The Asian Popular Culture area was started in 1996 by John A. Lent, at a time when there were virtually no areas in the PCA that dealt with non-United States regions and countries. Interest in Asian popular culture has exploded in the 21st Century through the steady growth of Japanese manga and anime, the Korean Wave, the Chinese government’s huge funding of animation and manhua, and the overall development of various aspects of popular culture elsewhere in East, Southeast, and South Asia.

Asian popular culture is in line with popular culture generally, meaning it includes any aspect of a country’s culture that is or has been popular–e.g., media forms, sports, comics, music, architecture, dance, street culture, vehicle decoration, movie posters, etc., actually most topics that other PCA areas emphasize, such as poetry, literature, alcohol culture, grave markets, porn, etc.

There is no preference for papers dealing with specific themes and theories. In fact, more papers on out-of-the-ordinary topics are encouraged.

An abstract of 150 words, give or take a few words, should be sent to the PCA submissions database before the deadline listed below, and should include the presenter’s full name, affiliation, and at least an email address. Please be as specific as possible within the word quota, ensuring that the topic you have chosen is clear to the reader.

Thank you. I hope to see you in San Antonio.

                                                                                                John A Lent

                                                                                                            Chair

                                                                                                            Asian Popular Culture