South Asia conferences outside the Nordic countries

Young South Asia Scholars Meet Workshop 2012 in Heidelberg

The third annual Young South Asia Scholars Meet (Y-SASM) Workshop will be held in Heidelberg, Germany, 14–16 June 2012. The theme for the 2012 Y-SASM Workshop, to be hosted by the South Asia Institute at Heidelberg University, will be ”Beyond the Metropolis. Implications of Urbanization in South Asian Towns and Small Cities”. Deadline for handing in papers is set for 31 January 2012. 
In response to the positive feedback to the workshops held in Berlin in the last two years, Y-SASM has been established as an annual workshop. 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 2013 Y-SASM workshop is already planned to be held the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and the 2014 workshop at University of Göttingen.
Read the Call for Papers.
More information on the Y-SASN blog page

10th International Conference on South Asian Languages and Literatures in Moscow

The 10th International Conference on South Asian Languages and Literatures (ICOSAL 10) will be held in Moscow, Russia, on 5–6 July 2012. It is organised by the Department of Indian Philology, Institute of Asian and African Studies (IAAS), Moscow State University, and the International Centre for South Asian Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities.
Out of the nine previous ICOSALs, three were organized in Moscow by the Department of Indian Philology, IAAS, (July 1997, July 2003, June 2006). The other six ICOSALs were organized by various Indian Universities (in Hyderabad, Aligarh, Patiala and other Indian cities).
Deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 February 2012.  More information.

19th biannual Asian Studies Association of Australia conference at Parramatta

The Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) organises its 19th Biannual conference 11 – 13 July 2012 on the Parramatta Campus of the University of Western Sydney, Australia. The conference is hosted by the University's Institute for Culture and Society, the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, and the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies. The main theme is ”Knowing Asia: Asian Studies in an Asian Century” through which there will be explored the shifts related to Asia's becoming of an increasingly prominent, complex and self-confident region in the world which requires a rethinking of the concept of ”knowing Asia”. The conference will work also to encourage reflection on the implications of these shifts on the field of Asian studies in general by working with different sub-topics among which new Asian hegemonies, urban cultures and social transformation, cultural diplomacy and cultural policy. Keynote speakers include Professor Prasenjit Duara, Director of Research at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. Registration deadline is 31 March 2012. More information. 

Wales conference on Warren Hastings and Indian Pluralism

A conference on ”Indian Pluralism and Warren Hastings' Regime” will be held at University of Wales in Gregynog, Powys, UK, on 18–20 July 2012. Plenary speakers include Dr Natasha Eaton (King's College, London); the author William Dalrymple; Professor Carl Ernst (North Carolina), Professor P. J. Marshall (King's College, London), and Professor Daniel White (Toronto). The aim of this conference is to provide a more complete and multidisciplinary picture of the amateur Orientalists of the Hastings circle and the politico-cultural significance of their work. Jones sought similitude between West and East, and part of this overarching project was to stress the compatibility of Hindu and Islamic mysticism. There was an imperialist ideological dimension here; it was a means of aligning the regime's need to appear both neo-Brahmanical and neo-Mughal. (Portrait of Warren Hastings)
Deadline for paper proposals is 15 April 2012. More information.

22nd European Conference on South Asian Studies in Lisbon

The 22nd European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS) will be held 25-28 July 2012 at the University Institute of Lisbon (also known as ISCTE-IUL) in Portugal. A full list of the 51 accepted panels is now available – go for the list.
The 2012 conference convener is Professor Rosa Maria Perez, anthropologist, Department of Anthropology, ISCTE-IUL and researcher of CRIA-IUL. The co-convener is Professor Diogo Ramada Curto, Historian, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa. The venue will be ISCTE-IUL:s campus at Avenida das Forças Armadas in Lisbon.  
The programme has a strong academic profile, with plenary speakers in addition to the panels. Besides a film screening, several social events have been organised for the evenings. 18 May 2012 is the deadline for your registration if you
wish your details to appear in the conference programme.

The biannual ECSAS conference is the largest gathering of South Asia oriented researchers in Europe, covering all fields from the humanities and social sciences to technology, natural sciences and medicine. The conference is held biannually under the aegis of the European Association of South Asian Studies (EASAS), a professional, non-profit organisation of scholars engaged in research and teaching concerning South Asia with regard to all periods and fields of study. (SASNET organised the 18th ECMSAS conference in Lund in 2004.)

Please note that ONLY members of EASAS can take part in the Lisbon conference. So please update your membership before 15 May 2012 (details about membership payment). At the end of April the current state of registrations for the conference was 359 papers in 49 panels, so the conference organisation team would expect about 400 registrations by the time of the conference. At the end of early-bird registration, however, the conference team had received and invoiced 200 registrations only. Full information on the conference page.

As a result of an agreement between EASAS and SAMAJ – the South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal – conveners of panels at the Lisbon conference have been offered the opportunity of submitting a proposal for a special issue in 2013 or 2014. Papers should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, and special issues of the journal usually include 6-8 papers. The deadline for confirming an interest in a special issue is 3 August 2012. If you wish to take up this offer, please express your interest by sending a 500-word concept note, describing your panel, with an outline of the likely papers, to Stéphanie Tawa Lama-Rewal, Margret Frenz, Nicolas Jaoul, and Roger Jeffery.

Time to submit papers for the 11th International Conference on Early Modern Literatures in North India

The Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla in the state of Himachal Pradesh is organising the 11th International Conference on Early Modern Literatures in North India (ICEMLNI) to be held on 3 – 5 August 2012.

The conference will focus on the literliterary and devotional cultures that existed simultaneously in North India and will re-investigate distinctions and connections between vernacular and cosmopolitan languages, between the vernaculars themselves, and between the spheres of devotional and secular or 'courtly' literatures and practices. Papers exploring these topics are welcome, along with suggestions for panels. The conference will be organised in the format of a workshop for research in progress and all accepted papers will be circulated in advance in order to stimulate fruitful discussions. 
More information.

Young Scholars Economics Academy on Dynamics of Migration in Geneva

The Swiss foundation for Ecology and Economy – oikos Foundation, in collaboration with the Graduate Institute's Programme for the Study of Global Migration in Geneva, organizes the oikos Young Scholars Economics Academy to take place 19 – 24 August 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. The topic of the conference is  “The Dynamics of Migration” and junior scholars (PhD students, as well as graduates) are invited to submit papers on one of the following topics related to migration: – remittances and development; – Poverty and economic inequality; Health, education, and saving; Climate change and the environment; Institutional and technological change; Cultural identity; Labor markets and intellectual capital; Trade and foreign direct investment. Deadline for abstract submission is 15 May 2012. Read the full call for papers.

2012 World Water Week focuses on Water and Food Security

The 2012 World Water Week in Stockholm will be held 26–31 August 2012. The theme for 2012 is ”Water and Food Security”. As ususal, the 22nd World Water Week is organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
While the global food production in the world is more than sufficient to feed all the people on the planet, the food distribution is still very poor leaving some hungry, others overeating while a lot of food is thrown away. The main questions related to food security become thus how much more food is needed to be produced?, How and where it will be grown, and how we will ensure that the food produced is affordable and available to all. 

The agenda will feature workshops on the following themes: – Best use of blue water resources for food security; – Rainfed production under growing rain variability: Closing the yield gap; – Safeguarding global food security and life supporting ecosystems; – Health and food security; – Securing water and food in an urbanizing world; – Towards a green economy: The water-food-energy nexus; – Trade and food security; – Governance for water and food security.

Scholars and professionals from all the world are currently invited to submit proposals for the workshops, as well as for exhibitions or paper presentations of relevance to the main conference focus topic. Priority will be given to proposals that are facets of the global challenge and present practical solutions, policies, and strategies for keeping earth's water and food resources safe, shared and accessible to all. Deadline for submitting proposals is 15 February 2012. See more information and submission guidelines.

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. The conference is filled with plenary sessions, seminars, workshops, side events and special activities. The Scientific Programme Committee (SPC) planning for the conference was for many years chaired by Prof. Jan Lundqvist at SIWI (previously at the Dept. of Water and Environmental Studies, Linköping University), but from this year the chairman position is taken over by Dr. Torkil Jönch-Clausen (read his CV). Venue: Stockholm International Fairs and Congress Center (Stockholmsmässan) in Älvsjö, 9 km south of central Stockholm. Full information.

Ananda Coomaraswamy Memorial Conference on Asian Art and Culture

The Centre for Asian Studies at University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, organises the Ananda Coomaraswamy Memorial Conference on Asian Art and Culture on 8–10 September 2012. The conference coincides with the 135th birth anniversary and 65th death anniversary of Ananda Coomaraswamy, renowned Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art (particularly art history and symbolism). He was an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West.
Deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 June 2012. In addition to the conference proceedings, the organisers plan to launch a commemoration volume on Ananda Coomaraswamy. Particiants interested in having their papers published in this volume, should announce this by 15 July 2012. Full information about the conference.

Second Nepal and Himalayan Studies Conference at Fetzer Center

The Second Conference of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS) will be held at the Fetzer Center on the campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, in conjunction with the 61th Annual Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs, 21–23 September 2012. The format of the conference will include traditional panel with presentations by four panelists and a discussant; workshops around papers presented; roundtable discussions on a topic of broad interest; and panels on a recent significant publication or film. Submissions open on 16 March 2012 and close 18 May 2012. More information. 

Singapore workshop on South Asian Diaspora Engagement in South Asia

An international workshop on ”Diaspora and development – South Asian Diaspora Engagement in South Asia” will be held in Singapore 25–26 September 2012. It is being organised by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), part of the National University of Singapore. The workshop will explore the various forms and fields of diaspora engagement that include entrepreneurship, philanthropy, international relations, portfolio investment, remittances, advocacy, peacebuilding, trade such as in ethnic goods, political engagement, socio-cultural linkages and religious or spiritual movements, amongst many other categories  that all have potential for advancing growth in South Asia. Some of the specific questions that the workshop will adress are – what is the relationship between diaspora engagement and development; what is the structure of diaspora engagement in South Asia?; – What are the existing diaspora engagement policies in South Asian countries individually and how could they be regionally integrated?, and more. The workshop targets empirically based papers involving South Asian countries (i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and South Asian diaspora members/communities/groups living and working across the globe. Deadline to submit abstracts is 15 February 2012, while full papers should be submitted by 1 August 2012. Full information.

41st Annual Madison Conference on South Asia

The 41st Annual Madison Conference on South Asia will be held 11–14 October 2012. 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. Registration and proposal submission forms (single papers, panels, roundtables, preconferences) are available on line. Registration as a non-presenting participant at the Conference is open to the general public. The conference features nearly 100 academic panels and roundtables, as well as association meetings and special events ranging from performances to film screenings. This year a plenary session will be organized around the theme of ”Corruption and Culture.” Panels that similarly address questions of corruption and its cultural manifestations and understandings from a variety of disciplinary and evidentiary perspectives are especially welcome. Venue: Madison Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton St., Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Abstracts should be submitted by 1 April 2012. More information. 

Fukuoka conference on Environmental Aspects of Bangladesh

The 3rd International Conference on Environmental Aspects of Bangladesh (ICEAB) will be held 13–14 October 2012 in Fukuoka, Japan. Researchers from all over the world are invited to participate in the conference, hosted by the University of Kitakyushu, that covers not only the environmental issues of Bangladesh but other parts of the World as well. It is a follow-up to the International Symposium on Environmental Issues of Bangladesh & Japan held in 2009, and the 2nd International Conference on Environmental Aspects of Bangladesh held in 2010. The ICEAB provides vibrant opportunities for researchers, industry practitioners, volunteers, students and fellow citizens to share their research experiences, research results, ideas, review of various aspects and practical development experiences on environmental aspects of Bangladesh, Japan and other regions. Topics of interest include: River issues and water pollution; Forest and biodiversity conservation; Fisheries and marine biology; Green energy, renewable energy; and Waste management. Abstracts should be submitted before 15 April 2012.
More information. 

Central Eurasian Studies Society’s Annual Conference in Bloomington

The Central Eurasian Studies Society’s (CESS) Thirteenth Annual Conference will be held 18–21 October 2012 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. CESS is a private, non-political, non-profit, North America-based organization of scholars who are interested in the study of Central Eurasia, and its history, languages, cultures, and modern states and societies. Its purpose is to promote high standards of research and teaching, and to foster communication among scholars through meetings and publications.
Panels and paper proposals relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship on Central Eurasia are welcome. The geographic domain of Central Eurasia extends from the Black Sea and Iranian Plateau to Mongolia and Siberia, including Afghanistan, Tibet, and Central Asia. Practitioners and scholars in all humanities and social science disciplines with an interest in Central Eurasia are encouraged to participate. Deadline for submitting panel/paper proposals is 1 April 2012. Full details about the conference.

Second Students’ Conference on Bengal Related Studies in Halle

The Second Students’ Conference on Bengal Related Studies will be held in Halle (Saale), Germany, on 27–28 October 2012. It is hosted by the South Asia Seminar, Institute of Oriental Studies, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg along with the association Bengal Link e.V. and the Arbeitskreis Neuzeitliches Südasien of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Asienkunde e.V. (DGA). The Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg is one of the two German universities where research on the Bengal regions, Bengali language and culture has been an integral part for a long time. After the emergence of numerous studies on the Bengal regions disciplines other than South Asian Studies (e.g. Social Anthropology, Sociology, Development Studies, Urban Planning), the conference organisers realised the necessity of giving students and young scholars an option to discuss their various topics and research ap-proaches among each other across disciplinary borders, and of building up an interdisciplinary network for Bengal Related Studies. 
The aim of the conference is to provide an inter-disciplinary venue for young scholars who focus on the Bengali regions in their studies. Halle-Wittenberg is one of the two German universities where research on the Bengal regions, Bengali language and culture has been an integral part for a long time. After the emergence of numerous studies on the Bengal regions from other disciplines (e.g. Social Anthropology, Sociology, Development Studies, Urban Planning) the conference organisers realised the necessity of giving young scholars an option to discuss their various topics and research approaches among each other and of building up an interdisciplinary network for Bengal Related Studies. After the success of the first conference in 2010 the organisers are very much looking forward to hosting the second one. 

There is no overarching theme. Any topic from the humanities and social sciences is welcome as long as the region of study is either Bangladesh or Bengali speaking India. Abstracts are invited from graduate and postgraduate students and young scholars at any stage of their career. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 30 April 2012. 
More information about the Halle conference.

Conference on "Textile Trades and Consumption in the Indian Ocean World, from Early Times to the Present” in Montreal

An International conference on ”Textile Trades and Consumption in the Indian Ocean World, from Early Times to the Present” will be held in Montreal, Canada, 2–4 November 2012. It is organised by the Indian Ocean World Centre (IOWC) at McGill University. This multi-disciplinary international conference aims to bring together scholars from across the humanities and social sciences to share findings, methodologies and theoretical perspectives on cloth’s critical role in driving exchanges in the Indian Ocean World from early times to the present day. More information.

Singapore conference on Religion, Disaster Relief, and Reconstruction in Asia

A conference on ”Salvage and Salvation: Religion, Disaster Relief, and Reconstruction in Asia” will be held in Singapore 22–23 November 2012. It is organised by the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, and focuses on the dynamics in play at the intersection of religion and disaster relief in Asia? Over the past few years, Asia has witnessed frequent massive and high profile disasters, notably the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), the Kashmir earthquake (2005) – photo, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (2008), the Pakistan floods of 2010, and most recently the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters in northeast Japan. In the wake of these tragedies – and the numerous smaller-scale disasters that also afflict the region – religious organizations have played pivotal roles in disaster response initiatives. Millions of relief workers and billions of dollars in aid have been mobilized through their networks.
Abstracts should be submitted before 15 May 2012. More information. 

18th International Congress of Rural Health & Medicine to be held in Goa, India

The 18th International Congress of Rural Health & Medicine will be held from 5 - 8 December 2012 at Panjim, Goa. The congress is organised by the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences at Deemed University, Loni, India, in collaboration with the International Association for Rural Health and Medicine, Japan and the congress theme will be ”Challenges for Health in Global Villages”. The congress aims to promote a dialogue among NGOs, academics and government on global issues related to rural health in connection to the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals. Prof. Ingalill Rahm Hallberg, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Lund University (and Professor in Health Care Science), Prof. Peter Lindqvist from the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), and Mr. Lars-Olof Lindgren, Ambassador of Sweden to India, are members of the advisory committee comprised of delegates from more than 10 countries. For the latest news about the congress check its website. 
More information (as a pdf-file).

Asia-Europe Encounters conference in Singapore CFP

The International Institute of Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden, the Netherlands; the Asia-Europe Foundation; the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre, ISEAS,  and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, jointly organise an international conference on ”Asia-Europe Encounters: Intellectual and Cultural Exchanges, 1900-1950”. The conference will be held 7 – 8 December 2012 at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore. The purpose of the conference is to explore the intellectual and cultural flows between Asia and Europe which occurred during, and in part were formative of, the political and social changes over the first half of the 20th century. Aside of post-colonialism, the conference will encourage an exploration of the intellectual and cultural currents of this age and an investigation into how the two ends of Eurasia interacted in these spheres through (new) cosmopolitanism and other novel ideologies which affected both European and Asian societies. Young scholars from Asia and Europe are encouraged to apply. Abstracts of 300 – 400 words and a short biographical sketch of the proposer are to be submitted by 30 May 2012. All participants will be provided with three nights accommodation in Singapore. Requests for assistance with airfare, especially from Asian countries, will be sympathetically considered. More information and full call for papers.

Colombo conference on ICT for Emerging Regions

An International Conference on Advances in ICT for Emerging Regions (ICTer) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 12–15 December 2012. ICTer is the successor to the seminal International Information Technology Conference held in Sri Lanka since 1998, the IITC. It provides a platform where research done in ICT is presented by both local and foreign computer scientists and IT professionals. In order to get wider international participation and to promote computing research in the fast emerging regions of the world especially in Asia-Pacific, it was decided to broadbase the conference and links it with the related International Journal ICTer. The proceedings of ICTer2012 will be published in both book and online versions with an ISBN number and also in IEEE Explorer; Google Scholar. Selected papers will be invited for publication in the ICTer Journal. Papers and tutorial proposals are invited in the following five broad categories, but not limited to: Technology, Applications, Human Computer Interaction, Development Processes and Social, Legal and Ethical Issues. More information. 

Aurangabad conference on Rural South Asia

The Sudarshan Foundation Trust in India organizes an International Conference on ”Rural South Asia: Imagining Heritage and Progress” at Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, on 4–7 January 2013. This is the second initiative from Sudarshan Foundation Trust after our successful conference held in 2009 on Gandhi and Gram Swaraj: Reflections on Gandhian Ideology (more information). The objective of the conference is to organize a series of brainstorming sessions the results of which will be disseminated through projects for rural planning and improvement in South Asia. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 July 2012. More information. 

18th International Euro-Asia Research Conference in Venezia, Italy

Following a number of conferences held in France, Ireland, Norway, Japan, China, Spain, Indonesia and India since 1994, the 18th International Euro-Asia Research Conference will take place in Venezia (Italy) between 31 January and 1 February 2013. The topic of the conference is ”The Globalisation of Asian Markets: implications for Multinational Investors”. Papers are invited in the following subtopics: – Asia's Growing Consumer Markets: the rise of Asia's Middle Class; – Cultural differences in marketing and other management issues; – Relocation abroad and relocation back home: European and Asian experiences; – Developed versus developing countries MNCs in Asia: comparison of international strategies; – SMEs internationalisation strategies; – European and Asian perspectives; – Impact of the global economic crisis on international business; – European and Asian perspectives.
Convenors of the conference are the School of Asian Studies and Business Management Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy; Yokohama National University, Japan; IAE of The University of Poitiers France; The University of Pau, France, TELECOM Ecole de Management, France; The School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield, U.K., and the University of Limerick, Ireland. 
Deadline to submit abstracts is 4 June 2012. Read the full announcement.

5th SSEASR conference on Healing, Belief Systems, Cultures and Religions of South and Southeast Asia

The 5th International Conference of the South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religion (SSEASR) will be held at Manila, the Philippines, 16–19 May 2013. the Conference is being organized by the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila from May 16 to 19 2013, and will be held in collaboration with some local Universities(details being worked out). The theme for the conference will be ”Healing, Belief Systems, Cultures and Religions of South and Southeast Asia”. The 5th SSEASR conference is co-sponsored as a Regional Conference by the SSEASR parent body – the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), an affiliate organisation of the UNESCO.
Deadline for Show of Interest is 24 November 2012, and deadline for submitting abstracts is 24 February 2013. Full 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. Deadline for proposals is 15 July 2012. 
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. Deadline for IBP proposals is 15 October 2012
More information on ICAS 8.