4–6 October 2024 · Kathmandu, Nepal
What Is Civilization? Envisioning the Future of Humanity
More than thirty scholars from across Asia, the Middle East, and North America gathered in Kathmandu to consider the meaning, historical development, and future direction of civilization.The three-day international conference brought together perspectives from history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and religious studies. Through keynote presentations, roundtables, and smaller working sessions, participants examined both the unity and the diversity of the world’s civilizations.
Discussion ranged from competing definitions of civilization and the history of civilizational exchange to conflict, integration, and the conditions for a shared future. Reflections on thinkers including Martin Heidegger, Rabindranath Tagore, and Kang Youwei opened further questions about how inherited traditions might respond creatively to contemporary challenges.
A shared conviction emerged: cultural expressions, values, and social systems may differ, yet aspirations toward peace, development, justice, and fairness connect human societies. Participants called for deeper dialogue, mutual understanding, and international cooperation in shaping a more open, inclusive, and equitable framework for civilizational exchange.
Organized by the ASIAR research cluster at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, with AIFAR in Kathmandu, the Center for Science and Humanities at Beijing Normal University, and the Center on Modernity in Transition. The conference was sponsored by IGC.
Scenes from Kathmandu
