CFP for Congress 2023

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 6, 2023, 11:59 PM EST

The Canadian South Asian Studies Association/Association canadienne d’études sud-asiatiques (CSASA-ACESA) is a scholarly association affiliated with the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. CSASA-ACESA will host its second Annual meeting on May 27–29, 2023, at the Federation’s Annual Congress, Canada’s largest academic gathering (May 27–June 2, 2023) at York University, Toronto. The format will encompass hybrid panels/roundtables that are simultaneously in-person and virtual; proposers should indicate their preferred format (in person or virtual) in their submissions. Please save the date and forward this announcement widely.

For questions about Congress 2023, contact the members of the organizing committee—

Julie Vig, York University
CSASA-ACESA President
Congress Programme Co-Chair
julievig@yorku.ca

Andrea Farran, McGill University
CSASA-ACESA Treasurer and Vice-President
Congress Programme Co-Chair
andrea.farran@mcgill.ca

Sloane Geddes, University of Toronto
Conference Convenor
kathryn.geddes@mail.utoronto.ca

Tim Lorndale, University of Toronto
Conference Convenor
timothy.lorndale@utoronto.ca

Individual, Panel, and Roundtable Proposals:

Study of South Asia offers an invaluable lens to engage with complex issues in our globalized world in historical and contemporary terms. We invite colleagues to submit individual paper proposals, fully formed panels, and roundtable submissions on topics related to the languages, literatures, politics, histories, philosophies, religions, and peoples of South Asia. Individual proposals, panels, and roundtables that represent a diversity of views are especially solicited. Researchers at all stages, including those working on MAs and PhDs, are encouraged to apply. Proposals and papers may be written in English or French.

Theme:

Echoing the 2023 Congress theme “Reckoning and Re-imaginings”, which expands upon the “lessons of contemporary social justice initiatives, especially Black Lives Matter, Idle No More, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls,” CSASA-ACESA seeks submissions that apply the theme of “reckonings and re-imaginings” in the context of South Asia and diasporic South Asian communities and emerging social justice movements. We are particularly interested in scholarship that critically engages with discourses on decoloniality, anti-casteism, and climate justice and reckons with the colonial legacies of South Asian Studies as a field. In this vein, we also welcome submissions concerned with post- and decolonial literatures and cultural products, particularly as they question power structures and reimagine social justice; submissions centering the voices and narratives of those who have been historically excluded from knowledge production; and submissions grappling with issues of environmental racism in the context of South Asian communities globally. CSASA-ACESA also strongly encourages submissions dealing with these topics in relation to premodern South Asian histories, literatures, and material cultures.

              Proposal Format and Length:

Individual Papers: Paper abstracts should be a maximum of 250 words; accepted proposals will be matched with other thematically-related submissions.

Panels: Full panel submissions should consist of three or four presenters, a moderator, and a respondent. Panel proposals should include a title and a thematic abstract (150 words), along with individual presentation proposals (250 words each) for every participant.

Roundtable: Full roundtable submissions should have a defined theme and include three or four presenters, with a moderator. Roundtable proposals should include a title and abstract (250 words), along with a list of participants and outline of their proposed contributions (500 words).

Submissions and Deadline: Final submissions should be emailed to csasa.acesa@gmail.com by Monday March 6, 2023, 23:59 EST.

CSASA-ACESA 2023 Business Meeting—Study of South Asia in Canadian Academic Contexts:

How can we collaborate across regions, and share resources to enhance engagements in South Asian Canadian studies? The two-day program will include a business meeting and general planning session where members can share suggestions and ideas for CSASA-ACESA to serve the needs of our community. We also hope that Congress 2023 will be an occasion for members of CSASA-ACESA to reflect collectively on ways we can reimagine the study of South Asia in the Humanities and the Social Sciences by decentering whiteness and upper-caste perspectives.

Acceptance of Papers, Panels, and Roundtables: Applicants will be notified of their proposal’s acceptance status by March 13, 2023.