“Asia” is not a fixed geographical entity, but a category that is imagined and constructed differently across historical periods and by different actors, and that is continually contested and fractured as it encounters the realities of nationalism, institutions, and geopolitics. Drawing on diverse cases spanning East Asia to West Asia, this conference examines the landscapes, processes, and effects produced when imaginaries of Asia confront political and social realities. It also explores the fluidity of “Asia” as a regional category and its capacity to shape reality.