Concept Note:

Critics and writers frequently associate the concepts of apocalypse and post-apocalypse with environmental degradation and its repercussions on Earth, envisioning grim futures and casting aspersions on our failure to imagine collective futures. The linking of ongoing climate crisis to fiction, therefore, enables us to understand the quotidian realities and how “it not only shapes the readers’ understanding of the present crisis but also determines their response to it.” (Więckowska, 2022, p.346). Likewise, Bruno Latour (2020) argues that climate change is “the one in which the reorientation of living conditions is going to be posed as a challenge to all of us, as will all the details of daily existence that we will have to learn to sort out carefully” (p.S25). As such, apocalyptic stories about the environment could be a way out to renew our consciousness. No wonder, we are witnessing an upsurge of such narratives from a diverse range of writers.

The writers in India and Japan have addressed environmental concerns in their works. Indian writers, such as Amitav Ghosh, Sarnath Banerjee, and Arnav Das Sharma, including the recent work by Tabish Khair, and Japanese writers, such as Haruki Murakami, Sakyo Komatsu, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Hayao Miyazaki, delve into themes of societal collapse and the consequences of disastrous events, frequently mirroring concerns about the future and human’s vulnerable existence. This vulnerability is further intensified in the wake of planetary precarity, which Diamond ascribes to eight categories of problems: “deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses), water management problems, overhunting, overfishing, effects of introduced species on native species, human population growth, and increased per capita impact of people” (Diamond, 2005, p.16).  Both Indian and Japanese writers have been raising such critical threats and vulnerabilities, thus alerting us to the apocalyptic times. This advocates one of the functions of art and literature, which is “to offer cultural, political, and literary theory, images of the world, and of possible worlds, namely, how might the world be different” (Dwivedi & Wansbrough, 2022, p.150). Further, India and Japan’s role in addressing this planetary crisis is not only vital but also indispensable, as it marks a turn from the European-driven and White focused climate change narratives and policies. Besides, their cultural heritage and geopolitical situations can offer complementary roles in the betterment of not just the two countries but the entire world.

By focusing on literary representations, it allows us unique opportunities to compare and contrast how Indo-Japanese authors depict climate crisis, exploring the cultural, historical, and social contexts that influence their perspectives. This comparison of literary expressions enables scholars to delve into the two countries’ cultural roots and examine the potential for Indo-Japanese literature on climate crisis to inspire environmental activism and sustainable practices, analysing how these narratives can motivate readers to act. Such comparative analysis broadens perspectives on cohesive connections with nature, including living and non-living nonhuman entities. In addition to the mainstream literature, such cohesiveness with nature is one of the focal points in the narratives of Indo-Japanese Indigenous people, as their life is curiously balanced on their understanding of natural phenomena. Therefore, the conference also attempts to understand Indo-Japanese Indigenous writings to uncover their cohesiveness and synchronisation with nature as probable posthuman ways to sustain ecological balance, devoid of the capitalistic greed of humans. For example, Indigenous writings in India, Adivasi and tribal writers from the Gujarat region, and literary works by the Ainu people of Japan provide critical insights into the environmental narrative.

While recognising the environmental concerns in post/apocalyptic narratives of Indian and Japanese writers, the conference aims to explore multiple narrative trends on ecological issues. The following is a list of questions scholars interested in submitting articles to this conference might consider:

• How do Indian and Japanese writers portray post/apocalyptic worlds and address environmental issues in relation to Eastern and Southern Asian contexts?
• In what ways do contemporary writings of Indo-Japanese authors address posthuman and post-Anthropocene conditions?
• How do posthuman theoretical perspectives of new materialism and transcorporeality enable critics to recognise newer possibilities of harmony between humans and nonhumans?
• How do Indigenous or Tribal/Adivasi writings in India and Japan provide resistance to human capitalistic greed and unravel endless exploitation of natural resources?
• How do Indian and Japanese mythological roots offer ancient but relevant pathways through contemporary narratives?
• How do Indian and Japanese writings demonstrate a global understanding of the impending ecological crisis?
• How does the comparative study of Indian and Japanese writings open newer ways of understanding the posthuman condition of the world?

Scholars are encouraged to submit proposals that address the aforementioned issues, asking questions that align with the following themes, which are by no means exclusive:

• Narratives of the Posthuman Condition
• Post/apocalyptic Narratives
• Environmental Consciousness
• Indigenous/Tribal Resistance to the Capitalistic Greed
• Post-Anthropocene Questions
• Climate Change
• Environmental Conservation
• Mythological Connections with the Environment
• Comparative Analysis of the Indo-Japanese Texts
• Environmental Justice
• New Materialism and Inquiries into Environmental Fiction
• Climate Fiction
• Postcolonialism and Environmentalism
• Animalism in Literature
• Petrofiction and Environmental Concerns
• Resistance and Decolonisation
• Environmental Trauma
• Transcorporeality and the Nonhumans
• Human-Nature Relationships
• Social Justice and Environmental Inequality
• Dystopian Futures
• Ecocriticism
• Social Justice and Environmental Inequality
• Media and Environmental Narratives

Timelines and Guidelines:

Abstract Submission: Please submit an abstract of approximately 300-500 words, including references and a short bio of 50-100 words to indiajapan2026@gmail.com. 

• All abstracts must be written using 12-point Times New Roman font.
• The email must mention the theme/s of the conference that the abstract aims to address. Participants should also clearly mention the category of participation (Online or In Person) and their nationality for registration purposes.
• Once the abstract has been accepted, a Google form will be sent through the conference email for payment and registration.  

Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 September 2025

Intimation of Selected Abstracts: 15 October 2025

Registration Deadline: 31 October 2025

Submission of Full Article: 15 December 2025

Authors are advised to use APA citation style and to produce a full research paper of approximately 5,000 to 8,000 words.

 Publication:

Participants will have an opportunity to publish their papers in an edited volume with Routledge,for which a separate review process will take place, and which will be published within the series Routledge Studies in World Literatures and the Environment. Shortlisted candidates will be informed about the review process in due course of time

Conference Venue: Kobe Campus for Commerce, The University of Hyogo, Japan

Travel and Accommodation

Registered participants will need to arrange their travel and accommodations. If you need assistance in arranging your accommodation, contact the organisers for suggestions on affordable and nearby hotels

Registration Fee

Participants Only:

2500 INR (Indian Participants)

5000 Yen (Japanese Participants)

50 USD (Foreign Delegates)

Presentation

3000 INR (Indian Participants)

5500 Yen (Japanese Participants)

50 USD (Foreign Delegates)

Presentation (Online)

1000 INR (Indian Participants)

1500 Yen (Japanese Participants)

30 USD (Foreign Delegates)

Participation (Online)

500 INR (Indian Participants)

1000 Yen (Japanese Participants)

20 USD (Foreign Delegates)

For any inquiries, please reach out to any of the following email addresses:

1. Dr. Rajesh Bharvad: rkbharvad@sggu.ac.in
2. Dr. Ayako Takahashi: t926a020@guh.u-hyogo.ac.jp
3. Conference Email: indiajapan2026@gmail.com

For more details, please visit the website: https://sggu.ac.in/icssr.php