ASEEES-CESS Joint Regional Conference, Astana, May 22-24

22–24 May 2014
Nazarbayev University
Astana, Kazakhstan

We invite panel and paper proposals for the Joint Regional Conference of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) to be hosted by Nazarbayev University (Astana, Kazakhstan) on 22–24 May 2014. This represents the fourth biennial regional conference of CESS together with the first regional conference organized by ASEEES.

Panel and paper topics relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship are welcome. The geographic domain of covered by this conference extends from East-Central Europe to the Iranian Plateau, Mongolia and Siberia, including the Black Sea region, the Caucasus, Middle Volga, Afghanistan, Tibet, and Central and Inner Asia. Practitioners and scholars in all fields of humanities and social science with an interest in this region are encouraged to participate.

Submissions of Pre-organized Panels are strongly encouraged and will be given some priority 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.

The deadline for submission of panel/paper proposals for the ASEEES-CESS Regional Conference is: 22 January 2014

Conference Participation

For detailed information about submitting proposals and about attending the conference, please see the conference web pages at Nazarbayev University: http://shss.nu.edu.kz/shss/Events/Conferences/ASEEES-CESS

The program will feature approximately 60 panels including about 200 presentations, and there will also be a supplementary program including a reception, cultural program, and two keynote speakers.

Participants are responsible for covering the costs of their own travel and stay in Astana, and are responsible for making their own arrangements. Meanwhile, both CESS and ASEEES offer reduced rates for membership dues to members from the region, and members qualify for lower registration fees. Nazarbayev University will make available accommodations free-of-charge in shared dormitory rooms on a first-come-first-served and financial need basis.

ASEEES Travel Grant

ASEEES is offering a very limited number of small travel grants for its members to participate in the conference. Only ASEEES members may apply.

Deadline: 1 March 2014 [closed]

The Host University

Nazarbayev University was established in 2010 and is rapidly becoming a leading center of academic excellence in the broader region. The university is home to dozens of scholars in various social science, humanities, and applied fields who focus on topics related to the Eurasian region. The great majority of such scholars are concentrated in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, while others are in the more recently established Graduate School of Education and Graduate School of Public Policy. The university has a very impressive campus and high-quality facilities and organizational experience for hosting major international events. In August 2013, Nazarbayev University hosted the 13th Biennial Conference of the European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS), which marked the first time the conference was held in Central Asia and was one of the largest events in the history of the ESCAS conferences.

Schedule of Key Dates:

  • Deadline for Proposals: 22 January 2014. (Proposals received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the Program Committee.)
  • Notification of selection results: 12 February 2014. (The Program Committee will notify you of whether you have been accepted by email.)
  • Cut-off date for notification of withdrawal: 7 April 2014. (“No Shows” will be penalized with exclusion from future conferences — see Individual Proposal Form for details.)
  • Deadline for sending Registration Fee: 7 April 2014. (Participants who do not have a bank card or other method by which to pay in advance must notify us by this date and must pay at the conference registration desk on arrival.)
  • Preliminary Program will be available: 14 April 2014.
  • Deadline for submission of changes to the Conference Program: 8 May 2014.
  • Deadline for sending papers to Discussant and Chair: 8 May 2014.
  • Conference dates: 22–24 May 2014 (arrival by the morning of Thurs., May 22; departure on evening of Sat., May 24 or on Sun., May 25; the conference program will begin in the afternoon of Thurs., May 22 and continue through the evening of Sat., May 24).

The Program Committee

  • John Schoeberlein, Chair (Nazarbayev U.)
  • Alima Bissenova (Nazarbayev U.)
  • Ali Igmen (CESS)
  • Scott Levi (CESS)
  • Gabriel McGuire (Nazarbayev U.)
  • Lynda Park (ASEEES)
  • Caress Schenk (Nazarbayev U.)
  • Robert Weinberg (ASEEES)
  • Cynthia Werner (CESS)
  • Chris Whitsel (Nazarbayev U.)

Further Information

Please send conference related inquiries to: Eurasian-Studies@nu.edu.kz.