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Theme

Tradition and Modernity:East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine from Perspectives of Global History and Multiculturalism


ICHSEA 2027 centers on the theme "Tradition and Modernity: East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine from Perspectives of Global History and Multiculturalism." Grounded in the forefront of international research on the history of science, technology, and medicine, the conference aims to promote the integration and reconstruction of knowledge in East Asian history of science, technology, and medicine through global historical and multicultural perspectives. It seeks to deeply explore the historical trajectories, modern transformations, and global significance of East Asian knowledge systems, while establishing a high-level international academic platform for cross-regional and interdisciplinary dialogue.

East Asia is not a binary field marked by a rupture between "tradition" and "modernity," but rather a civilizational community characterized by prolonged interaction, parallel evolution, and creative transformation between indigenous knowledge systems and global knowledge networks. The unique cognitive paradigms and practical wisdom developed in East Asia across fields such as astronomy, calendrical science, agriculture, medicine, and technology constitute an essential component of human civilization. Since the modern era, the development of science, technology, and medicine in East Asia has achieved indigenous innovation and the modern transformation of traditional knowledge through the encounter between Eastern and Western cultures, offering exemplary cases for "non-Western modernity" and global multiculturalism. In the current context of global health challenges, ecological crises, and cultural revitalization, re-examining the historical experiences of East Asian science, technology, and medicine holds both significant scholarly value and practical relevance.

Meanwhile, with the rise of global history and the "global turn" in the history of science, there is an increasing emphasis on examining the history of East Asian science, technology, and medicine within a global framework, paying close attention to the circulation and interaction of knowledge among different civilizations. The diversified development of history of science research has deconstructed the unidirectional narrative of "origin-dissemination-reception" and moved beyond hierarchical judgments such as "advanced/backward" or "tradition/modernity." Instead, it emphasizes reconstructing the landscape of knowledge history through a polycentric, networked, and interactive global historical perspective, breaking down the barriers of national history and single-discipline approaches, and promoting cross-regional and cross-cultural comparative and exchange studies. Furthermore, the development of the digital era and artificial intelligence technologies has provided new tools for the processing of historical sources, knowledge mapping, and the integration of research outcomes.

This conference aims to bring together scholars from East Asia and abroad to explore new pathways and methodologies in the history of science, using the history of East Asian science, technology, and medicine as a research vehicle. It seeks to foster in-depth dialogue between tradition and modernity, region and globe, multiculturalism and scientific civilization. Through the integration and reconstruction of knowledge, the conference endeavors to construct a more inclusive and explanatory academic framework for the history of East Asian science, technology, and medicine, contributing East Asian insights to the development of the global history of science discipline, and helping to shape a balanced, inclusive, and mutually enlightening new paradigm for global scholarship.

Eight tracks are developed in accordance with the theme of ICHSEA 2027:

  • Track 1: In-depth Exploration of Traditional East Asian Science and Technology and the Indigenous Construction of Its Knowledge Systems

    Based on the multicultural context of East Asia, this track focuses on an in-depth investigation of indigenous cognitive paradigms and practical wisdom in fields such as astronomy and calendar, agriculture, traditional medicine, and classic craftsmanship. It traces the origin, evolution and cultural core of East Asian knowledge systems, analyzes the profound shaping effects of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism on the development of science, technology and medicine, and abandons the dualistic perspective to elaborate the uniqueness and integrity of traditional East Asian knowledge systems. It also aims to demonstrate the historical value of these systems as an integral part of human civilization.

  • Track 2: Circulation, Interaction and Mutual Learning of Scientific and Technological Knowledge within East Asia

    Adopting a networked and interactive perspective of global history, this track centers on the transmission of scientific, technological and medical knowledge among China, Japan, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Vietnam and other East Asian countries, while exploring pathways of knowledge exchange between East Asia and foreign civilizations including West Asia, Europe and Southeast Asia. It reconstructs a polycentric landscape of knowledge dissemination, examines the selection, adaptation and localized transformation of knowledge during cross-regional transmission, breaks through the unidirectional narrative of "origin-dissemination-acceptance", and explores the creative integration in the process of civilizational interaction.

  • Track 3: Cultural Clashes Between the East and the West, Modern Transformation and Indigenous Innovation of East Asian Science and Technology

    This track focuses on the development course of East Asia under the impact of Western science, technology and medicine since modern times, discusses the parallel evolution of indigenous knowledge systems and the global knowledge network, analyzes the pathways and practices of modern transformation of traditional science, technology and medicine, and dissects the indigenous innovations achieved by East Asian countries in the process of modernization. It interprets the historical experience of East Asia as a typical sample of non-Western modernity, and reveals the developmental logic that tradition and modernity are not disconnected but deeply integrated.

  • Track 4: Historical Changes of East Asian Public Health and Public Health Care from the Perspective of Social History

    From the perspectives of social history and multiculturalism, this track studies the evolution of epidemic prevention and control, public health governance and medical system construction in East Asian history. It investigates public health cognition and medical-seeking practices among people of different social classes, regions and cultural backgrounds, explores the interactive relationship between the development of Western medicine and East Asian social structures, folk cultures and national governance, and expands the humanistic research dimension of East Asian medical history.

  • Track 5: Rediscovery of the Value of East Asian Scientific and Medical Knowledge from the Perspective of Global History

    In the realistic context of global health, ecological crises and cultural renaissance, this track re-examines the historical experience of East Asian science, technology and medicine, extracts its global value in ecological cognition, disease prevention and treatment, cultural inheritance and other aspects, and discusses the reference value and practical significance of traditional East Asian wisdom in solving contemporary global issues. It also strives to promote the integration of East Asian academic wisdom into the global multicultural development pattern.

  • Track 6: New Perspectives, New Methods and Interdisciplinary Exploration in the Study of East Asian Science, Technology and Medical History

    Against the background of the global turn and diversified historiographical concepts in the study of science history, this track breaks the research barriers of national history and single disciplines, discusses the application of interdisciplinary research methods in the history of East Asian science, technology and medicine, focuses on the integration paths of anthropology, sociology, archaeology and other disciplines with science history, sorts out cutting-edge research trends at home and abroad, and promotes the innovation of research perspectives and methodologies.

  • Track 7: Digital Humanities and AI-enabled Collation and Research on Historical Materials of Science History

    Based on technological changes in the digital era, this track explores the application of new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence in the collation, textual research and knowledge association of ancient books, archives, cultural relics and other historical materials related to East Asian science, technology and medicine. It studies the driving role of digital means in the integration of academic achievements and the construction of academic systems, and demonstrates the brand-new possibilities brought by digital technology to traditional academic research.

  • Track 8: Other Research Contents Related to the History of East Asian Science, Technology and Medicine

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