Thursday, February 21, 2008

SEMINAR- Identity among Uzbeks and Kyrgyz of Ferghana Valley, SRC-AUCA, Feb. 26

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies


SEMINAR- Identity among Uzbeks and Kyrgyz of Ferghana Valley, SRC-AUCA, Feb. 26

Posted by: Social Research Center <src@mail.auca.kg>

The Social Research Center (SRC) at the American University of Central
Asia (www.src.auca.kg) under its Research Seminars Series presents:

RESEARCH SEMINAR: "Dynamics of Identity Formations among the Uzbeks
and Kyrgyz of the Ferghana Valley"

SPEAKER: Dr Elmira Kuchumkulova, Associate Professor, Department of
Cultural Anthropology, American University in Central Asia

Time: 5 pm, February 26, 2008
Venue: 232, AUCA (main building)

Language: English

Abstract: In her presentation, Dr Kuchumkulova will discuss the
dynamics of identity formation in the formerly nomadic Kyrgyz and
sedentary Uzbek societies that have interacted in the Ferghana Valley
shared by Uzbekistan and southern Kyrgyzstan. She will present
interesting interview materials taken from a group of ethnic Kyrgyz
who lived among the Uzbeks in the Namangan province of Uzbekistan for
more than forty years and analyze the socio-cultural legacies of
historical nomad and sedentary interaction in creating and fostering
the ethnic boundaries between the modern Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

Bio: Dr Elmira Kuchumkulova received her PhD from the
Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at
the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. Her doctoral dissertation
was on "Kyrgyz Nomadic Customs and the Impact of Re-Islamization after
Independence." She received her BA and MA from the same university.
Currently, Dr Kuchumkulova works as a Research Assistant at the
University of Central Asia (UCA), Bishkek.š She also teaches a course
on "Eurasian Nomadism" at the Anthropology Department at the AUCA.

Research Seminar Series: The Research Seminar Series is an initiative
of the SRC and it aims to provide a venue for the AUCA faculty, local
and foreign scholars to share the results of their current and
previous research projects with other scholars. The series intends to
encourage scholarly discourse at AUCA.

How to register: Please, RSVP to asamidinova_a@mail.auca.kg to give
your name and affiliation.

_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l

Thursday, February 14, 2008

CONF./CFP- Political Islam and Democracy, CSID, May 14, Washington, D.C.

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies


CONF./CFP- Political Islam and Democracy, CSID, May 14, Washington, D.C.

Posted by: Radwan Masmoudi <masmoudi@islam-democracy.org>

Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy

Call for Paper Proposals


Political Islam and Democracy - What do Islamists and Islamic
Movements want?

CSID's 9th Annual Conference
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Washington, D.C.

The term "Islamist" today is mostly popularly connected in the Western
mind with theocracy, disregard for human rights, and hostility towards
the West. It is used indiscriminately to describe various religiously-
inspired political movements in a broad swath of the Muslim world
which is internally culturally, socially, ethnically and, to an
extent, religiously diverse. The broad application of this term in
this manner thus collapses a range of views among groups loosely
labeled as Islamist. "Hard-line" Islamists who reject Western-style
democracy outright, for example, need to be distinguished from
"moderate" Islamists who are willing to be accommodating of democratic
political participation.

In the past 10 or 15 years, many Islamic movements have in fact become
strong advocates of democracy, but still have vague interpretations of
what democracy means. Does democracy - in their view - include equal
rights for non-Muslims and secularists? Does it include equal rights
for women? How do they reconcile the basic concept of democracy (rule
of the people, by the people, and for the people) with their
understanding of "divine sovereignty" (al-Hakimiyya)? Will Islamists
and Islamic movements respect the right of the people to change their
governments or to pass legislation that appear to contradict
traditional interpretations of the Sharia? These moderate Islamist
parties are gaining in popularity, but are they capable of providing
effective solutions to the social and political problems of the Arab
and Muslim world? Should the US and the West engage such moderate
Islamists, or should we try to exclude them from the political process
in their countries by making "secularism" a pre-condition for
political activism?

The Ninth annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islam and
Democracy (CSID) will be devoted to exploring the complexities of this
highly important topic today in the context of democracy and
democratization in these diverse Muslim-majority societies. Paper
proposals are invited from prospective participants on the following
five broad topics. Possible topics are not restricted to the ones
that follow but proposals must establish their relevance in general to
the issues of democracy and democratization processes in the Islamic
world:

1. What do the main Islamic parties from Morocco to Indonesia say
about democracy, human rights, equality, and rule of law? Do they
believe in implementing sharia laws, and if so, what is their
understanding of the sharia and how do they intend to implement such
laws?

2. Are Islamist movements capable of generating interpretations of
Islamic law so as to promote a democratic political culture and
pluralist civil society? If so, where have they succeeded in doing
so, and how can these experiences and views be replicated in other
parts of the Muslim world?

3. Should the US, Europe, and the West engage these moderate Islamists
in a dialogue and encourage them to participate in peaceful political
movements and processes? Can broad coalitions between moderate
Islamists and secularists be built to support moderation and peaceful
democratization in the Muslim world?

4. How has the rise of political Islam or Islamism in late twentieth
century affected the rights of women and religious minorities in
Muslim majority societies?

5. How can moderate Islamist movements be harnessed to promote gender
rights and the equality of citizens today? What is the spectrum of
views now current among these groups in various parts of the Islamic
world?

6. Has the current exclusion of Islamist groups in general from the
broader political dialogue in the Middle East, for example, adversely
affected the process of democratization in the region?

Both broad theoretical studies and specific case studies are welcome.

Paper proposals (no more than 400 words) are due by February 20, 2008
and should be sent to:

Prof. Asma Afsaruddin
Chair, Conference Program Committee
1625 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 601,
Washington, D.C. 20036.
Tel.: (202) 265-1200. Fax: (202) 265-1222.
E-mail: conference2008@islam-democracy.org

Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 1, 2008 and
final papers must be submitted by April 1, 2008.

Selected panelists and speakers must cover their own travel and
accommodations to participate in the conference, and pay the
conference registration fee ($100) by April 1. CSID will waive the
conference registration fees and provide an honorarium of $300 for
speakers and panelists coming from overseas to present their papers.


Radwan A. Masmoudi
President

Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)
1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 601
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. 202-265-1200
Fax: 202-265-1222
Cell: 202-251-3036
masmoudi@islam-democracy.org


_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

REMINDER: CENTRAL ASIA & CAUCASUS WORKING GROUP, Spring Organizational Meeting, Tues., Feb. 12

A distribution of: Central-Asia-Harvard-List. The Announcement List for
Central Eurasian Studies at Harvard University


CENTRAL ASIA & CAUCASUS WORKING GROUP, Spring Organizational Meeting,
Tues., Feb. 12

Posted by: John Schoeberlein <centasia@fas.harvard.edu>

The first meeting this semester of the

Central Asia & Caucasus Working Group

will be held on:

Tuesday, February 12, 4:15-6:00 pm

in CGIS Room S-354 at 1730 Cambridge St., 3rd Floor,
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies

All interested people are encouraged to join us.

The Working Group is, first and foremost, and opportunity for us to
get (and give) useful feedback on the projects-in-progress that we are
pursuing -- theses, course papers, articles, conference papers, etc.
The group is a stable, sympathetic group who are generally generous
with their comments.

In the organizational meeting, we will discuss the schedule for future
meetings, which will be on Tuesdays, alternating with the meetings of the
Central Asia and Caucasus Seminar (public seminar series).

We will begin with an introduction to the Working Group and then have
a introductions by participants and with a chance for all to introduce
themselves and mention their particular interests and projects.
Please come prepared to talk a bit about any project that you might be
considering for presentation this semester or this year.

If you need to be added to the Working Group e-mail mailing list
(i.e., if you don't get this message directly from me) or if you know
of someone who would be interested in receiving information about the
Working Group, just send me the name/e-mail address and I'll add it to
the list.

If you would potentially be interested in making a presentation to the
Working Group in the early part of the semester, please let me know as
soon as possible. Typical projects for presentation include thesis
chapters, term paper projects, and papers you are preparing for
conference presentation and/or publication. Note that the
presentation can be something rather "raw", though ideally you should
have a (draft) paper that can be distributed in advance of your
presentation.

Here is more info about the Working Group...


About the Working Group

The Working Group on "Society, Politics and Culture in Central Asia
and the Caucasus" forum that meets roughly every other week for
discussion of projects on Central Asia. The Working Group is aimed at
providing a context for focused discussion on Central Asian and
Caucasus-related topics among Harvard graduate students, faculty, and
other interested scholars in the Cambridge and Boston area. Central
Asia, for these purposes, is understood to include the states of
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, as
well as closely related areas: the Caucasus, the Volga Basin,
Southwestern Siberia, Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.

Each meeting is devoted to a presentation of some work-in-progress (a
thesis prospectus, chapter, or paper) by one of the Working Group
participants, accompanied by helpful discussion by the group as a
whole. In most cases, a text is distributed in advance so that the
presentation of its content can be brief and we can devote our time to
feedback and discussion. Guest speakers are also sometimes invited.

The Working Group is chaired by John Schoeberlein, Director of the Harvard
Program on Central Asia & the Caucasus. The Working Group is an activity of
the Harvard Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus at the Davis Center for
Russian and Eurasian Studies. The group has been meeting since 1994.

Refreshments are served!

Please contact me with any questions or suggestions you might have.

I look forward to your participation!

John Schoeberlein


Dr. John Schoeberlein \ Director
Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus
Davis Center \ Harvard University
1730 Cambridge St., Room S-320 \ Cambridge, MA 02138 \ USA
tel.: +1/617-495-4338 program tel.: +1/617-496-2643 fax: +1/617-495-8319
schoeber@fas.harvard.edu
Central Asia Program website: http://centasia.fas.harvard.edu
<Central Eurasian Studies World Wide>: http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu
Central-Eurasia-L: http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu/CESWW_Central-Eurasia-L.html

_______________________________________________
Central-Asia-Harvard-List mailing list
Central-Asia-Harvard-List@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-asia-harvard-list

Friday, February 8, 2008

FELLOWSHIP- Program for Kirgiz Policy and Opinion Makers

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies


FELLOWSHIP- Kirgiz Policy and Opinion Makers

Posted by: Justyna Frelak <migracje@isp.org.pl>

The Institute of Public Affairs (Warsaw, Poland)
and the Center for Public Policy announce
recruitment for Fellowship Program for Kirgiz Policy and Opinion Makers.

The Fellowship Program, funded by the Policy
Association for an Open Society – PASOS, is
envisaged to strengthen the policy center
networks as well as directly support the future
leaders of Kirgiz society by sharing the
experience and transferring know-how in the field
of producing policy research and recommendations.
It is intended to support analytical policy
research, provide a better knowledge of the
think tank sector and facilitate contacts with
academic and nongovernmental institutions.

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) and the
Center for Public Policy (CPP) will grant 6
fellowships for citizens of the Kyrgyzstan who
wish to conduct research, learn how to write
professional policy papers and look for new contacts in Poland.

Deadline for applications: 29 February. More
information available at: http://www.isp.org.pl/?v=page&id=369&ln=eng


Justyna Frelak
Koordynator Programu Migracji i Polityki
Wschodniej/Coordinator of Migration and Eastern Policy Programme
Instytut Spraw Publicznych/Institute of Public Affairs

Address:

Fundacja Instytut Spraw Publicznych
ul. Szpitalna 5 lok. 22
00-031 Warszawa
tel. (+48) 22 556 42 74, fax. (+48) 556 42 62

_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l

CONF./CFP - Iran and the Caucasus: Unity and Diversity, June 06-08, 2008, Yerevan, Armenia

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies


CONF./CFP - Iran and the Caucasus: Unity and Diversity, June 6-8, Yerevan

Posted by: Khachik Gevorgyan <iranist@yahoo.co.uk>

Call For Papers
(2nd Circular)

International Conference

"Iran and the Caucasus: Unity and Diversity"
June 06-08, 2008
Yerevan, Armenia

ARYA International University (Yerevan) and the Caucasian Centre for
Iranian Studies (Yerevan), in collaboration with the Armenian
Association for Academic Partnership and Support (ARMACAD), are
organising an international conference entitled "Iran and the
Caucasus: Unity and Diversity" on the problems of Irano-Caucasica.

The Conference will be held in June 06-08, 2008.
Venue: ARYA International University, Yerevan, Armenia.

Once being a part of Eranshahr, the Caucasus with its ethnical,
linguistic and cultural diversity and uniqueness still preserves the
elements of the Iranian cultural heritage. The Irano-Caucasian
geographical domain covers contemporary Iran, Iraq, Armenia, the
Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Northern Caucasus, Eastern
Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and those of the Central
Asian countries, which have experienced the strong cultural and
political influence of Iran.

The conference will address and seek to answer mainly to the following
questions: What were the main principles of cultural unity and
diversity in this huge area? How and in what capacity the cultural
interactions were taking place? How were the literary motifs in the
region reflecting on each other? What is the cultural future of the
region? What are the modes of peaceful coexistence of different
civilisations and cultures?

Scholars and postgraduate students are invited to submit papers and
panel proposals relating to all aspects of humanities and social
sciences on Irano-Caucasica, including:

1. Peoples and their Identities, Ethnic and National Diversity:
Minorities and their Rights;
2. History of the Iranian and Caucasian Peoples (Ancient, Medieval and Modern);
3. Literatures and Languages, Folklore, Textology;
4. Armenia as a Bridge between Iran and the Caucasus;
5. Economic and Political Problems and Challenges, Geopolitics of the
Irano-Caucasian Region: Interdisciplinary Approach;
6. History of Religion: Religion, Including Ethno-Confessional Groups
(the Yezidies, Alavites, Russian Sectarians, etc.);
7. Archaeology, Anthropology, and Sociology;
8. Caspian Region: Past, Present, Future;
9. The Cultural and Political Future of the Region.

DEADLINE: Abstracts (not exceeding 500 words) are to be emailed by
March 15, 2008 to: IranoCaucasica@armacad.org, iranist@yahoo.co.uk
(please send to the mentioned two addresses simultaneously).
A brief CV including contact details is to be included in the message.

A notification about acceptance of the papers will be sent due to
April 15, 2008.

Pre-organised panels should be thematically coherent and should
include title, abstracts, details of panel chair and participants.

The scheduled time for each paper will be 15 minutes plus 5 minutes
for discussion.
The working language of the Conference is English.

The conference papers are planned to be published in a separate volume.

For the scholars coming from the region there will be limited funding
to cover some travel expenses.

Speakers:

Prof. Dr. Garnik Asatrian (Yerevan), Prof. Dr. Uwe Blaesing (Leiden),
Prof. Dr. Aldo Ferrari (Venice), Prof. Dr. Bert Fragner (Vienna),
Prof. Dr. Murtazali Gadjiev (Makhachkala), Prof. Dr. Jamshid
Giunashvili (Tbilisi), Prof. Dr. Ralph Kauz (Vienna), Prof. Dr.
Vladimir A. Livshits (St. Petersburg), Prof. Dr. Hayrapet Margarian
(Yerevan), Dr. Mohammad Mousavi (Tehran), Prof. Dr. James Russell
(Harvard), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulze (Munich), Prof. Dr. Martin
Schwartz (Berkley), Prof. Dr. Giusto Traina (Rouen), Prof. Dr.
Fereydun Vahman (Copenhagen), Prof. Dr. Levon Zekiyan (Venice)

Armenian Visa:

For the citizens of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan no visa is required. The
citizens of the mentioned countries can enter Armenia without any invitation.

For the citizens of European and American countries, Australia and
Iran visas are issued in diplomatic missions and consular posts of the
Republic of Armenia, at the border crossing points of the Republic of
Armenia (Zvartnots airport in Yerevan, Armenia-Iran border crossing
point, Armenia-Georgia border crossing point) or electronically
(e-Visa, to apply click here ). No special invitation is required.

Click here for the list of countries nationals of which could apply
for visitor visa only with special invitation and who can not get visa
at the border crossing points of the Republic of Armenia and can not
apply for electronic visa.

In case you decide to apply for visa through the consular service and
there is no Armenian diplomatic mission or consular post in your
country, please apply through the nearest or most convenient one for
you to travel to. For a complete list of Armenian Embassies and
Consulates please click here.

For more information on Armenian visa please visit:

http://www.armeniaforeignministry.com/consular/visa.html


Participation fee:

The conference participation fee is 70 Euros and reduced rate of 30
Euros for postgraduate students.

Participants from the Caucasus and Central Asia do not pay any
participation fee.

Accommodation and meals:

The Organizing Committee of the conference will try to provide all the
participants with accommodation for the days of the conference. More
information about this will appear in the next Circulars. Breakfast,
lunch and dinner will be provided for the guests. Two coffee breaks
will be possible during the conference days. For the first and the
last days of the conference respective banquets will be given for the
participants free of charge.

Book Exhibition

Publishers and individuals are invited to present their books during
the days of the conference. A Special place in the conference building
will be provided for this exhibition. For more information please
contact the organisers.

Excursions

At the end of each conference day a small excursion will be organised
for the participants. It is planned to visit the pagan temple of
Garni, the Geghard monastery as well as Ejmiatsin.

Further information on the conference will appear on www.armacad.org

For any further information do not hesitate to contact:
Dr. Khachik Gevorgyan,
Secretary of the Organizing Committee
iranist@yahoo.co.uk

ARYA International University
Shahamiryanneri street, 18/2
Yerevan
Armenia
Tel: +374 (10) 44-35-85
Fax: +374 (10) 44-23-07
www.arya.am


Email: arya@arminco.com

_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l

CONCERT- Shoghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble, Madison, Wisc., Feb. 20, 2008

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies


CONCERT- Shoghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble, Madison, Wisc., Feb. 20, 2008

Posted by: Jennifer Tishler <jtishler@creeca.wisc.edu>

As part of its North American tour, Armenia's leading Folk Ensemble,
Shoghaken, is coming to Madison, Wisconsin! The Shoghaken Folk Ensemble
will be performing in the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union's Great
Hall on Wednesday, February 20, at 8 pm, as part of the Wisconsin Union
Theater's World Stage Series and the Madison World Music Festival
Through the Year.

Tickets are $13 for the general public, $10 for Discount Groups and
non-UW-Madison students, and $5 for UW-Madison students. Call the box
office at 608-262-2201 or buy online at

https://www.choicesecure01.net/mainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=Uni
vMadWisconsin&prod=002246

The ensemble was founded in 1991 in Yerevan. It uses only traditional
Armenian instruments like the duduk, zurna, dhol, kanon, kamancha, shvi,
and others. Celebrated Canadian-Armenian Film director Atom Egoyan,
looking for authentic Armenian folk music for the soundtrack of his film
about the Armenian genocide Ararat, recorded and used Shoghaken's music.
The ensemble was later invited to the United States by world-renowned
cellist, Yo Yo Ma, to perform at the 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
in Washington, D.C.

The group has traveled through much of the world and recorded a number
of albums. Hear their music at:
http://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:2873.890735174/rid:3791
5add1c800b787717bf35bbe3c604#shgohaken

The Madison performance is sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Theater
Committee and supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board
with funds from the State of Wisconsin. Other sponsors include the Dane
County Cultural Affairs Commission, the Center for Russia, East Europe,
and Central Asia of the UW-Madison (CREECA), The Village Dance House and
WORT-89.9 FM Community Radio.

To check for a performance in your area:
http://traditionalcrossroads.com/


Jennifer Ryan Tishler
Associate Director
Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA)
210 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
tel. 608-262-3379
fax. 608-890-0267
http://www.creeca.wisc.edu

_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l

Thursday, February 7, 2008

CONF./CFP- CESS Annual Conference 2008, Georgetown Univ., Washington, DC, Sept. 18-21

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies


Posted by: Central Eurasian Studies Society <cess@muohio.edu>

CONF./CFP- CESS Annual Conference 2008, Georgetown U, Washington, DC, Sep 18-21

Call for Papers
Central Eurasian Studies Society Ninth Annual Conference (2008)

September 18-21, 2008
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

The Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) invites panel and paper
proposals for the Ninth CESS Annual Conference, September 18-21, 2008,
in Washington, D.C. The event will be held at Georgetown University,
hosted by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
(CERES). Panels begin Friday morning, September 19, and continue
through mid-day on Sunday, September 21.

Panel and paper topics 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 the Caucasus,
Crimea, Middle Volga, Afghanistan, Tibet, and Central and Inner Asia.
Practitioners and scholars in all humanities and social science
disciplines with an interest in Central Eurasia are encouraged to
participate.

The program will feature approximately 60 panels and there will also
be a supplementary program including cultural events, a welcome
reception on Thursday, a conference dinner and a keynote speaker.

Deadline for submission of panel/paper proposals: Friday, April 11, 2008.

Submissions of pre-organized panels are strongly encouraged and will
be given some preference in the selection process. Individual papers
are also welcome and will be assigned by the program committee to an
appropriate panel with a chair and a discussant. Only electronic
submissions will be accepted, preferably via the webform available on
the CESS website: http://www.cess.muohio.edu/cesspg_conf_cfp.html

*** In order to improve the academic quality and the registration
process of the annual conference, the CESS Conference Committee has
instituted several new policies. Please read and attend to the
policies detailed below. ***


Full Details of Conference Participation

Please note that due to an anticipated high level of interest in the
2008 conference, the selection of papers will be very competitive, and
we encourage all potential presenters to consider working with
colleagues to arrange a pre-organized panel, as this will improve your
chances of acceptance. Successful proposals will offer new findings
based on theoretically informed, empirically rich research. As always,
we strongly encourage the participation of graduate students and
scholars from Central Eurasia.

The Conference Committee accepts electronic submissions only -- either
by webform (see the CESS website:

http://www.cess.muohio.edu/cesspg_conf_cfp.html), or by an e-mailed
form in MS Word format (if you do not have access to the webform,
please contact us at cess@muohio.edu and we will e-mail you the
submission forms in MS Word format).

The following information is required for submissions; we suggest that
you prepare the text before accessing the website so you can simply
paste the information into the form (but do not send it without the form!).

For individual papers and for each presenter on a regular panel please
make sure you provide us with:

1) Name, 2) Current institutional affiliation, 3) Title/position, 4)
E-mail address, 5) Postal address, 6) Telephone, 7) Fax, 8) Title of
Paper, 9) Abstract of Paper (a summary of the paper of 200-300 words;
abstracts longer than 300 words may be rejected), 10) Any audio-visual
equipment requests (specify -- e.g., overhead projector, slide
projector, video player), 11) A brief (100 word) biographical
statement that contains the information which the panel chair may
require for introductions, and includes the presenter's educational
background (highest degree, year awarded, awarding institution, and
field of study).

For panels:

Proposals may be submitted for REGULAR PANELS (with the presentation
of 3-4 scholarly papers) and ROUNDTABLE PANELS (featuring 3-6 people
informally discussing a current topic in the field). Pre-organized
panels should be thematically coherent and may be organized/sponsored
by a scholarly organization.

REGULAR panels must have three or four paper presenters, a chair, and
a discussant (ideally, the roles of chair and discussant will be
filled by two different people). In addition to the information for
each of the paper presenters on the panel (as indicated above), the
following are also required: a) a title for the proposed panel, and b)
name, affiliation, and contact information of the panel organizer,
chair and discussant. Please make sure your panel is complete before
submitting this information; incomplete panels will be given a lower
ranking.

ROUNDTABLE panels must have between three and six presenters and a
chair (note: no discussant is required for roundtables). As
roundtables are oriented towards a more informal discussion, no paper
proposal is expected from roundtable panelists, but please provide
information for each of the presenters on the panel (as indicated
above, with the exception of an abstract), as well as a) a title for
the proposed roundtable, and b) name, affiliation, and contact
information of the panel organizer and chair. Please make sure your
panel is complete before submitting this information; incomplete
panels will be given a lower ranking.

Please note the following policy: only complete panels with a full set
of panelists, including a chair, (and a discussant for regular panels)
should be submitted. If a panel or roundtable receives a high score
from the reviewers but does not include a full complement of
panelists, the panel may be wait-listed until it is complete.

Sponsored Panels: CESS encourages other institutions supporting the
study of Central Eurasia to organize "sponsored panels" at the CESS
conference -- i.e., panels organized by the sponsoring institution,
involving their members and receiving their imprimatur (and possibly
their funding). CESS partner organizations are customarily granted one
panel slot upon request. For more information on partnering with CESS,
please contact the secretariat at cess@muohio.edu.

Best Paper Graduate Student Award: There will be an award in the
amount of $500 given to the best graduate student conference paper
submitted to the Awards Committee for consideration. See the CESS
awards webpage for details, or contact the Awards Committee Co-chair,
Dr. Uli Schamiloglu <uschamil@wisc.edu>.

Important Notes:

1. Submission format: Do not send your proposal in any format other
than the webform or the MS Word form created by CESS.

2. The importance of the abstract: We anticipate that the selection
process will be quite competitive in 2008. Your proposal will be
anonymously peer-reviewed and scored based on the quality of its
abstract; personal factors such as your institutional affiliation,
academic status, and history with CESS have little impact on whether
or not your proposal will be accepted.

- Abstracts that do not include information about the theoretical
and/or empirical contributions of the research will have significantly
lower chances being accepted. If you want to know more about how to
write a good abstract, please follow the Guidelines for Writing
Abstracts available on the CESS website
(http://www.cess.muohio.edu/CESSpg_conf_abgu.html).

- If you participate in the conference, your abstract will be
published on the CESS website, so please write it carefully to avoid
errors. Those less accustomed to writing in English should have their
abstract proofread prior to submission. Abstracts written in very poor
English or apparently translated word-for-word from another language
will be rejected, under the assumption that the author does not have
sufficient command of English to present the paper.

3. Commitment to Participate: By submitting a proposal, you are
indicating your serious intention to participate in the conference --
including your commitment to take the necessary steps to obtain any
required visa or funding.

- You will be asked to confirm your commitment to participate by the
end of July, so please try to have your travel and funding
arrangements in place by then. Note that CESS rules stipulate that
those who do not confirm their participation in the conference by
August 1 will be DROPPED FROM THE PROGRAM and their slot on the
program will be given to another presenter.

- Those who fail to appear at the conference without timely notice to
the Conference Committee will be considered "no-shows" and will be
barred from participating for the next two years. The deadline for
such notification is Friday, August 15, and after this date, no
registration fees can be refunded. However, if an individual faces
extraordinary circumstances at the last minute that prevent him or her
from attending the conference (such as the denial of a visa), these
circumstances will certainly be taken into account.

- It is CESS policy not to allow papers to be read in absentia.

4. E-mail Contact: Since all communication with conference
participants is via e-mail, it is vitally important that you make sure
we always have an active e-mail address for you. If we lose contact
with you after your proposal is accepted, you may be dropped from the
program, so please keep us posted of any changes to your primary email
address, and please respond to requests from the Conference Committee
in a timely manner.

5. Program Limitations: No participant may present more than one paper
at the conference, including roundtable presentations. Without special
justification, the program committee will not schedule any individual
to appear on more than two panels as a presenter, chair or discussant.
If you have a paper included on a pre-organized panel and you also
submit an individual paper, the pre-organized panel takes precedence
and if it is accepted, your other paper proposal will not be considered.

6. Language of the conference: The language of the conference is
English. All presentations are to be made in English; translation from
other languages is not allowed.

Schedule of Key Dates

Deadline for submission of panel/paper proposals: Friday, April 11, 2008.
Note: Submissions after this date may be accepted only in the case of
special justifying circumstances and at the discretion of the program
committee. Please be sure you have a complete proposal to us by this date.

Notification of acceptance: by June 6, 2008.
The host institution will provide, upon request, mailed or faxed
invitation letters to support an application for a visa or travel
funds. Note: Obtaining a U.S. visa can take a long time, and we urge
participants to begin the process immediately upon notification of
their proposal's acceptance. Participants should have visa and travel
arrangements in place by August 1.

Hotel reservation deadline: August 1.
Some of the conference hotels will begin releasing the rooms reserved
for CESS conference participants beginning on this date. CESS cannot
guarantee availability of lodgings near the conference after this date.

Deadline for notification of audio-visual requests: Friday, August 15.

Deadline for pre-payment or withdrawal from the program: Friday, August 15.

For those not on the program, pre-payment of registration fees
reserves a space at the conference, in the event that attendance
reaches the maximum capacity.

Pre-payment of registration fees and a current membership in CESS is
REQUIRED for everyone on the program (with the exception of chairs and
discussants specially invited by the host institution). All presenters
must pay their registration and (if necessary) membership fees by this
deadline or they may be DROPPED FROM THE PROGRAM. NOTE: Presenters
without access to the regular methods of payment should just email the
CESS Secretariat (cess@muohio.edu) to request an exemption from this
requirement.

After August 15, no fees will be refunded.

Papers should be submitted to chairs/discussants: by Friday, August 29.
Paper presenters will be informed via e-mail by mid-August of the
e-mail addresses of their panel's chair and discussant, to whom they
should send their papers by the deadline.

Conference: September 18-21, 2008.
Arrival to Washington is on the afternoon/evening of Thursday,
September 18 -- registration opens in the afternoon followed by a
reception in the evening. Panels begin Friday morning, September 19,
and continue through mid-day on Sunday, September 21.

Registration Information

Each conference attendee is required to pay a registration fee and
presenters are required to pre-pay. The fee is reduced for CESS
members, for Georgetown University students, and for those who pay
their registration fees before the pre-payment deadline August 15. The
level of the fee also depends on your CESS membership dues category
(with some members being entitled to reduced dues -- see the CESS
Membership Form for details).

Payment of registration fees IS REQUIRED for all attending the
conference, and covers a welcome reception on Thursday and the
conference dinner on Friday. The deadline for pre-payment (required
for all presenters) is August 15.

Fees for 2008 are as follows:
* Regular fee members*: $75 (pre-paid) or $100 (after August 15)
* Reduced fee members**: $50 (pre-paid) or $70 (after August 15)
* Non-members: $100 (pre-paid) or $130 (after August 15)
* GU students: $35 (pre-paid) or $45 (after August 15)
* GU student CESS members: $25 (pre-paid) or $30 (after August 15)

* "Regular fee members" are those who have paid their annual dues at $50.
** "Reduced fee members" are those who have current membership at
reduced fees ($0-$20).

Please note that we no longer ask you to contribute an extra $3.00 for
credit card processing.

Panel participants may submit the registration fee at the same time as
submitting their proposal form, or at any time before the pre-payment
deadline of August 15. We accept payment by 1) cash (only at the
conference), 2) check or money order (if not from a US bank, please
contact us to find out what form is acceptable from your country), 3)
credit card (see the Credit Card Payment Form). Payments should be
mailed to: Central Eurasian Studies Society, Havighurst Center,
Harrison Hall, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, U.S.A. Please
consult the CESS Membership Form for full details on methods of payment.

NOTE: CESS does not have funds to support the costs of conference
participation, and does not waive the conference fee for participants
who cannot afford it. Participants must obtain their own funding --
from personal resources, their own institutions, or grant-giving
organizations which provide conference travel grants. Some further
information about possible sources is available on the conference website.

Travel and Accommodations

Information about the Georgetown University and the city of
Washington, transportation options, maps, and lodging information will
be available on the Georgetown University's CESS Conference
Information page at http://www1.georgetown.edu/sfs/ceres/CESS2008/.

Please be sure to visit this web page for detailed information.

All conference participants are responsible for making their own
arrangements for travel and accommodations. CESS does not have
sufficient resources to subsidize travel and accommodations for
conference participants.

Further Information

The Co-chairs of the Conference Committee are:

Dr. Laura Adams (Harvard University; lladams2@earthlink.net)
Dr. Victoria Clement (Western Carolina University; vsclem@yahoo.com)
Dr. James Millward (Georgetown University; millwarj@georgetown.edu)

Full information about CESS 2008 in Washington, DC may be found on the
conference webpages:

* Main conference website: http://www.cess.muohio.edu/cesspg_conf_cfp.html

* Registration:
- To submit an individual paper:

http://www.cess.muohio.edu/cesspg_conf_reg1.html

- To submit a panel proposal:

http://www.cess.muohio.edu/cesspg_conf_reg2.html

- To register as a non-presenter:

http://www.cess.muohio.edu/cesspg_conf_reg3.html

* Program (preliminary version available in July 2008):

http://www.cess.muohio.edu/CESS_Program.html

* Full information about hosting and location at the Georgetown
University: http://www1.georgetown.edu/sfs/ceres/CESS2008/

Virtually all questions about the conference can be answered by
consulting the above-mentioned webpages. If you don't have web access,
or if you don't find the answer to your questions there, you can
contact the conference organizers by e-mail at cess@muohio.edu.


Communications regarding local arrangements, including invitation
letters, should be addressed to:

CESS 2008 Annual Conference
Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
Georgetown University
Box 571031, ICC 111
Washington, DC 20057-1031

Telephone: +1-202-687-6080
Fax: +1-202-687-5829

Communications about proposal submission, program matters,
registration matters, the mailing list, and data updates should be
sent to the CESS Secretariat. Please send payments also to:

Central Eurasian Studies Society
Havighurst Center, Harrison Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056, U.S.A.
Tel.: +1/513-529-0241 Fax: +1/513-529-0242
CESS@muohio.edu


_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l