AAS 2026 Annual Conference -- Affective Politics in Contemporary East Asian Reality Shows
Panel Title (tentative):
Feeling Real: Affective Politics in Contemporary East Asian Reality Shows
or
Mediating Intimacy: Reality Shows and the Affective Public in East Asia
(Final title TBC with selected participants)
Panel Organizers:
Shuwen Yang (Stanford University)
Gege Cheng (Peking University)
Yuqing Liu (The University of Hong Kong)
We are seeking one more presenter and a discussant to join our proposed panel for the 2026 Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference, focusing on affect, media, and East Asian popular culture—specifically the political and emotional stakes of contemporary reality television.
Panel Description
East Asian reality shows have become a key site for negotiating mediated intimacy, emotional expression, and contemporary personhood. This panel examines how reality formats in China and South Korea navigate structural constraints while staging affective performances of gender, class, and political belonging.
Current papers examine:
Korean political reality shows and ideological intimacy (Yang)
Chinese dating shows and generational affective norms (Cheng)
All-female variety shows and mediated female expression (Liu)
We invite one additional panelist whose research engages with media, affect, and East Asian popular culture, broadly defined. We also welcome a panel discussant with expertise in related fields.
Contact
???? cgg@pku.edu.cn
???? liuyuqing990831@connect.hku.hk
???? yangsw@stanford.edu
Please send an abstract (up to 250 words) and a brief bio (2–4 sentences) by July 31, 2025.
Gege Cheng