Call for Abstracts - The 25th East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference
The 25th East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference
Conference Dates: February 12-15, 2026
Each year, the East-West Center welcomes graduate students from around the world for the annual International Graduate Student Conference (EWC-IGSC) on the Asia-Pacific region. Launched in 2002, this student-run and organized Conference provides an opportunity for scholars to share interdisciplinary perspectives formally, through presenting research papers and attending other panel presentations, and informally in the multi-cultural environment of the East-West Center in Hawai‘i.
2026 Theme: “Legacies Through Time: Rethinking the Past, Confronting the Present, Shaping the Future”
How do the legacies we inherit—and the ones we leave behind—shape our histories, identities, and futures? From historical and disciplinary inheritances to intergenerational memory, language, artistic expression, and environmental transformation, legacies are everywhere. At IGSC 2026, we invite graduate students and advanced undergraduates from all disciplines to critically engage with legacies in all their forms.
For this milestone 25th IGSC, we invite an intentional and expansive exploration of legacies in all their forms and complexities. We welcome proposals from all disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives that address, among other, interrelated topics:
Institutional, historical, or disciplinary inheritances
Environmental and ecological legacies
Artistic, linguistic, and cultural traditions
Archival silences, contested histories, and resurgence
Futures-thinking and how legacies shape science, resistance, health, or Indigenous futures
The IGSC offers a collaborative and supportive space for graduate students to share their work, receive thoughtful feedback, and build conversations across fields and regions. We welcome proposals for presentations in diverse formats including academic papers, creative works, performance, and film. Participants may choose to present in person at the East-West Center or virtually via a live online platform, enhancing accessibility for international and remote attendees. Presentations should clearly connect to the conference theme, both in the abstract and delivery.
We welcome proposals for presentations in diverse formats including academic papers, creative works, performance, and film. Undergraduates are also welcome to submit proposals that meaningfully engage with the conference theme.
For any inquiries or questions regarding the conference, please connect with us at igsc@eastwestcenter.org.
