BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//American Anthropological Association - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:American Anthropological Association
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://americananthro.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for American Anthropological Association
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260501
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260504
DTSTAMP:20260404T114445
CREATED:20260121T215156Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260121T215501Z
UID:13050-1777593600-1777852799@americananthro.org
SUMMARY:2026 Spring Conference of the American Ethnological Society
DESCRIPTION:The 2026 Spring Conference of the American Ethnological Society\, \nwill be held at the University of Victoria\, in British Columbia from May 1-3\, 2026 and is hosted by the Department of Anthropology and the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives.  \n\n\n\n\nThe 2026 conference will be hosted in person at the University of Victoria\, Victoria\, British Columbia\, Canada. The conference will take place May 1-3. An interactive map of campus can be found HERE. \n\n\n\n\n\nExperiment as test or as exploration: modes of agency in the face of subjection\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Chinese language distinguishes two types of experiment: 试验 (shìyàn) and 实验 (shíyàn). The first\, 试验\, is a controlled test that typically takes place in a laboratory. The second\, 实验\, refers to open-ended trial-and-error in the real world. The actor in 试 验 (experiment as test) has full control over the subject matter\, but the actor in 实验 (experiment as exploration) is part of the trial and is ready to be transformed. Socialism\, as the slogan goes\, is a great 实验 in the real world. The two types of experiment represent distinct modes of agency. While tests demand discipline\, vigilance and willpower\, exploration requires attentiveness to the multiple\, potential alternatives that already exist and an openness to adjust oneself to them. \nIndividual willingness to maximize economic benefits through hard work has been indispensable to China’s post-1980 economic development. However\, this developmental model appears to have reached its endpoint. This has precipitated a widespread sense of subjection\, especially among contemporary university students and young professionals (20- to 40-year-olds) who will shape China’s future. They are eager to free themselves from a life dominated by the single-minded pursuit of development yet find it difficult to imagine a meaningful life undefined by economic goals. They feel powerless because their desire for alternatives has yet to find an effective mode of agency that makes concrete changes. My ethnographic inquiry\, facilitated through public conversations and social art activities\, suggests that members of this cohort are embracing experiment-as-exploration in their lives. This may suggest an emerging counter movement to both neoliberal economy and authoritarian governance. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nKeynote Speaker: Dr. Xiang Biao\n\n\n\n\nXiang Biao is the Director of the Department of the Anthropology of Economic Experimentation at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Previously\, he was a Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford. He has worked on migration and social change in China\, India\, and other parts of Asia. He is now exploring a “common concerns” approach in social research. His book Global Body Shopping was awarded the 2008 Anthony Leeds Prize by the Society for Urban\, National\, and Transnational Anthropology (SUNTA). Biao Xiang studied sociology at Beijing University and received his PhD in social anthropology from the University of Oxford\, UK.
URL:https://americananthro.org/event/2026-spring-conference-of-the-american-ethnological-society/
LOCATION:The University of Victoria\, 3800 Finnerty Rd\, Victoria\, British Columbia\, BC V8P 5C2\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Annual Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://americananthro.org/wp-content/uploads/EventCal_AES2026Meet.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="American Ethnological Society (AES)":MAILTO:AESConference2026@outlook.com
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR