All conferences on South Asia worldwide

May 2013

Oslo Morgenstierne Lectures on Culture, Power, Water in India

The Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS) at University of Oslo invites to a new series of Fokus INDIA: Oslo Morgenstierne Lectures, addressing topics related to India's past and present, politics, religions and cultures. The theme for this spring term’s last two lectures lies on ”culture–power–water in India”.
On Tuesday 21 May 2013, at 16.15, Jürgen Neuss from Department of History and Cultural Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, will speak about ”Faith in God – Faith in Progress. Religion and Politics in the Narmada Valley”. Venue: PA Munchs Hus, room 11, Oslo. More information.
On Wednesday 5 June 2013, at 16.15, Jörg Gengnagel from South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany, will speak about ”Changing Sacred Waterscapes: The north-Indian Pilgrimage Center Varanasi between Purity and Pollution”. Venue: PA Munchs Hus, room 11, Oslo. More information.
The lectures will be followed by informal discussions with light refreshments.

Third Asian Conference on Asian Studies to be held in Osaka

The International Academic Forum will hold the Third Asian Conference on Asian Studies in Osaka, Japan, May 24-26, 2013. The conference theme is "Intersecting Belongings: Cultural Conviviality and Cosmopolitan Futures".
Contemporary contexts of the local, regional, national and global raise urgent questions about cultural conviviality and cosmopolitan futures across Asia. These are times when trans-cultural, trans-national and multicultural belonging are particularly being tested through environmental catastrophe, economic volatility, parochialism, fundamentalism, notions of cosmopolitan and multicultural exhaustion, and war. Belonging has become a fundamental dynamic of preservation, atavism, tradition and survival as well as hybridity, possibility, change and transformation. The aim of th conference theme is to open up discussion, exploration and analysis in Asian Studies about emerging social, economic, political and cultural trends formed at the intersection of multiple and multi-sited belongings.
The aim of the conference is to encourage academics, scholars and practitioners representing a exciting diversity of countries, cultures, and religions to meet and exchange research, ideas and views in a forum encouraging respectful dialogue. ACAS 2013 will afford the opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, and networking across higher education and beyond. More information.

Malmö seminar on changing EU relations to China and India

Malmö University hosts a seminar entitled ”The End of the Euro-Complacency? Global Implications of Europe’s Crisis” on Tuesday 28 May 2013, 10.00–12.30. It is organised jointly by Malmö and Roskilde Universities, and is the eight seminar out of a series of 12, entitled 'Europeanization and Globalization', that is held in collaboration with The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in Copenhagen. Venue: Building G 8, room 104, Citadellsvägen 7, Malmö.
Since the seminar deals with changed global power relations between European Union and the emerging Asian nations such as China and India, one of the invited speakers is Professor Sanjay Seth from Goldsmiths University in London, UK. He will speak about ”The Western Education of Colonial India”. Professor Catarina Kinnvall, Dept of Political Science, Lund University, will be a commentator on the seminar presentations. More information about the seminar.

Copenhagen workshop on Development Challenges in Bhutan

Aalborg University, Denmark, invites to an international workshop on ‘Development Challenges in Bhutan’, to be held in Copenhagen 29–30 May 2013. The title of the workshop shows that we will be witness to a kaleidoscope of topics and views at this interesting gathering. The occasion is ongoing Research and PhD programmes involving Danish and Bhutanese researchers, jointly funded by Danida and the Royal University of Bhutan. Five PhD candidates from Bhutan, and five senior researchers from Bhutan and Denmark, respectively, will take part in the workshop plus additional participants.
Issues which will be covered are: Assessment practices in Schools, Health and Education; ICT; eGovernance; Foreign policy; and the Status of Gross National Happiness. A keynote lecture on ‘Sociocultural and political developments in Bhutan since 1990: reflections from a distance’ will be delivered by Professor Michael Hutt, SOAS, University of London, UK. Abstracts should have been submitted before 15 April. The organisers plan to publish the papers from the workshop afterwards. More information.

Stockholm seminar on Politics of Development

Professor Amit Prakash from the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India (and currently a guest professor at the Dept. of Economic History, Stockholm University) holds a lecture on ”Politics of Development and the Identity Leitmotif" on Thursday 30 May 2013, 13–15. The seminar is organised by the Forum for Asian Studies at Stockholm University. Venue: F702, House F, Stockholm University, Frescati, Universitetsvägen 10 F.
Amit Prakash holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He studied for his MA and MPhil degrees in Political Science at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and for his graduate degree at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara.
His areas of research include "Politics of Development", "Dynamics of Socio-political and Ethnic Identity Mobilisation", "Indian Politics", "Governance and Development", "Conflict Governance and the State", and "Global Governance".Previously he has been a guest professor at University of Copenhagen and Foundation de la Maison des Sciences de L'homme in Paris.

New Delhi conference to present Indo-Canadian research on Environment, Development and Trade

The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute is organizing a conference on "Emerging Priorities For Sustainable Partnerships" at the India International Centre, New Delhi on June 1, 2013, to present collaborative research that has been completed, or is currently being undertaken, by Indian and Canadian universities/research institutions in four focus areas: 1. Energy & Environment; 2. Public Health; 3. Food Security & Sustainable Development; and 4. Bi-lateral Trade and Investment. 
Emerging opportunities and strategies to address challenges in these four areas that have  been identified as priority sectors by both the Indian and Canadian governments will be the themes of the onference. One of the objectives of the conference is to gather experts and a new cadre of researchers to discuss their contributions to higher learning while weaving academic and institutional collaborations between Canada and India. It is expected that strategic recommendations will be derived from the conference that will contribute to sustained academic and institutional partnerships. More information. 
June 2013

Krishnan Srinivasan holds SCAS Lecture on Europe-Asia relations

Dr. Krishnan Srinivasan, Research Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) in Uppsala during the academic year 2012/13, holds a SCAS Lecture on Monday 3 June 2013, at 18.15. Venue: Thunberg Lecture Hall, SCAS, Linneanum, Thunbergsvägen 2, Uppsala.
Former senior Indian diplomat and General Secretary of the Commonwealth Krishnan Srinivasan will talk about ”Enlightenment and the Outer Barbarians: Europe’s Future Transactions with Emerging Asia”. The presentation is based on a monograph on the future relationship between Europe and the emerging powers of Asia, that he is working on during his stay in Uppsala.
The lecture will be followed by a concert of Indian classical music performed by Håkan Almkvist (sitar) and Hugo Widén (tabla).
Refreshments will be served after the event. Prior registration is required. More information.

Ishtiaq Ahmed lectures on the Pakistani Garrison State

The Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) and its Asia Program invites to a seminar with Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Stockholm University, on Wednesday 5 June 2013, 10.00 – 12.00. He will speak about ”Pakistan: The Garrison State, Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011)”, a presentation based on his recent book with the same title. To attend, register to Ms. Silvia Pastorelli before 4th June. Venue: ISDP, Västra Finnbodavägen 2, Stockholm-Nacka.
Abstract: In 1947, the Pakistan military was poorly trained and poorly armed. It also inherited highly vulnerable territory vis-à-vis the much bigger India, aggravated  because of serious disputes with Afghanistan. Defence and security were therefore issues that no Pakistan government, civil or military, could ignore. The military did not take part in politics directly until 1958, although it was called upon to restore order in 1953 in the Punjab province. Over the years, the military, or rather the Pakistan Army, continued to grow in power and influence, and progressively became the most powerful institution. Moreover, it became an institution with de facto veto powers at its disposal to overrule other actors within society including elected governments. Simultaneously, it began to acquire foreign patrons and donors willing to arm it as part of the Cold War competition (the United States), regional balance-of-power concerns (China), and ideological contestants for leadership over the Muslim world (Saudi Arabia, to contain Iranian influence). A perennial concern with defining the Islamic identity of Pakistan, exacerbated by the Afghan jihad, resulted in the convergence of internal and external factors to produce the ‘fortress of Islam’ self-description that became current in the early twenty-first century. Over time, Pakistan succumbed to extremism and terrorism within and was accused of being involved in similar activities within the South Asian region and beyond. Such developments have been ruinous to Pakistan’s economic and democratic development. More information.

Critical Perspectives on Growth at Fifth Asian Dynamics Initiative Conference

The Asian Dynamics Initiative (ADI) at University of Copenhagen announces its fifth international conference on 'Growth: Critical Perspectives from Asia' to be held on 13-14 June 2013. The conference will take place over two days and feature distinguished keynote speakers as well as panels examining the notion of growth from an Asian perspective and from multi-disciplinary vantage points – cultural, economic and social.
This year the focus is mostly on East Asia. However, the keynote lecture is given by Professor Edward Farmer, History Department, University of Minnesota, USA, and is entitled ”Eurasia and the Path to Global Growth”. Among the panels, one on ”Exploring local pathways of economic growth” is convened by PhD candidate Siddharth Sareen from the Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Science. Other panels deal with ”The social consequences of growth and transformation on the margins”; ”Economic growth in emerging economies”; and ”‘Cultural Growth’: Asian notions of civilization”. Read more about the ADI Conference.

SASNET/Lund University seminar on Indian Cultures and Diasporas

Gurinder Singh Mann, Amit Kumar Mishra and Gibb Scheffler.

An open seminar on ”Indian Cultures and Diasporas” will be held at Lund University on Monday 17 June 2013, 15.00–19.30. It is jointly organized by SASNET, the Nordic Centre in India (NCI), and Lund University’s Centre for Theology and Religious Studies (CTR). Venue: CTR, Room 118, Allhelgona Kyrkogata 8, Lund. See the workshop programme.
Invited guest speakers are Professor Gurinder Singh Mann from the Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies at University of Californa, Santa Barbara, USA, who will speak about "The Sikh Panth: From Kartarpur to Anandpur (1500-1700)”; Dr. Amit Kumar Mishra from the Centre for the Study of Indian Diaspora at University of Hyderabad, India, who will give a lecture on ”Indians in Diaspora: A Social-Cultural Continuum?”; and Dr. Gibb Schreffler from Pomona College in Claremont, California, USA, who will speak about ”The Punjab Dhol (Drum) Tradition and its Modernization in Post-Indenpendence Indian Punjab”. The seminar will also include a screening of the documentary film “The Sikhs of Kabul: A Forgotten Community” directed by Mr. Bobby Singh Bansal in 2012. The film is about Afghan Sikhs who have been a part of the culture and heritage of Afghanistan since the seventeenth century and how they have been caught in political crossfire since the rise of the Taliban regime to power in 1992.
The seminar is arranged in connection with the conference ”Young Sikhs in a Global World: Negotiating Identity, Tradition and Authority” held in Lund 18–19 June 2013 at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University. Participation by invitation only. Full information about the conference.

Women’s Studies conference in Colombo

The International Center for Research & Development (ICRD) in Sri Lanka invites to the 2013 International Conference on Women's Studies (ICWS 2013) to be held 17–18 June 2013 in Colombo. It will bring together leading academics, scientists and researchers from around the world. ICWS 2013 invites individual or panel proposals for presentations on any topic on women and/or gender issues in all scholarly fields and disciplines, including but not limited to education, arts, design, business, law, humanities, social sciences and sports. The objective of the conference is to present & share ongoing research activities in this field with the scientific and research communities. This conference provides opportunities for the delegates to exchange innovative ideas , learn the latest research findings from experts and enhance their knowledge, to establish business and/or research relations and to find global partners for future collaboration/research projects. Venue: Grand Oriental Hotel, Colombo. More information.

Lund conference on Young Sikhs in a Global World

The Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University organises the conference “Young Sikhs in a Global World: Negotiating Identity, Tradition and Authority” on June 18 to 19, 2013 at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, Allhelgona Kyrkogata 8, Lund, Sweden.
The conference is organized as a part of the Nordcorp project Sikh Identity Formation, in which Dr. Kristina Myrvold (Lund University), Prof. Knut A. Jacobsen (University of Bergen), Dr. Ravinder Kaur (University of Copenhagen), Prof. Hanna Snellman (University of Helsinki), and Dr. Laura Hirvi (University of Jyväskylä) participate. More information about the project.
The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars to discuss current research on young Sikhs with multicultural and transnational life-styles and how they interpret, shape and negotiate religious identity, tradition, and authority on an individual and collective level. The conference will also provide a forum for discussions about future collaboration between researchers in Europe, Asia and North America, and give young researchers an opportunity to discuss their projects with senior colleagues. Close to 40 doctoral students and researchers from 15 countries will participate in the event. In connection with the conference the film maker Bobby Singh Bansal will show his documentary from 2012, “The Sikhs of Kabul – A Forgotten Community”, about the surviving Sikh community of Afghanistan who has been caught in political crossfire since the rise of the Taliban regime to power in 1992. More information.

Copenhagen/New York joint dissertation workshop on Cities in the Global South

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and New York University, USA, invite participants to its 3rd Joint Dissertation Workshop to be held in New York City 21–22 June 2013. The theme for the workshop, coordinated by Prof. David Ludden, New York University, and Dr. Ravinder, University of Copenhagen, will be ”Social Mobility, Inequity and City in the Global South”.
Cities are focal points for the social mobility and prosperity that signify ‘the rise of the South,’ and also highlight the social immobility and deprivation that produce our planet of slums and agrarian and environmental crises. In this multi-disciplinary dissertation workshop, the focus lies on the inequity of globalization in and around urban centers of the global South, from various theoretical and empirical perspectives, including but not limited to fields of history, sociology, anthropology, political science, political economy and development studies. PhD students who have completed substantial dissertation research on any aspect of urbanized inequity in the world of globalization are invited to discuss their work. Prospective participants should send relevant documents to the organisers by 7 April 2013. See full information.

International Conference on Law and Justice in Colombo

The International Center for Research & Development (ICRD), based in Sri Lanka, organises a two day conference on Law & Justice. The conference will be held in Colombo on June 24–25, 2013. The aim of ICRD is to promote international scientific conferences in Sri Lanka and in Asian region, linking South Asian researchers with the researchers in developed countries to bridge the gap between the researchers in South Asian region and developed countries.
The Colombo conference offers an opportunity for academics, practitioners and PhD students to come together, exchange ideas, and discuss emerging issues in public & private law. Papers presented will be peer reviewed by members of the scientific committee and other independent reviewers and published in the edited conference proceedings. All papers will also be published in leading international journals. Case studies, abstracts of research in progress, as well as full research papers will be considered for the conference program for presentation purposes. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 December 2012. More information. 

ICAS 8 conference to be held in Macao 2013

The International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) will hold its eigth biannual conference, ICAS 8, in Macao, China, on 24–27 June 2013. ICAS 8 will be hosted by the University of Macau (UM) and will be held in the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. Some 1,500 to 2,500 Asia specialists are expected to attend. Participants are expected to fund their own travel and accommodation.
ICAS is the premier international gathering in the field of Asian Studies. It attracts participants from over 60 countries to engage in global dialogues on Asia that transcend boundaries between academic disciplines and geographic areas. Since 1998, ICAS has brought more than 15,000 academics together at seven conventions.
Submission of individual papers are now invited , as well as proposals for organized panels (organized by a group of varying (national) backgrounds), institutional panels (constituted and sponsored by an institution, association, network or company), and roundtable proposals.
The ICAS Book Prize (IBP) will also be awarded for outstanding English-language works in the field of Asia Studies. The five awards are: - Best study in the Humanities; – Best study in the Social Sciences; – Best dissertation in the Humanities; – – Best dissertation in the Social Sciences; and – The Colleagues' Choice Award.
More information on ICAS 8. 

Peshawar conference on Dynamics of Change in Pakhtun Society

In order to gain a more holistic view of the dynamics of change in a society which faces on-going conflict, the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Pakistan hosts an international conference on "Dynamics of Change in Conflict Societies: Pakhtun Region in Perspective", 25–26 June 2013.  It is organised in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Islamabad, and will be held at the Bara Gali Summer Campus of the University of Peshawar. 
This is the second in a series of conferences by the same organisers – the first one was held in November 2011. The aim is to investigate the dynamism which is associated with the Pakhtun region and society. In order to explore more deeply the critical factors and impacts of change, this second conference will cover new thematic areas relating to the recent dynamics within Pakhtun society. 
The Pakhtun region has witnessed a long history of perpetual war, violence, insecurity and displacements, which profoundly affect the socio-psychological, political and economic conditions of its people. For decades, life within Pakhtun society in the Pakistani provinces of Baluchistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has been viewed through the spectrum of social and political upheavals and conflict in Afghanistan. Since 2001, the US and NATO engagement in Afghanistan has added to growing unrest in Pakhtun society. The situation in the Pakhtun region cannot be studied thoroughly when treated in isolation from the broader context of Pakistan. Therefore, scholars are also invited to submit proposals for comparative studies of conflict dimensions in other areas of Pakistan and their connections to the Pakhtun region and society. More information. 

New Jersey Conference on the Study of Religions of India

The Conference on the Study of Religions of India (CSRI) will hold its Annual Meeting at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, USA, 27 – 30 June 2013. The conference theme is "Not Quite Divine: Co-stars and Supporting Casts in South Asian Religions" and the deadline for submission of abstract proposals is March 1, 2013.
Possible topics related to the conference theme include investigations of a range of demi-deities, saints, spirits, ghosts, and demons. Papers may analyze near divine entities as described, invoked, and/or experienced in oral and textual narrative; artistic, musical, and theatrical expression; and ritual, mystical, and possession practice. Participants might also examine debates regarding the divine natures of saintly humans or the processes of apotheosis involving – but not limited to - human heroes, movie stars, and topographical features. 
CSRI is a forum of exchange for scholars engaged in the academic study of the religious traditions of India in both native and diasporic contexts. It provides scholars a leisurely, collegial environment in which to present their work. Emphasis will be placed on informality among peers. Committed to critical and creative inquiry, the conference is not an advocacy forum for the religions of India and does not endorse or proscribe a particular point of view. More information. 
July 2013

Vienna conference on Ethnicity and Cultural Identities of Northeast India

The Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria, invites papers for an International Conference on ”Negotiating Ethnicity: Politics and Display of Cultural Identities in Northeast India” to be held 4–6 July 2013. The conference aims at examining changes of collective identities and ethnicity in various parts of Northeast India, as well as look at practices related to ethnicity and cultural identities. Northeast India is the political unit defined by the Indian Government as the ”North Eastern Council”, which includes the eight states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. Proposals from scholars working in a variety of disciplines, including, but not limited to, history, sociology, economics, anthropology and cultural studies are welcome to submit research paper proposals. The organisers expect around 40 participants half of whom from India. The organisers cover travel fares and lodging for all speakers and discussants. Full information.

Canberra workshop on South Asian Childhoods

The South Asia Research Institute, at the Research School of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University in Canberra will host a workshop on "South Asian Childhoods: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives", 18–19 July 2013. The workshop aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform for scholars studying diverse childhoods in South Asia, and also to enrich the understanding of contemporary children’s lives through historical perspectives. It will locate children in important historical and social changes in contemporary India while foregrounding children’s stories and agency and bring together previously disparate threads of different disciplinary approaches to children and childhood, allowing the participants to identify and develop convergences, conflicts, and aspects that may have been over-looked by one discipline, but explored in another. Abstracts should be submitted before 10 January 2013. More information.

Thirteenth International Seminar on Tibetan Studies to be held in Mongolia

The Thirteenth Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies will take place in Ulaan Baataar, Mongolia, 21-27 July 2013. Altogether twelve seminars have been held before in a total of nine different countries. The last of these being Canada, where the Twelfth Seminar was hosted by the University of British Columbia in 2010. The other countries are the UK, Germany, Japan, Austria, the USA, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
Behind the seminars stands the organisation International Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS). The IATS was formally created in 1979 on the occasion of a conference of Tibetan Studies that was organised at the University of Oxford by the late Dr. Michael Aris. The purpose of the Association, as stated in the statutes that were drawn up at this meeting, is primarily to promote Tibetan studies from all disciplinary perspectives such as history, religion, linguistics and art, to cite just four prominent examples, by providing a forum at which both established and aspiring scholars can present original academic research. More information about the Ulaan Baataar seminar 

Jaipur conference on Unorganised Mining and Quarrying in India

The Indian Mine Labour Protection Campaign Trust (MLPC) based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, organises a National Seminar on ”The Unorganised Sector in India: Extending the Debate to Mining and Quarrying” on 27–28 July 2013, in collaboration with the Pune based organisation Santulan (Social Animation Towards United Liberative Action), and the Australian National University (ANU). The conference will be held at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Jaipur. The purpose of the seminar is to discuss the issues and challenges around the unorganised sector in India and extend the debates to unorganised mining and quarrying activities. The unorganised sector has begun to receive intense attention in contemporary discussions on the political economy of India, following the report of the National Commission on the Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), and the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008.
This seminar aims to extend the debate to one small and lesser-known aspect of the informal/unorganised sector, mining and quarrying, and draws attention to the complex labour, environmental and governance issues of this sector. A diverse range of informal, artisanal and small-scale modes of mineral extraction practices exist in India. Globally, over 20 million people in the world depend on this kind of mineral resource extraction for their living. Estimates vary depending on the precise meaning and definition of what might comprise informal/unorganised mining and quarrying. Just by virtue of the numbers involved, such mining and quarrying is significant, but the enormous amounts of mineral resources they produce are also significant.
The conference invites participation by researchers, social work practitioners, trade union representatives and others. Abstracts should be submitted before 30 May 2013. More information.
August 2013

Thirteenth Central Asian Studies conference to be held in Kazakhstan

The Thirteenth biannual European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS) will be held at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, 5–6 August 2013. The Conference will be hosted jointly by Nazarbayev University and the R. B. Suleimeinov Institute of Oriental Studies of the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences.
It eill fearure panels and round-table discussions related to all aspects of research in the arts, humanities and social sciences on Central Asia; the republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, together with Xinjiang, Mongolia, Afghanistan and adjacent regions of Russia, China, Iran, South Asia and the Caucasus.
Scholars and practitioners of anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art & art history, cinema, development studies, economics & finance, history, musicology, philology, political science, sociology and other related disciplines are encouraged to participate. Panel proposals which will cross disciplinary boundaries, bringing together experts from different fields, are particularly welcomed. 
The theme of the 2013 conference is "The Steppe and the Sown". This is to encourage scholars to explore both the many complexities implied by the concepts of pastoral nomadism and sedentary farming and the complex interaction between peoples typically characterized by these concepts in the course of history. It also reflects important themes in the history of Astana itself. More information.

Colombo conference on Asian Art, Culture & Heritage

The Centre for Asian Studies of the University of Kelaniya, in collaboration with the International Association for Asian Heritage (IAAH) and the Ministry of Culture and the Arts, invite to an International Conference on "Asian Art, Culture and Heritage", to be held during 21-23 August, 2013, at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 
Abstracts for conference presentations are invited on the following themes: 1. Recent studies in Archaeology; 2. New perspectives in History; 3. Trends in Heritage Management, Museology and Tourism; 4. Critical studies in Religion, Language and Literature; 5. Aspects on Arts, Culture and Society. Abstracts and all other correspondence should be channelled through iaahlanka@yahoo.com which is exclusive for this conference. The deadline for abstract submission is 10 May 2013. More information. 

New Zeeland research conference on Changing India

The New Zealand India Research Institute, established in 2012, will be formally launched with an international conference to be held at Victoria University of Wellington on 28–29 August 2013. The conference is entitled ”Changing India: From Decolonization to Globalization”. It aims to examine critically some of the issues related to changing India’s much talked about economic growth and its evermore globalised position in the 21st Century. The inaugural keynote address to this conference will be delivered by Professor Kaushik Basu, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, World Bank (until recently Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Government of India). There will also be other eminent special invited speakers. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 15th May 2013. More information.
 

2013 World Water Week focuses on Cooperation and Partnership Building

The 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm will be held 1–6 September 2013. The theme being ”Water Cooperation – building partnerships”. As ususal, the 23rd World Water Week is organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The World Water Week is the leading annual global meeting place for capacity-building, partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international processes and programmes in water and development, with large relevance to South Asia.
On Tuesday 3 September, a regional focus day will take place, with sessions specifically oriented towards Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Middle East.
2013 has by the UN General Assembly been declared the "International Year of Water Cooperation". The questions to be addressed in 2013 include: why do we need to cooperate, on what, for what aim, at what level, with whom and, not least, how?
With an expected world population of more than 9 billion people by 2050, basically depending on the same finite and vulnerable water resource as today for sustaining life and wellbeing, our inter-dependence is growing every day. In 2015 we shall take stock of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and a process of developing a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been initiated as an outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, "Rio +20", in June 2012. The Rio +20 outcome document clearly states water as one key area for achieving sustainable development and thus on important part of the upcoming SGDs and post 2015 development framework.
Perspectives for building partnerships, advance future water cooperation and find solutions to the world’s water related challenges will be explored.
Early bird registration is possible from 15 April till 30 June 2013. Full information about the 2013 World Water Week.
September 2013

Young South Asia Scholars Meet Workshop 2013 in Zurich

The fourth annual Young South Asia Scholars Meet (Y-SASM) Workshop will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, 5–7 September 2013. The theme for the 2013 Y-SASM Workshop, to be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, will be ”Intersectional Knowledges – Rethinking Inequality in South Asia”. The Y-SASM workshops have the declared aim of providing young scholars working on South Asia with a platform for presenting their own research and interacting with scholars from various disciplines. Thereby, it offers an opportunity to establish research networks across the German-speaking region and beyond.
The 2014 Y-SASM workshop is already planned to be held at University of Göttingen.
Read the Call for Papers.
More information on the Y-SASN blog page

London conference on soft power in India and China

The India Media Centre and the China Media Centre of the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) of the University of Westminster, London, UK, organises an international conference entitled ‘Communicating Soft Power: Contrasting Perspectives from India and China’, on 9-10 September 2013. This two-day international conference will explore competing and contrasting approaches to soft power in India and China, the world’s two fastest growing economies, whose rise is set to reconfigure global power equations in a multi-polar world. The conference will discuss the American origins of the concept and how it has been extrapolated in non-American contexts, namely in India and China. Contributors to the conference will examine whether soft power needs to be de-Americanized and expanded to be more inclusive, and historicized to take account of the role of countries and civilizations, such as India and China, in the global communication sphere.
The University of Westminster, which hosts the highest-ranked research department in media and communication in the UK, is home to specialist media research facilities in the China Media and India Media Centres. This pioneering attempt to discuss Asian soft power in a comparative frameworkwill provide an opportunity to examine the strengths and limitations of the idea of soft power, deploying a multi-perspectival approach.
Keynote plenary speakers include Professor Amitabh Mattoo from the Australia-India Institute in Melbourne, Australia (and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi). Deadline for submitting abstracts is 17 May 2013. Venue: University of Westminster at its central London campus. More information.

Caste in focus for University of Oslo's 5th Annual Contemporary India Seminar

University of Oslo hosts its 5th Annual Contemporary India Seminar, "Caste Today", on Thursday 12 September 2013. This year’s seminar is organised by Geir Heierstad, Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Uday Chandra with support from the Department for Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS); the Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM); the Network for Asian Studies; and the Nordic Forum for South Asia (NoFSA).
The reason for choosing Caste as the seminar theme is the fact that once being a staple of Indian sociological and political analysis, caste has today been curiously marginal in recent academic discourses on India. The contemporary marginality of caste owes undoubtedly to the opening up of new areas of study concerning gender, neoliberalism, conflict, development and more. Yet caste continues to be a significant force in Indian society and politics, taking on new guises even as older pervasive hierarchies continue to seep into the present. To interrogate caste in contemporary India in its many forms and aspects, this seminar invites papers from scholars working on this subject across disciplines. Participants are encouraged to address the contemporary workings of caste, and the practices and ideas associated with it, from an empirical point of departure. 
Contributions from younger scholars are particulary welcomed. As are papers that deal with the significance of caste in parts of India such as West Bengal, where caste hierarchies are generally seen as ‘weak’; or among social strata were the influence of caste is believed to be on the wane or subject to important transformations. 
Deadline for abstract submission is 1 May 2013. More information. 

Kathmandu conference on Governing Youth in South Asia

The second Joint Regional Conference on ”Governing Youth in South Asia” will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, 22–24 September 2013. It is organised by a regional network of research organisations in South Asia, including Colombo University, the Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) at BRAC University in Dhaka, the Social Science Baha in Kathmandu, the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in New Delhi, as well as the Delhi Office of the South Asia Institute (SAI) of Heidelberg University. The Kathmandu conference will be hosted by Social Science Baha. The topics to be addressed are inclusive democracy and post-conflict situations, health and education, access to labour markets. Abstracts should be submitted before 20 May 2013. More information. 
The first Joint Regional Conference was held at Colombo University in March 2012, (co-)funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in New Delhi, the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), UNICEF, and the Affiliated Network of Social Accountability (ANSA South Asia) in Dhaka. The 40 participants included members from nearly all South Asian countries (Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bhutan), and comprised of development partners, as well as policy makers, youth organisations and members from the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament, and scholars from the South Asian region and from Germany.

Christianity in South India theme for annual SMU conference in Dallas

Asian Studies at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the South Asia Research and Information Institute, both in Dallas, Texas, USA, invite to their annual South Asia conference to be held on 28 September 2013 on the SMU campus. This is a day-long conference that is free and open to the public. The aim of this conference is to bring together South Asia specialists with the larger Dallas - Fort Worth community. The theme for the 2013 conference is ”Conversion, Caste, and Coexistence: Christianity in South India”. Among the presenters are Dr. Robert E. Frykenberg, Professor Emeritus of History & South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, who will speak about ”Anglicanism and 'The Lutheran Aggression:' Conflicts over Caste, Class, and
Conversion in South India”. More information.
October 2013

Innovative research in focus at fourth Inter-Asian Connections conference

During the fourth Inter-Asian Connections conference, to be held during October 2-5, 2013 at the Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey, concurrent workshops, coordinated by individual directors showcasing innovative research from across the social sciences and related disciplines will be organised. The workshops will focus on themes of particular relevance to Asia, reconceptualized as a dynamic and interconnected historical, geographical, and cultural formation stretching from the Middle East through Eurasia and South Asia, to East Asia.
It follows three earlier conferences in a series, the one held in Dubai in February 2008 (more information), in Singapore in December 2010 (more information), and Hong Kong in June 2012 (more information). As with the preceding events, this four-day conference aims to effect a paradigm shift in the study of the Asian expanse, re-conceptualized as a dynamic and interconnected historical, geographical, and cultural formation stretching from the Middle East through Eurasia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, to East Asia.
The Inter-Asian Connections Conference Organizing Committee is composed of representatives from the Social Science Research Council, Yale University, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HKIHSS) at the University of Hong Kong, Göttingen University and Koç University.
Individual paper submissions are invited from junior and senior scholars, whether graduate students or faculty, or researchers in NGOs or other research organisations, for the following seven workshops:
  – “After Neoliberalism?” The Future of Postneoliberal State and Society in Asia
  – Asian Early Modernities: Empires, Bureaucrats, Confessions, Borders, Merchants
  – Contemporary Art and the Inter-Asian Imaginary
  – Inequalities in Asian Societies: Bringing Back Class Analysis
  – Porous Enclaves: Inter-Asian Residential Projects and the Popular Classes from Istanbul to Seoul
  – Rescuing Taste from the Nation: Oceans, Borders and Culinary Flows
  – The Sounds and Scripts of Languages in Motion
The call for papers deadline is February 11, 2013. More information.

Amsterdam conference on Regional Towns and Migration in South Asia

A two-day nternational Conference on ”Regional Towns and Migration:
Interrogating Transnationalism and Development in South Asia” is being held 10–11 October 2013 at the University of Amsterdam. It is being organised by the Provincial Globalisation Programme, a joint collaborative research programme by by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) in the Netherlands, and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bangalore. Conference conveners are Prof. Carol Upadhya, NIAS; and Prof. Mario Rutten, AISSR.
ProGlob explores transnational flows of migrant resources into India through a series of regional-level studies centred on ‘provincial’ towns and their rural hinterlands. its aim is to develop a fresh perspective on questions of migration and development in contemporary India. The aim is to develop a fresh perspective on questions of migration and development in contemporary India and the conference will gather scholars from a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary areas who are working in different regions of South Asia on topics that fall within the 6 broad thematic areas of the conference: 1. Region-specific patterns and histories of international migration and the local impacts of remittances and investments by migrants or diasporic groups; 2. Regional diaspora philanthropy; 3. Transnational politics of development and/ or the environment; 4. Transnationalism and regional identity politics; 5. Formation of regional transnational networks / communities; and 6. Conceptual / theoretical papers on rethinking the region in South Asia in the context of globalisation and transnational flows. 
The selected authors will be invited to develop original papers for presentation at the conference and possible inclusion in a planned conference volume or special journal issue. Invited participants will be provided accommodation during the conference and limited funds for travel are available for those who may require support. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 15 April 2013. More information. 

Seoul conference on Meanings & Aesthetics in Asian Cultural Landscapes

The Asian Cultural Landscape Association (ACLA), at Seoul National University, and the SNU Urban Greening Institute invites to an International Symposium on ”Meanings & Aesthetics in Asian Cultural Landscape”, to be held 12–15 October 2013 at the International Conference Hall, Seoul National University, South Korea.
The dominant ideology behind landscape aesthetics in Western tradition mostly deals with formalist scenic landscapes to ecological and phenomenological aesthetics; however in the Asian tradition in addition to these notions emphasis is laid upon the experiences in everyday lifeways and the deeper interpretation of the symbolic meanings manifested in landscapes. This results into the understanding of interconnectedness between Man and Nature, and exposed through interpreting the inherent and imposed meanings and contextuality that changes in varying space, time, function and cultural notions and symbols. In the Western tradition aesthetics tend to concentrate on the context of physical landscape and visual quality, but in Asian tradition more emphasis is laid on the experiential and sacred aesthetic expression, what could be referred to as "ecospirituality" or sublimation of landscape.
Prospective participants are invited to submit abstracts related to, but not limited to, the three following themes: ”Heterogeneity vs. Homogeneity in Cultural Landscape Aesthetics”, ”Exposing the Meanings and Spirit of Place”, and ”Making Harmonious Path through Integrity and Co-sharedness”. Deadline for submission of abstracts is April 30, 2013. More information.

Helsinki symposium focusing on sex and gender in Asian art and performance

The Asian Art and Performance Consortium (AAPC) of the Academy of Fine Arts (Kuva) and the Finnish Theatre Academy Helsinki (Teak) will host a symposium focusing on manifestations of sex and gender in Asian art and performance: "Shifting Dialogues II: Objects of Desire: Sexual Artifice in Asian Art and Performance", to be held during October 17-19, 2013 at the University of the Arts, Helsinki, Finland. This is the second symposium organised under the ongoing research project, Shifting Dialogues – Asian Performance and Fine Arts. The project is funded by the Academy of Finland in 2011-2014.
This time the focus of the symposium will be on sexual practices and gender roles in Asian art, film, video art, installation, live art, and dialogical work. The organisers are looking for new framings of sexuality and gender, beyond orientalism, the tattered dualisms of "East vs West", and into the specificity of the fetish object and its social context. How are various social practices, from religion to bureaucracy to economics to politics and terror sexualised and fetishised? 
The symposium will be small, intimate and dialog-based, rather than formalized panel presentations. Presentations can be in the form of papers or well-researched interventions and provocations. There are no parallel sessions, so the number of presentations will be small. Presentations reflecting practice-based artistic research relevant to the symposium topic are strongly encouraged. Deadline for proposals is May 17, 2013. More information. 

42nd Annual Madison Conference on South Asia

MadisonThe 42nd Annual Madison Conference on South Asia will be held 17–20 October 2013. The conference, that is sponsored by the Center for South Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, attracts over 650 scholars and specialists on South Asia, who travel from countries all over the world and much of the United States. It is a great venue for intellectual, professional, and social exchange. Panels, roundtables, and individual papers on all topics pertaining to South Asian studies are welcome.
This year a plenary session will be organized around the theme of ”Work”.  The organisers especially welcome panels that similarly address questions of work – including waged labor, informal economies, new forms of entrepreneurship, and the work of social reproduction – from a variety of disciplinary and evidentiary perspectives. The conference features nearly 100 academic panels and roundtables, as well as association meetings and special events ranging from performances to film screenings. The registration deadline for all individuals listed on proposal submissions was April 1, 2013. For general conference attendees, early bird registration will be available through October 1, 2013. Venue: Madison Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton St., Madison, Wisconsin, USA. More information. 

The Ghadar Centennial Conference 1913-2013 to be held in Canada

The "Ghadar Centennial Conference 1913 – Interpreting Ghadar: Echoes of Voices Past", will be held at the Centre for Indo Canadian Studies, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada on October 17, 2013.
Research papers are welcome that explore the area of literature created and dedicated to the nationalist revolutionary movement of the Ghadar in Canada and the US at the turn of the last century. Papers that analyze both the propaganda machine of the colonial powers specific to Ghadar, and/or the revolutionary voices of the Ghadarite aspirations of a free India are welcome. Studies of pro-Indian independence materials include newspapers, pamphlets, correspondence, photographs, and transcripts of interviews, posters, letters, handbills, magazine articles, lectures, theses, bibliographies, court documents and revolutionary poems are welcome. Papers are also welcome that explore the support given to the Ghadar revolutionary movement in the west (e.g. by the Irish and Germans) and in the east (e.g., in Japan, China, Singapore, etc.) and the impact of this support on the British raj in India, as well as papers on the historiographies of transnational movements related to the Ghadar outside India and North America (e.g., Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Berlin, Panama, etc.). Many local and global sites of resistance against the colonists (e.g. in Abbotsford, Astoria, San Francisco, Punjab, Hong Kong, Vancouver, etc.) informed the development of this transnational movement’s genesis in exile, yet it impacted India until partition. Deadline for paper proposals is 15 June 2013. More information.

New Delhi conference on Violence in Indian History

The Archive India Institute in New Delhi, India, hosts its Second Annual International Conference on "Violence in Indian History" on 1 November 2013. The conference themes will be Political Authority and Violence; Violence in Religion and Religion in Violence; Violence in Caste and Caste in Violence; Violence in Gender and Gender in Violence; Representation of Violence in Literature and Performance; and Nationalism, Modernity and Violence. Deadline to submit abstract proposals is 15 March 2013. More information.
November 2013

3rd International Congress of Bengal Studies to be held in Kolkata, India

Papers are invited for the 3rd International Congress of Bengal Studies scheduled to be held 19-22 November, 2013. This 3rd Congress will be hosted by the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India. Papers on all the areas of Bengal Studies, including, but not limited to, Literature and Criticism, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Folklore, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, History, Economics, Sociology, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Anthropology, Archaeology, Museulogy will be presented, either in Bengali or in English. More information.

The Second International Conference on Social Sciences to be held at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

The Second International Conference on Social Sciences will be hosted by the Research Centre for Social Sciences (RCSS) of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka on 22–23 November, 2013. 
This time, the conference theme is “Culture, Globalization and the Developing World”. It is expected that the presenters of papers and participants will draw their attention to the interdependent nature of these broad variables and its impact on the life of billions of people in the developing countries. The world has witnessed the triumphant march of the globalization process and its effects on social, economic, political, technological and cultural landscapes of the countries irrespective of their level of development, but the impact on developing countries is more conspicuous. Accordingly, twenty sub-themes have been selected to facilitate the participants to express their views and experiences on these important aspects. The deadline for abstract submissions is 17 June 2013. More information.

Third International Colloquium on Politics and religions in the Himalayas and Central Asia

SEECHAC

The Paris based European Society For Studies Of Central Asia and Himalayan Regions (SEECHAC) organises its third international Colloquium on Politics and religions in the Himalayas and Central Asia in in Vienna at the Austrian Academy of Sciences from 25 to 27 November 2013. The full title of the colloquium is: ”Interaction in the Himalayas and Central Asia: processes of transfer, translation and transformation in art, archaeology, religion and polity from antiquity to the present day”. The aim of this colloquium will be to focus on various forms of interaction and related processes of transfer, translation and transformation in the Himalayas and Central Asia, including Northern India, Northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, from the perspective of a variety of disciplines and fields of study (in particular archaeology, art history, numismatics, philology, social anthropology, study of religion). Every SEECHAC member may attend the sessions. The papers may be delivered and written in any European language, preferably in English, Italian or French. More information.
December 2013

Paris conference on ”The East” in the eyes of 16th-18th century Europe

A conference entitled ”Eastern Resonances 2: India and the Far East 16th-18th centuries” will held at the University of Paris Diderot, France on 5–7 December 2013. The aim is to study the moves, shifts, transformations and translations through which the idea of the East resonated in Europe in general, and Britain in particular, from the early modern period to the romantic age. Short proposals in English and a brief biographical statement are to be sent by October 31, 2012, to the conference organisers. Papers may be presented either in French or in English and the intention is to publish a selected number of papers from the conference in a volume on the topic of Eastern Resonances. More information.

Leiden conference focusing on South Asia during the 1930s

The Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS) in the Netherlands and its South Asian Studies programme organise a conference on the theme of "South Asia and the Long 1930s: Appropriations and Afterlives", to be held during 6-7 December 2013. Placing a particular focus on the political, social, cultural and ideological currents of 1930s, the organisers wish to bring together South Asianists across disciplines, to both contextualise the international flow of ideas, commodities and affinities that marked this interwar period, and rethink the afterlives of the 1930s in the unfolding dialectics of decolonisation in South Asia. Abstracts are welcomed that will comment on the layers, dimensions and fluidities of the period, focussing on three key themes: The Market and the Ordinary; International Affinities; and Aesthetics and Politics. 
Abstracts of approximately 300 words and a short biographical note are welcomed before 15th April 2013. The organisers aim to provide accommodation and meals for all selected speakers and a limited budget for travel will also be available, for which graduate students will receive priority. More information.

Delhi conference on Work Environment, Stress and Health in India

The Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University, and the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai, India, jointly organise a conference on ”Work Environment, Stress and Health in India”, 9 – 11 December 2013. Venue: Taj Ambassador Hotel and Conference Centre, New Delhi.
Stress and poor working conditions have repeatedly been shown to be bad for the health and well being of the workforce. However these studies have largely been conducted in Europe, Japan and North America. We know little about whether these factors are prevalent in India or whether they impact on the health of workers in India in the same way. These are crucial questions given the rapid economic growth of the Indian economy and the transformation of the workforce. Employment in agriculture has declined from around 72% of the workforce in 1971 to just over 50% in 2008. This has been coupled with a dramatic rise in the number of people employed in the service and IT sector. How these changes and the new environments in which these employees work might impact on their health are key questions. This conference will bring together researchers from two of the world's leading centres on work environment and health and researchers from India to discuss these crucial issues. More information.
 

International Sociological/Anthropological Conference to be held in Kathmandu

The Sociological Anthropological Society of Nepal (SASON) organises an International Conference on 14–16 December 2013 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Scholars from around the world are welcomed and papers not just on Nepal but on the thematic focuses of the conference are encouraged. The thematic focuses of the conference are:
"Current dynamics in a transforming Nepal related to development, diversity, and power structures". Under this theme of development, papers are requested on, for example, development practice and the dilemmas of foreign aid; cultural adaptation and mitigation of climate change; migratory labor and the economies of the periphery; governance and development including the successes of user groups and resource governance;  poverty and livelihoods; social services and social security.
Under the theme of "Diversity and identity movements", papers are requested on, for example, global forces and demands for identity recognition; gender and cultural difference; human rights, cultural rights, and religious rights in diverse states. 
Under the theme of "Historical and contemporary socio-polities", papers are requested on, for example, feudal moorings of Nepali politics; national integration and demands for recognition by ethnic minorities; religion and social transformation; social inclusion; violence and symbolic violence. 
Deadline for abstract submission is 30 May 2013. More information. 

Mysore conference on Translation, Comparatism and the Global South

The XVI International Conference of Forum on Contemporary Theory, "Translation, Comparatism and the Global South", is being jointly organised by the Forum on Contemporary Theory in Baroda, and the Department of Studies in English, University of Mysore on 15 - 18 December 2013 at Hotel Regaalis in Mysore, India.

The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars from a variety of intellectual and disciplinary backgrounds to reflect on the uses and abuses of translation and comparative methods in the context of the history, cultures and politics of the Global South. In the context of the pasts, presents and futures of the Global South, the conference invites approaches to translation from the point of view of theory (as the subject of metadiscursive rumination), of trope (as a rich metaphor for a variety of processes and experiences of transformation), and of practice (as the painstaking transference of a text from one language to another or, more generally, from one semiotic system to another). The conference envisages presentations and panels approaching comparatism historically as well as theoretically. Translation and comparatism are intimately linked topics. An act of translation is an act of comparison; and comparatism all too often depends on translation. The conference endeavors to direct sustained attention to translation, comparatism and crosscultural dialogue through social analyses, historical accounts, readings of texts, presentation of fieldwork, philosophical inquiries, and other such disciplinary and transdisciplinary sharing of work. Deadline for submission of abstracts is August 30, 2013. More information.

Kolkata conference on Vivekananda, Grundtvig, Rolland, Gramsci and Freire

The International Forum for Studies in Society and Religion (IFSSR) holds its Fourth International Conference in Kolkata, India, 20–22 December 2013. The theme for the 2013 conference will be ”Swami Vivekananda in the International Perspectives: NFS Grundtvig, Romain Rolland, Antonio Gramsci & Paulo Freire – Efforts towards Making a Global Society”. While paying homage to Swami Vivekananda during this ongoing 150th birth anniverarsary year, the organisers like to contextualize his thoughts with the thinking  of  four world renowned figures who dedicated their lives for similar ideals : N.F.S. Grundtvig of Denmark (1783-1872), a great champion of democracy and universal education, Romain Rolland of France (1866-1944), a relentless fighter for peace, Antonio Gramsci of Italy (1891-1937), an exponent of critical  education and Paulo Freire  of Brazil (1921-1997), the celebrated  ideologue   of  pedagogy of the oppressed. The conference is convened by Prof. Asoke Bhattacharya and Prof. Piyali Palit at Jadavpur University. Abstracts should be submitted before 9 August 2013. More information.

12th International Asian Urbanization Conference to be held in Varanasi

The 12th International Asian Urbanization Conference will be held in Varanasi, India, 28–30 December 2013. It will be hosted by the Department of Geography at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in association with The Asian Urban Research Association (AURA). AURA was established in January 1986 and is based at the University of Akron, Ohio, USA.
The conference seeks to address a wide variety of problems in the Asian urban milieu. The themes to be covered include Rural Urban transformations; Globalization and the urban economy; Urban transportation and commutation; Amenities and facilities in urban areas; Climatic change and urban environment; Marginalization of local communities in urban areas; and Use of Geoinformatic tools (GIS, Remote Sensing and GPS) in urban environmental studies.
Deadline for submitting abstracts is 30 March 2013. More information.
March 2014

5th Biannual Gujarat Studies Association conference to be held in Ahmedabad

The 5th Biannual Gujarat Studies Association (GSA) Conference on "(Re)Defining Gujarati Identity" will be held 19-20 February 2014 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Eiluned Edwards of Nottingham Trent University. 
The notion of identity has come to be recognised as the key to understanding individuals and their relationships with others, which are often based on shared belonging and differences, thereby creating boundaries, to make sense of our world. This conference aims to (re)define the identities and/or representations of Gujaratis, both within and outside India.
Abstracts in English are invited for papers from academics in all areas of study for an inter-disciplinary conference that addresses various aspects of Gujarati identity including, but not limited to: Local and/or Global Identities, Minority and/or Majority Dynamics, Cross-Cultural Interactions, Identity in Crisis, Material Culture, Spatial Identities, Literary Identities, The Gujarati Language, Historical and/or Contemporary Perspectives, Cultural Life, Religion and Spirituality, Femininities and/or Masculinities, Life in the Gujarati Diaspora/Post-diaspora, Collective Memory and Historiography. 
Submissions are encouraged from graduate and post-graduate students. A limited number of student bursaries are available for master's level, doctoral and post-doctoral candidates presenting papers at the conference. Abstract submission deadline / bursary application deadline is 9 September 2013. More information.
April 2014

Arizona conference on human/nature interaction in Maharashtra

The 15th International Conference on Maharashtra: Culture and Society will be held at Arizona State University (Tempe and Phoenix, USA) during April 23-26, 2014. The theme of the conference will be “Interactions between Humans and the Natural World in Maharashtra.” Proposals are invited for presentations related to this theme from scholars in any field of the humanities or social sciences, as well as from natural scientists interested in the human dimensions of the natural environment in Maharashtra. 
The theme of the conference encompasses a wide variety of relationships between humans and the natural world and topics to be covered include the whole range of  Maharashtrians’ interactions with mountains, rivers, plants, animals, soil, fire, water, and air. Prospective participants are encouraged to present papers examining the intentional and unintentional effects of human actions on the environment, as in agriculture, gardening, water management, forestry, and mineral extraction. Studies highlighting the constraints and inspiration that the natural world provides to human social and cultural activities, including material culture, literature, ritual life, work, and recreation are also of interest. As the International Conference on Maharashtra is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary endeavour, the hope is to bring together scholars who are examining the same sets of phenomena from different disciplinary points of view. 
Papers may be presented in English or Marathi, and proposals may be submitted in either language as well. Proposals should take the form of a 100- to 200-word abstract presenting new research related to the conference theme, along with a recent brief CV. The deadline for submission of abstract proposals is 15 August 2013. More information.

Tenth European Social Science History Conference to be held in Vienna

The International Institute for Social History (IISH) will organise the Tenth European Social Science History Conference (ESSHC) in Vienna, 23-26 April 2014. The Asia Network of the ESSHC invites proposals for papers and panel sessions on Asian countries. The Conference welcomes proposals on any topic and any historical period. Thematic panel sessions that compare various Asian countries are particularly encouraged. The deadline for pre-registration is 15 May 2013.
The IISH organizes the ESSHC once every two years. The conference does not have a central theme and welcomes papers about all periods and subjects. The main objective of the conference is to introduce historians who use the insights and techniques from the social sciences to social scientists that focus on the past in their research and vice versa. The programme revolves around 28 thematic networks that address various subjects. Specialists in each field serve as network chairs and are the driving forces in elaborating the program. This approach is conducive to organising interdisciplinary panel sessions for an interdisciplinary and international audience. More information.
June 2014

Second Hong Kong conference on Ecologies of Urbanism in Asia

As a follow-up to the 2010 conference on ”Urban Ecologies in Asia”, which was convened in Hong
Kong (more information), the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HKIHSS) will organise a new conference entitled "Ecologies of Urbanism in Asia II: Cities, Towns, and the Places of Nature", on 9 – 12 June 2014. 
The conference will investigate urbanism, nature, and ecological sustainability in Asian cities and towns, and explore the ways that urban social processes intersect with assessments of urban environmental order and disorder in specific cities by asking, how are relationships between urban environments and urban societies made, and made meaningful? How do biophysical properties, rules, and histories of nature matter in the city? How is the urban environment used to construct social identities and demarcate political spaces? 
Papers will engage cases grounded in the cities and towns of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and south China and abstracts are invited in the following thematic areas: the political ecology of the city, urban environmentalism, nodes and networks, and the social lives of infrastructure. 
All selected participants will be provided a round-trip economy airfare to Hong Kong, and up to six nights accommodation, as well as invitations to the conference dinner and associated field trips. Deadline for abstract submission is August 15, 2013. More information. 
July 2014

Time to suggest panels for 23rd ECSAS Conference in Zurich 2014

The 23rd European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS) will take place on 23 to 26 July 2014 at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. The call for panels closed on 30th April 2013. The EASAS appreciates a well-balanced composition of convenors and panellists within a panel (by gender, with an international mix of participants, and senior and junior scholars) but the main criterion will be the high academic quality of your panel. One of the convenors must be based in a European institution. The Steering Committee decisions will be published on 15th June 2013.
The ECSAS has met regularly since 1968, and has provided an important opportunity to discuss current research and scholarship on topics relating to South Asia within the humanities and social sciences. The ECSAS conferences now operate under the auspices of the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS), a charitable, academic association engaged in the support of research and teaching concerning South Asia with regard to all periods and fields of study. The hosts for the 23rd ECSAS are the Department of Geography and the University Research Priority Program (URPP) Asia and Europe, both at the University of Zurich.
Participants cannot submit more than one presentation during the 23rd ECSAS. Beyond that, each participant may chair one panel; or be discussant in one panel. According to the decision of EASAS members, panel convenors and paper presenters at the 23rd ECSAS must be members of EASAS through 2013 and 2014. Non-members cannot attend the conference. It is easy to join EASAS through the following link: www.easas.org/Becomeamember
Conference convenors are Prof. Dr. Ulrike Müller-Böker, Department of Geography, University of Zurich (CH); and Prof. Dr. Angelika Malinar, Department of Indology; Academic Director University Research Priority Program Asia and Europe, University of Zurich (CH). Full information about the 2014 EASAS conference.
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