Asia has affected the study and performance of Shakespeare, in Asia and around the world. This calls for a collective effort—increasing exchanges and collaborations among Asian Shakespeareans, and between Asia and the rest of the world. But given the vastness and diversity of Asia, the richness of its scholarship and theatres, we can, should, and must do more. Responding to the call by Bi-qi Beatrice Lei to establish a formal association, scholars, artists, and students across the globe signed up to help found the Asian Shakespeare Association, a non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to researching, producing, teaching, translating, and promoting Shakespeare from Asian perspectives.
Ratified by the generally elected Executive Committee, our Constitution details the ASA’s mission, governance, and membership. The hundreds of ASA members came from Austria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Sign up to join our mailing list to find out about the latest events, calls for papers, and publications in the field.
The ASA holds biennial conferences in Asian locations. The ASA conferences consist of keynote addresses, panel sessions, seminars, workshops, symposiums, performances, screenings, and other special events. There have been five conferences: “Shakespearean Journeys” held in Taipei, 15-18 May 2014; “All the World’s His Stage: Shakespeare Today” held in New Delhi, 1-3 December 2016; “Shakespeare, Traffics, Tropics” held in Manila, 28-30 May 2018; “Intersections in Shakespeare,” a hybrid event held in Seoul and online, 5-7 November 2020; and “Unmasking Shakespeare,” a virtual event held on 10-12 November 2022. The next ASA conference “Shoreline Shakespeares” will be held in Iloilo, 4-6 December 2024.
We welcome any questions or suggestions, and look forward to your participation.