Culture in the Pandemic Age 
Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Society Virtual Conference
26-30 July 2021, National University of Singapore, Singapore

In July 2021, the Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Society (IACSS) Conference, organised by the Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Society (IACSS) and the NUS Cultural Research Centre, held a first-ever virtual conference that live-streamed keynotes and plenaries by distinguished scholars and practitioners regionally and internationally. The conference comprised 3 segments:

26 July - Graduate Conference: 1 keynote, 2 plenaries
27 July - Cultural Studies in Singapore Conference: 1 welcome address & opening roundtable, 2 plenaries
28-30 July - Main IACSS Conference: 1 keynote, 7 plenaries, General Assembly

Total: 14 live-stream keynotes and plenaries, General Assembly

Conference Programmes
As a first-ever virtual conference, the IACSS Conference was designed as a hybrid conference constituting both live-streamed and pre-recorded presentations that comprised pre-constituted panels individual papers and roundtables. Both live-streamed and pre-recorded presentations were hosted on the website, which featured user-friendly navigation for conference participants. Everyone had access and could participate in the presentations hosted in the Auditorium and Conference Hall, where the live sessions (plenaries and keynotes) and pre-recorded presentations could be accessed respectively.

Live Plenaries @ Auditorium
There were a total of 14 plenaries and keynotes for the conference, with a live audience and Q&A hosted daily in the Auditorium. Plenaries for the Main IACSS Conference featured topics such as:

• De-globalization
• China in Transition
• Digital Cultures/Futures
• Trans Lives in the Pandemic Age
• Youth Movements in Asia under Crises
• Inter-Asia Cultural Studies in the Future Tense
• Global Rankings and the Culture of Knowledge Production

Keynotes and IACSS General Assembly

Each segment of the conference opened with a keynote address and featured special programmes such as the Publication Base Camp for the Graduate Conference and a Closing Roundtable for the IACSS Conference.

Pre-recorded Presentations @ Conference Hall
The virtual conference also featured pre-recorded presentations from the call for papers, hosted in the Conference Hall for all participants. These are pre-recorded video presentations that could be viewed a week before the conference began. Each panel page featured the respective videos of panellists, alongside a comments box that allowed viewers to leave questions and comments.

• Graduate Conference: 13 panels
• Cultural Studies in Singapore Conference: 3 panels
• Main Conference: 43 panels, 2 spotlight sessions, 2 book launches

Total: 61 panels, 2 book launches (237 programmed presenters, 180 video presentations)

Live Q&A @ Lounge
The pre-recorded sessions were programmed with live Q&A sessions, which allowed participants to converse with panellists on their papers. These sessions were hosted in the Lounge and offered intimate gatherings of discussions on the different pre-recorded presentations. It offered everyone the opportunity to meet and chat with peers in real-time.

Lounge for Live Q&A and Breakout rooms

Arts and Culture Bazaar
The conference featured an Arts and Culture Bazaar that shared the works of Singapore creatives. From Indie music to a visual arts exhibition and a documentary film feature, the bazaar was live throughout the conference and introduced participants to the local creative scene.

Publishers’ Bazaar
The Publishers' Bazaar introduced new publications from scholars in the region and in the conference, with well-known publishers such as Routledge and NUS Press, and Epigram Books, a local publishing house, with discounts offered during the conference.

• Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group
• National University of Singapore Press
• Epigram Books
• World Scientific
• ISEAS Publishing: 50% discount for all publications in this catalogue
• Hijras, Lovers and Brothers by Vaibhav Saria (2021)
• Handbook on the Geographies of Creativity edited by Anjeline de Dios & Lily Kong (2020)

Total: 5 publisher partners, 2 book discount offers

For a full overview of all conference programmes, download the programme booklet here: IACSS21_ProgrammeBooklet