cosmologies? How do Asian American religions wrestle with the boundary between scientific fact and fiction? How do Asian American religious communities engage scientific misinformation and medical conspiracy theories? 

Progressive Pedagogies in a Regressive Era

Due to prevalent political, cultural, and legal attacks on universities and their professors, higher education is rightly experiencing an existential crisis. Therefore, we invite proposals that address the ways that scholars and teachers of Asian American religions can address the present societal dynamics. What are the risks and responsibilities of complying or resisting with institutional, state, and federal educational policies? What are strategies to preserve the integrity of AAPI scholarship and pedagogy, especially in institutions and states targeting open discussions of race, gender, etc? What are our pedagogical objectives for our students, i.e. what do we want them to learn in this political moment? How do we advocate for our students and colleagues whose educational desires/goals are impeded by anti-intellectual movements?