International Conference and Fieldwork Workshop:
Unfamiliar Neighbours: Empowering Minority Heritage in East Asian Port Cities (Section One: Jan. 16-18, Section Two: Jan. 24-28)
Posters (Section One , Section Two)
Abstract
This conference brings together scholars, community leaders, NGO practitioners, cultural activists, and policymakers to explore the diverse and often overlooked experiences of groups positioned as cultural or political minorities within Asia’s historic and contemporary port cities. Port-cities across East and Southeast Asia—such as Yokohama, Hirado, Malacca, Penang, Singapore, Tainan, and Hong Kong—have long served as vibrant crossroads of trade, migration, and religious encounter. Yet their dominant historical narratives often marginalise the contributions and perspectives of certain communities. These communities may be minorities in terms of ethnicity, language, religion, or citizenship status—though what constitutes a ‘minority” can shift dramatically across time and geography. This project aims to uncover and reframe these “unfamiliar neighbours” as central participants in the making of urban heritage, regional connectivity, and pluralistic identities. It also explores how such communities negotiate visibility, continuity, and belonging—especially in moments of political transformation or cultural erasure. At the heart of this project is a commitment to rethinking the concept of diversity from an East Asian perspective. Rather than relying on models of liberal multiculturalism shaped by Western societies, the project highlights how diversity has been historically negotiated in East Asia through religious practices, trade diasporas, ritual participation, and localised systems of coexistence. These alternative forms of diversity offer insights into pluralism not grounded in individual rights frameworks but in shared spaces, collective memory, and situated negotiation.
The conference marks the first stage of this initiative. With around 50 presenters in a hybrid format, the event will include academic panels, roundtables with NGO and a series of fieldwork in Japan’s port-cities in January. Topics will examine lesser-known traditions, dislocated communities, informal heritage practices, and how community actors confront marginalisation within the heritage economy. It is currently supported by international and domestic research institutes, heritage foundations, and government academic grants. The conference also serves as a launchpad for a broader multi-country collaboration, in application to The Toyota Foundation 2025 International Grant Program, involving fieldwork in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau throughout 2026–2027.
Program
Section One
Jan. 16 – Conference (Online; 6 Panels)
Jan. 17 – Fieldwork: Yokohama Guandi Temple, Tianhou Temple, Chinese Cemetery (Host: Yohohama Chinese Association)
Jan. 18 – Conference (In-person; Venue: Room #502, Bldg. 26, Waseda Campus, Waseda University)
09:00 – 13:00 Academic Event (Keynote Speech + 3 Panels)
14:00 – 18:00 NGO and Heritage Stakeholder Workshop: Yokohama Chinese Association, Matsura Historical Museum, Dutch Trading Post
Section Two
Jan. 24 – Fieldwork: Chinese temples and Cemeteries @ Nagasaki
Jan. 25 – Fieldwork: Dutch Heritages, Catholic Heritages @ Nagasaki (Host: Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument)
Jan. 26 – Fieldwork: Chinese Piracy and Matsura Family related Heritages @ Hirado (Host: Matsura Historical Museum)
Jan. 27, 28 – Fieldwork: Dutch Heritages, Catholic Heritages @ Hirado (Host: Dutch Trading Post (Hirado));
Heritage Workshop @ Dutch Trading Post (Hirado) Museum
Speakers
TBA
Date
Section One: January 16-18, 2026
Section Two: January 24-28, 2026
Time: TBA
Venue
Conference (In-person) on Jan. 18:
Room #502, Bldg. 26, Waseda Campus, Waseda University
Prospected Audience
Research members, Faculty members, General Participants
Language
English
Organizer
Waseda Institute for Advanced Studies (WIAS)
Co-organizer
Convenor
HUNG Tak Wai (Assistant Professor, WIAS)
Call for Papers & Registration
To apply, please complete the Google form (accessible via links in the documents below or the QR Codes in the posters) and provide the necessary details.
Section One (Tokyo & Yokohama, Jan 16-18, 2026)
Section Two (Nagasaki & Hirado, Jan 24-28, 2026)
