Mentoring Sessions (Roundtable and Workshop)

The conference places a special emphasis on mentoring, and the schedule features a rich array of mentorship roundtables and workshops. You can find the schedule for each session in the conference program. 

Mentoring Session 1. 

Demystifying the Scholarly Book Publishing Process (Special Session)

William Masami HAMMELL (Senior Acquisitions Editor/University of Pittsburgh Press)

This session will provide a broad overview of the publishing process for scholarly books, from developing proposals and approaching presses to navigating peer review and preparing manuscripts for production. Depending on participant interest, additional topics may include revising dissertations for publication and seeking editorial support services. The session will conclude with a robust Q&A period during which more specific questions can be addressed.

Mentoring Session 2. 

East Asian Anthropology/Asian Studies Graduate Programs in Europe (Roundtable)

Bonnie Tilland (Leiden University), Yoonai HAN (Leiden University), Youngah GUAHK (LUISS University), Yuki ASAHINA (University of Manchester), Yookyeong IM (University of Sheffield), Ed PULFORD (University of Manchester)

In this roundtable aimed at students, faculty members at universities from various European countries will discuss Anthropology and interdisciplinary Asian Studies graduate study opportunities (both at the MA and PhD level) in Europe. Topics include: the anthropology and Asian Studies academic landscape at regional, national, and institutional levels; the admissions process; the funding structure; and exchange opportunities outside of degree programs. There will also be an opportunity for discussion and Q&A.

Mentoring Session 3. 

Seeking Job Opportunities in East Asia (Roundtable)

Jun Zhang (City University of Hong Kong), Zach Howlett (National University of Singapore), Kunisuke Hirano (Keio University), CedarBough Saeji (Pusan National University)

This roundtable brings together four scholars who have successfully navigated the academic job market in East Asia, namely, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. Drawing from their own experiences, they will address the current landscape of the job market in East Asia, while also offering concrete advice on preparing applicant materials, handling interviews and campus visits, and other features of job search in East Asia for those who speak English. This session aims to be a candid and useful guide for graduate students and early-career scholars considering East Asia as a potential site of academic employment.

Mentoring Session 4. 

Writing and Publishing an Academic Journal Article (Workshop, Pre-registration Required)

Nan KIM (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) 

This workshop will explore the varied set of practices and processes that go into the writing and publication of a journal article, with the goal of demystifying this foundational aspect of an academic career. We’ll discuss the stages of getting from a “proto-draft” to publication: from developing or adapting a paper into a potential publication, choosing the right journal and making a pre-submission inquiry, preparing a manuscript to send out, anticipating what to expect from peer review, and approaching the iterative process of revisions. We’ll also consider ways to avoid potential pitfalls, along with advice for handling the final stages of getting one’s manuscript across the finish line to publication. This workshop may be particularly helpful to early-career scholars as well as those who mentor emerging researchers.

NB: Due to space constraints, we ask that graduate students who register should be PhD dissertators at the post-fieldwork stage of their doctoral programs. 

Professor Nan Kim serves as a Transregional Editor of Critical Asian Studies. She is an Associate Professor of History and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Please note that space for this workshop is limited to the first 25 registrants. We ask that you kindly notify us if you secure a registered spot but are unable to attend. Once the workshop is at capacity, a waitlist will open, and in the event of cancellations, those on the waitlist will be notified in the order that their registrations were received.

Please register through this link: https://forms.gle/2kgT6tCUBAviQym68

Mentoring Session 5. 

How Do You Go about Book Publishing? Authors share their experiences in book publication (Roundtable)

Ellen OXFELD (Middlebury College), Ed PULFORD (University of Manchester), Olga FEDORENKO (Seoul National University), Teresa KUAN (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Publishing a book is a crucial milestone in a scholar’s academic career in many academic fields, alongside journal articles. Yet, despite its significance, many early-career scholars have few opportunities to learn about the book publication process and how to navigate it successfully. In this roundtable, four authors will share their experiences and insights, from crafting and submitting book proposals, to reaching out to editors, receiving acceptances or rejections, developing manuscript drafts to the final version, and managing their time effectively throughout the whole process. Given that authors around the world have different strategies for publishing, and that each academic press has its own distinctive intellectual priorities, this roundtable highlights the diverse paths authors have taken and the lessons they have learned. This session will be especially valuable for scholars who plan to pursue book publication in the near future, offering practical guidance and candid reflections.