CFP: Border Heritage Sessions

Venue: Kyoto, Japan

Date: November 19-22, 2026

Japan's Borders in Globalization is seeking applications for sessions on Japan's Border Heritage for a conference in Kyoto on 19-22 November 2026.

As part of the international conference on “Shared Heritage? Transcending Insularity in Japan and the World” taking place in Kyoto, we are seeking papers that contribute to examinations of Japan’s borders and their heritage. The “Shared Heritage?” conference will focus on questions of heritage, memory, circulation, and transnationalism, and the role of borders in their practice. The Border Heritage Sessions will hone in on the operation of Japan’s borders past and present, and will build upon the themes of border-crossing and shared heritage showcased at other sessions of the conference.

The Border Heritage Sessions aims to foster groundbreaking work on all aspects of borders and mobility in Japan, develop research and case studies by the next generation of border researchers, and promote networking amongst early career researchers at both the graduate and postgraduate levels. All participants will receive feedback and mentorship on their papers, and the aim of these sessions is to develop submissions into impactful academic articles. The target output for presented papers is a special issue in an indexed, peer-reviewed journal.

We are looking for exciting research proposals examining any aspect of Japan’s borders and mobility, and are particularly interested in projects which engage with:

•     Different understandings of territory, and how they affect the conceptualization and operation of borders. 

•     Relations of islands and insularity to borders and mobility.

•     Evolving and co-constitutive relations between the nation-state, sovereignty, and borders in contemporary political economy.

•     Roles of technology in the surveillance, control, and governance of borders and mobility.

•     Environmental factors and natural disasters on borders and mobility.

•     Locations and functions of borders and mobility within security discourse and practices.

Proposals for research on any other aspect of Japan’s borders from a wide set of approaches such as historiographical techniques, policy analyses, and ethnographic studies are welcome. Comparative studies looking at the operation of Japan’s borders in relation to those of its neighbors will also be considered.

Japan’s Borders in Globalization, the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), and the University of Victoria (Canada) offer travel grants for original research or policy papers to be critiqued and developed into full publications. Travel grants are intended to cover participation at the Sessions and the wider conference, travel, at least two nights’ accommodation, and support for expenses.

Convenors:

Edward Boyle (Nichibunken) & Tian Yunchen (Kyoto University)

Eligibility:

– The grants are open to both researchers/academics (i.e. graduate students and early career researchers) and decision/policy makers (i.e. policy officers and elected officials).

– The receipt of a Travel Grant is contingent on the submission of complete draft papers (of at least 5,000 words) for presentation and discussion at the Border Heritgae sessions. Draft papers should be submitted to the organizers by Friday 16 October 2026. Failure to submit a satisfactory draft paper will result in the revocation of the travel grant.

Application:

The basis for selection is an extended abstract (around 1,000 words) consisting of a brief introduction to the research project, methodology, preliminary results and potential conclusions.

The application should also include the following:

– Name and surname

– Current status

– Place of employment (if applicable)

– Curriculum vitae (2 pages)

Please send your CV, extended abstract and other application details to japansborders@gmail.com no later than Friday 5 June 2026.

Further details:

Grant recipients will be personally responsible for all arrangements and expenditure, including travel, insurance, home and personal commitments. There may be some accommodation available at Nichibunken for the duration of the conference.

Contact:

If you have any queries regarding eligibility or submission, please contact japansborders@gmail.com

Japan’s Borders in Globalization is partnered with 21st Century Borders, an SSHRC-funded research program based at the University of Victoria, which aims to create the largest research network of policy actors and academics in border studies world-wide. 21st Century Borders seeks the production of comparative and policy relevant research in Africa and Australasia, Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia in order to understand the operation of Borders in Globalization.