2nd Biennial Conference of the Indian Association for South Asian Studies (IASAS)
Global South Asians: Transformative Experiences
15-18 November 2022
Announcement
Type: Call for Panels/ Papers
Date: 15-18 November 2022
Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Venue: Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi
Organiser: Centre for Alternative Studies in Social Sciences (CASSS), New Delhi
Partners: Department of History, Banaras Hindu University, Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund, Mauritius; Global Girmit Institute, Fiji; Sunway University, Malaysia
We invite abstracts for the 2nd biennial conference of the Indian Association for South Asian Studies
(IASAS) to be held at the Banaras Hindu University on 15-18 November 2022. This three-day conference
will focus on themes related to South Asian Studies and will bring together scholars from
across humanities and social sciences.
Although the central theme of the second IASAS conference is Global South Asians, the panels and
papers can be proposed on any aspect of South Asian Studies.
The Global South Asians theme explores the transformative experiences of those Indians who migrated
or travelled overseas, and the memories of those who did not return and chose to stay in
their respective host countries. These communities of South Asians abroad struggled to adapt to their
new situations, standardizing the languages spoken, and preserving some cultural traditions and folk
traditions, whilst discarding others (notably many of the distinctions of caste). In short, forging for
themselves entirely new identities as ‘diasporic Indians’.
While Global South Asians: Transformative Experiences theme encourages enquiry by diasporic scholars,
researchers and others into the challenges and practical possibilities for diaspora peoples in the social,
economic, technological, scientific, medical and entrepreneurial fields, it equally takes into account the
new frontiers in information gathering, its presentation and new methodologies of sharing research
among the millions of Indian diasporic people. Hence, IASAS Conference 2022 aims to provide
opportunities for diasporic researchers and scholars to engage in a genuinely global dialogue. In the
context of globalizing similarities and differences, such dialogue is increasingly important as it
facilitates the development and sharing of knowledge, and the establishment of international
collaborative relations. This conference is committed to advancing the achievement of a just, peaceful
and progressive diasporic world community through collaboration and dialogue on various issues
through the exchange of ideas, concerns, solutions, problems, person-to-person contacts and
professional relationships.
Apart from the above central theme, IASAS 2022 conference welcomes panels and papers in
English or in Hindi on any theme of South Asian Studies employing interdisciplinary and
theoretical perspectives inspired by History, Philosophy, Political Science, Anthropology,
Ethnography, Sociology, Psychology etc. Hence, the conference’s aim is to bring historians and social
scientists into conversation with each other. We encourage submissions from research students,
early career scholars, faculty members, and independent social scientists whose research falls under
the spectrum of South Asian Studies. The conference hopes to generate new perspectives by
exploring new as well as alternative and evolving research ideas and methods.
CALL FOR PAPERS
There would be at least four presenters in each panel session. Presentations will be limited to 20
minutes each.
1. Abstracts of up to 500 words should be submitted on or before August 15, 2022.
2. Acceptance letters for proposals will be e-mailed by August 30, 2022. All abstracts will be peer-reviewed.
In the Subject window of your e-mails, please type the following words: IASAS Conference 2022
Email abstract at: iasasconference2022@gmail.com