CONF./CFP- Central Asia and the Caucasus­Explorations from the Field, Nov 10-11

Posted by: Alexander Kupatadze <aak8@st-andrews.ac.uk>

Call for Papers: "Central Asia and the Caucasus ­ Explorations from the Field"

St. Andrews, UK. Nov. 10-11, 2006

A conference for research students to present and discuss their fieldwork.
The Central Asia Research Network (CARN), the UK Central Asia Graduate Students
Network and Middle East, Central Asia and Caucasus Institute (MECACS) at the
University of St. Andrews are pleased to announce the conference "Central Asia
and the Caucasus ­ Explorations from the Field".

The conference is hosted by the Middle East,
Central Asia and Caucasus Institute
at the University of St. Andrews at St. Andrews, Scotland, UK.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: July 15, 2006

The conference is conceived to provide a forum for Ph.D. students and other
young scholars in the early stages of their career to discuss their fieldwork.
They are invited to submit abstracts on research methods, practices and
outcomes in the study of patterns of civic, political, religious, cultural and
economic transformation in contemporary Central Asia and Caucasus.

Paper proposals are invited to cover one or more of the following topic areas:

 - Central Asia and the Caucasus in changing global context: local,
   regional and international dimensions
 - Critical reflections on development and "transition" in the Caucasus and
   Central Asia
 - Putting the field in focus: the politics and practice of fieldwork
   in Central Asia and the Caucasus
 - Of Roses and Tulips: Understanding dramatic
political change in Central Asia
   and the Caucasus
 - Conflict, security and the politics of fear
 - Transnational threats: implications for
national, regional and international
   security
 - Continuity and change in religious identification and practice
 - Making citizens and subjects: state interventions and local meanings
 - The politics of territory, movement and place
 - Gendered dimensions of social change


Papers are particularly welcome from researchers from the Central Asian and
Caucasian countries. We regret that no funds are available to help meet the
costs of attendance of selected participants. However organisers can give some
assistance with identifying accommodation and confirmation of participation for
visa application purposes.

Submission of Proposals

Proposals should be submitted via e-mail to caac2006@st-andrews.ac.uk
(as an attachment in MS Word, RTF or PDF format).

Please include:

1) Name
2) Institutional affiliation
3) Title/position
4) E-mail address
5) A one-page resume/CV
6) Title of Paper (maximum 20 words)
7) Abstract of Paper (maximum 500 words)

The working language of the conference is English.

The deadline for abstracts is July 15th 2006.
Notification of acceptance will be
by the end of August. Full details of the program, conference fee and
registration will be available by the end of September.

The Organisers:

This conference builds on the successful experience of postgraduate conferences
organized over the last few years by the Central Asia Research Network (CARN),
a Europe wide network of young scholars currently conducting research in and
about Central Asia, and the UK Central Asia Graduate Students Network,
affiliated to the Centre for Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus (SOAS,
University of London).

The University of St. Andrews is a six-hundred year old university, Scotland's
first and the third in the UK to be founded. The Middle East, Central Asia and
Caucasus Institute (MECACS) of the University of St. Andrews aims to stimulate
interdisciplinary discourse, research and teaching on this geographic area by
providing venues to bring together specialists and scholars in the field across
the University of St. Andrews' diverse schools and disciplines, especially in
the partner Schools of International Relations and History.


Organising Committee:

Alexander Kupatadze
PhD candidate, School of International Relations, University of St. Andrews, UK

Irene Hilgers
PhD candidate, Department II ­ Socialist and Postsocialist Eurasia, Max-Planck
Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany

Madeleine Reeves
PhD candidate, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK

Matteo Fumagalli
ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Social and Political Studies, University of
Edinburgh, UK