CfP: Esoteric Visions of the Past: East Asia and Beyond

The East Asian Network for the Academic Study of Esotericism (EANASE) will hold its second international conference on November 30 (Sat.) and December 1 (Sunday). The conference will be online, but we offer the possibility of a small on-site section for those who are able to come to Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan).

This conference aims to explore how the region once referred to as the “Far East” has influenced and shaped various esoteric and spiritual visions of history, and conversely, how fantastical views of the past were developed within and impacted different areas of East Asia.

We understand that East Asia is not a monolithic or readily-identifiable entity, but rather a historical construction that has been constantly reshaped and re-invoked for multiple reasons and by a number of actors, many of whom have come from outside the political frontiers of China, Japan and Korea.

Moreover, whereas an ‘East Asian-centred’ approach might be initially helpful to counterbalance ‘Euro-american-centred’ perspectives still prevalent in academic settings, East Asia – however defined – has flourished in a changing, closely interconnected world.

For more information, visit our website: https://eanase.com/2nd-eanase-conference/

Send your proposal by September 20 to eanase.office[at]gmail.com.