Open for registration during the summer, deadline: 1 August 2008

Joint conference and PhD course
3rd Nordic NIAS Council Conference, 5th Biennial NORASIA,
10th Anniversary of NTNU's Japan Programme and
40th Anniversary of NIAS

Time and Venue
12-16 November 2008 at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway

The 10 panels at the conference Asian Creativity in Culture and Technology are now in palace are we are inviting participants to submit papers to specific panels.

PANELS

• Panel 1: Asian creativity - from a cultural studies perspective
• Panel 2: Creative industries and organizations (e.g. media, games, design, museums) and the new markets in Asia
• Panel 3: Creating, promoting and governing creative economies in Asia
• Panel 4: The impact of creativity on innovation and business strategies in Asia
• Panel 5: Asian creativity between globalization and indigenous cultures
• Panel 6: Culture, technology and society in Asia
• Panel 7: Urbanization, regionalization, mega-cities and innovation
• Panel 8: Political creativity in South Asia
• Outside the creativity theme - Panel 9 A and B

A: Japanese & Asian Creativity in Renewable Energy Technology

B: Energy Security in Japan and East Asia

• Outside the creativity theme - Panel 10: Doing fieldwork in South Asia: Same-same or different?

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Academic

• Michael Keane, ARC Centre Fellow, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Topic: China's new soft power: implications for diversity and innovation in Chinese culture
• Martin Kenney, Professor, Center for Entrepreneurship, University of California, Davis. Topic: Where is creative entrepreneurship happening in China and India
• Smriti Srinivas, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis. Topic: Creating a space for the Sacred: Religiosity and Urbanism in contemporary South Asia 

 Business

• Henrik Jeppesen, Managing Director, MAA MDD, Christian Bjoern Design. Topic (preliminary): Nordic vs. Asian design and aesthetics

CALL FOR PAPERS

Today, Asian societies are characterized by tremendous social and economic change affecting most areas of society. This is evident in both popular and high culture as well as in the ongoing reconfiguration of markets, products, services, and technological innovations. Creativity - and Asian Creativity in particular - is a crucial driver behind these changes and thus deserves academic scrutiny.

Creativity is a key factor whenever existing norms, values, and ‘ways of doing things' are challenged. Entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, artists are all agents of creativity. So are many less privileged people who on a daily basis adjust to life in the swiftly changing Asian political, economic and cultural landscapes. At the same time creativity is hailed as one of the most important competitive resources throughout the world as it is assumed that creativity is crucial to non-technological as well as technological innovations. Hence, creativity is hailed in and by a range of sectors, groups and areas such as media, architecture, arts, fashion, film, popular culture, software/games etc. Equally important, creativity covers wider fields relating to innovation and technology within specific business systems, organizations and regions. What is particularly interesting to study is how these different dimensions interact, flow together, and produce new visions, products, services, creative standards, impressions, and spaces. As Asia’s economic and political importance increases it is only natural to ask:

• Is Asian Creativity different from creativity elsewhere in the world?
• How does Asian Creativity affect and shape products, services, markets, and regions in Asia?
• How does the Asian art scene influence Asian Creativity?
• How do the creative and innovative industries in Asia develop?
• Is there a spatial dimension in creativity and innovation?

DEADLINES AND CONFERENCE WEBSITE

Scholars and PhD students from the Nordic region and elsewhere are invited to submit papers addressing the above questions. There is a need for cross-fertilization when examining Asian creativity and hence the organizers would like to stress that scholars from all disciplines are welcome to submit papers.

Empirical as well as contributions that include a theoretical dimension in the approach to Asian
Creativity are welcome.

Deadline for submitting abstract via the conference website: 1 August 2008 (new date!)
Acceptance of abstracts by Academic Committee: 10 August 2008 (new date!)
Deadline for submitting the full paper via the conference website: 1 October 2008
www.asiancreativity.niasconferences.dk

Please see the attached PDF below for more information (registration, participation, contact etc.)