CFP: Intimacy, Mobility, and Family Change in Contemporary East Asia and Beyond


International Workshop, July 23-24, 2019

The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem


Intimacy is a basic and universal human condition, yet it is deeply embedded in social, historical, and economic circumstances. Interpretations of intimacy vary across different sociocultural contexts, and reflect particularities related to human life cycle, family structure, intergenerational dynamics and more.



In recent years, East Asian societies have undergone significant transformations. Economic changes have accelerated socioeconomic stratification, while population aging and dropping birth rate have been producing new demographic challenges. These factors further complicated the inter-generational dynamic and had a profound effect on familial structures and relationships. Against such backdrop, a number of questions may be posited:

• How does intimacy play out in various social domains?

• How is it changing and how is it not? How do notions of intimacy respond to social change?

• How does intimacy vary across different generations?

• What are the implicit and explicit manifestations of intimacy?

• Methodologically, how can researchers better capture the evolving complexity of intimacy?


We are inviting solidly grounded studies that explore new understandings of intimacy, identify emerging trends and concerns, and address ongoing negotiations on intimacy in various social domains in contemporary East Asian societies. Possible topics and issues to explore might include (but are not limited to):

• (Im)migration and demographic change

• Generational shifts and intergenerational tensions/alliances

• Care and caregiving

• Education, socialization, and childrearing

• Language, nomenclature, and discourses

• Embodied and spatial practice

• Mental/psychological well-being and coping mechanism

• Gender and sexuality

• Media and popular culture


Abstracts of 250 words, with few lines of biographical information, should be submitted electronically to: intimacyandchangeinea@gmail.com <mailto:intimacyandchangeinea@gmail.com> by March 31, 2019


Notification of acceptance by: April 15, 2019

*Pending budgetary approval, accommodation and transportation from/to the airport will be provided during the workshop