[Commlist] CFP: 80 Years On: Memory and Legacy of World War II in the ESEA Popular Culture

Symposium Title:

80 Years On: Memory and Legacy of World War II intheESEA Popular Culture

Tuesday, 2 September 2025

School of Arts, Mediaand Communication

University of Leicester

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. 
This global conflict has shaped the modern world and continues 
influencing international relations, cultural productionand historical 
discourse. In Europe, V-E Day (8 May 1945) is often commemorated as the 
end of the war, and yet in the Asia-Pacific region, the war continued 
relentlessly until Japan's unconditional surrender on 15 August 1945, 
following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was on 2 
September 1945, when Japan signed the formal surrender document, that 
World War II officially ended.

The 80th anniversary offers a unique opportunity to examine how World 
War II is remembered and reimagined in popular culture across East and 
Southeast Asia (ESEA), and of equal importance, how these 
representations have been transmitted and circulated across the globe. 
From blockbuster films to literary works, television dramas to manga, 
video games to digital media, the portrayal of World War II in popular 
culture serves as a lens through which memory, identity and historical 
legacy are constructed and negotiated. The transmission across different 
culturalcontexts also raises pertinent questions about the meaning and 
problematics of translating war memory.

Submission Details:
This hybrid one-day symposium invites scholars and researchers from 
diverse disciplines, including but not limited to history, cultural 
studies, film studies, literary studiesand translation studies, to 
submitabstracts addressing these themes. Comparative and 
interdisciplinary approaches are especially encouraged.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

·      In what ways do films, literary texts and other cultural forms 
and genres engage with the memory and legacy of the war?

·      How do these cultural forms reflect or challenge dominant 
historical narratives?

·      What role does popular culture play in shaping public 
perceptionsof wartime trauma, heroismand reconciliation over the past 
decades?

·      How are transnational perspectives on World War II represented in 
ESEA popular culture, particularly in relation to Western narratives?

·      What are the issues and implications of translating war memory in 
ESEA popular culture?

Abstract Requirements:

·      Abstract length: approx. 300 words for a 15-20 minutepresentation.

·      A short bio: approx. 150 words. Please include title, author's 
name, institutional affiliation and contact information.

Key Dates:

·      Deadline for abstract submission: 30 May 2025

·      Notification of acceptance: 30 June 2025

·      Symposium date: 2 September 2025

Publication plans:

The organisation team is planning to submitan edited book 
proposal following the symposium. Thus, we particularly welcome 
submissions of original work that has not already been published. We 
also welcome proposals of work-in-progress papers. At the end of the 
symposium, there will be an optional publication planning workshop.

Submission and Inquiries:
Please send abstractsand your biography information (in a singleWord 
document)and any inquiries to (ESEAculture /at/ leicester.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(ESEAculture /at/ leicester.ac.uk)>

Further information

Registration fee (daily rate): £50 for waged and £40 for unwaged attendees.

The University of Leicester is hosting the 2025 British Association for 
Chinese Studies (BACS) annual conference on 3-5 September. Registered 
BACS conference attendees will receive a £10 discount on the 
registration fee for this symposium.

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