Until 2011, the Congress of the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA) was organized every two years on a rotational basis in the sub-regions of Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. In 2012, the Executive Committe decided to hold the Congress each year. The First APISA Congress, 2003 was held in Singapore (135 participants), the Second APISA Congress, 2005 was held in Hong Kong (110 participants) and the Third APISA Congress, 2007 convened in New Delhi (77 participants). The Fourth APISA Congress, 2009 took place in Manila (327 participants) and the Fifth APISA Congress in 2011 in Taichung (Taiwan) with over 260 participants. Further congresses took place in Turkey, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Japan and Thailand (see Table below).
The Congress is the grandest event of the organization. Its main activity is academic in nature, and focuses on paper presentations in specific panels and workshops. Almost all attending the Congress make presentations based on abstracts that are vetted beforehand by the relevant committee of the Congress. The Congress is also a forum for the Business Meeting where the Executive Secretary of APISA presents his/her annual report and takes cognizance of feedback and resolutions that determine policy direction. Finally, the Congress endorses the democratically elected Executive Committee which also finds it expedient to meet and deliberate on policy issues.
In a sense, the Congress represents a microcosm of APISA’s objectives of promoting teaching and research, disseminating research findings, and encouraging linkages among individual academics and institutions. Academics from Asia, especially those who feel marginalized within the dominant academic discourses in the West, now have a chance to present their research and disseminate it among participating individuals and institutions. In line with its capacity development agenda, APISA provides subsidized travel and accommodation grants to academics from less-developed provincial institutions, and special effort is made to ensure balanced gender representation.
Institutions interested in hosting an APISA Congress should contact the Co-ordinator.
APISA Congresses
| Year | Theme | Place | Participants | Organizing Institutions |
Funding
|
|
| First Congress | 2003 | Asia in the New Millennium: Development, Democracy and Security | Singapore | 135 | Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies and Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore | Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, and Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore
|
| Second Congress | 2005 | Governance Dilemmas in Asia: Public Action in a Competitive and Insecure World | Hong Kong | 110 | City University of Hong Kong | Swedish International Development Agency, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the City University of Hong Kong
|
| Third Congress | 2007 | Conceptions of Justice in Asia | New Delhi | 77 | Developing Countries Research Centre, University of Delhi, Centre for Policy Research (Delhi) and Jamia Millia Islamia |
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, University of Delhi, University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, Ministry of External Affairs and the Ford Foundation (New Delhi)
|
| Fourth Congress | 2009 | Asia in the Midst of Crises: Political, Economic, and Social Dimensions | Manila | 327 | International Studies Department, De La Salle University, the Yuchengco Center, and the Philippine Political Science Association |
Japan Foundation
|
| Fifth Congress | 2011 | Regional Integration in Asia and Europe in the 21st Century | Taichung | 264 | Overseas Chinese University (Taiwan), Thammasat University (Thailand), De La Salle University Manila (Philippines), Institute of Social and Societal Changes (Austria), Austrian Association of East Asian Studies | National Science Council Taiwan, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, City of Taichung
|
| Sixth Congress | 2012 | Policy and Politics in Changing Asia | Hong Kong | 138 | City University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Institute of Education | City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and the Office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macao
|
| Seventh Congress | 2013 | PEOPLE ON THE MOVE! Citizen Engagement and Collective Action Within and Across Asian Societies |
Ankara | 150 | Middle East Technical University | Middle East Technical University, Konrad Adenauer Foundation
|
| Eighth Congress | 2014 | Human Security, Conflict Management, Security Sector Reform and Local Democratization | Chiang Mai | 149 | Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs, affiliated with Chiang Mai University Department of Asian and Policy Studies, Hong Kong Institute of Education |
Hong Kong Institute of Education South Asia Democratic Forum Konrad Adenaur Foundation Friedrich Ebert Foundation Peace and Human Security in Asia (PAHSA)
|
| Ninth Congress | 2015 | Asia in 2015 and Beyond: New Challenges and Governance Agendas |
Phnom Penh | 137 | Royal University of Phnom Penh and Ewha Womans University | Ewha Womans University
|
| Tenth Congress | 2016 | The Asia-Pacific Conference on Security and International Relations 2016 | Osaka | 130 | Osaka School of International Public Policy, International Academic Forum | Japan Foundation
|
| Eleventh Congress | 2017 | 50 Years of ASEAN amidst Contemporary Challenges: Human Security, Conflict Resolution, Connectivity and Democratization | Phitsanulok | 163 | College of ASEAN Community Studies, Naresuan University | Konrad Adenaur Foundation Friedrich Ebert Foundation Naresuan University
|
| Twelth Congress | 2018 | Revisiting Bandung: Cultivating Asia's Insights on Global International Relations and Political Science | Bandung, Indonesia | 102 | Parahyangan Catholic University | Parahyangan Catholic University
|
| Thirteenth Congress |
2019 | Asian Conference on Human Security, Multiculturalism and Democracy | Swutel Hotel Bangkok | 89 | Naresuan University | Naresuan University
|
| Fourteenth Congress | 2020 | New and Future Governance Challenges in East Asia | Kyung Hee University, South Korea | 48 | Kyung Hee University/Korean International Studies Association (KISA) | Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
|
| Fifteenth Congress | 2021 | Asian Conference on Human Security, Multiculturalism and Democracy | Ewha Womans University, Seoul | 45 | Ewha Womans University/Korean International Studies Association (KISA) | Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
|
| Sixteenth Congress | 2022 | World on Fire: Whither International Cooperation? | Chiang Mai University, Thailand | 49 | Chiang Mai University/IAFOR Research Centre | Korea Foundation |
| Seventeenth Congress | 2023 | Towards New Modalities of Governance in Asia: E-democracy, Civil Society, and Human-Centred Policymaking | Warmadewa College, Bali, Indonesia | 75 | IAFOR/Warmadewa College | Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Rosenberg Institute, WISC, TANSDA, Naresuan University |