Jul 19
2019

ESCAS 2019: thank you!

Dear colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who participated in the European Society for Central Asian Studies 2019 conference at the University of Exeter, 27-29 June, 2019. 

A total of 224 people attended. 

We were able to provide funding to 43 people to attend, mainly from Central Asia.  Thank you to the Open Society Foundations, the Omidyar Foundation, Central Asian Survey and the University of Exeter for their support.

The withdrawal rate was lower than we feared, although we estimate that around 20 persons were unable to attend due to visa denials or difficulties, and a further 60 withdrew due to personal or financial reasons. 

Thank you to our team of nine, led by Chee Wong and assisted by Marijke Shakespeare, who managed the conference so well. One of our student assistants, Annabel Ashley, has written a personal reflection which is published here.

We are confident that the conference allowed participants to develop or advance research and research partnerships across many areas of Central Asian Studies.  We particularly hope that collaboration between academics based in Central Asia and Europe is further enabled.

The venue and dates of the next ESCAS conference, which is likely to be held in Summer 2021, will be announced after the new board has been constituted later this year. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE ESCAS BUSINESS MEETING:

Nominations for candidates to the ESCAS board are open until 1 August: https://liverpool.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/escas-board-2019-nominations

The University of Exeter Press welcomes submissions for edited volumes from participants at the conference. To learn more about University of Exeter Press, go to https://www.exeterpress.co.uk/about-us. To download a full proposal form see https://www.exeterpress.co.uk/for-authors or contact henderson@exeterpress.co.uk

The British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS) supports research across the ‘Persianate’ world (Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Iraq, Persian Gulf littoral, and South Asia). This includes small research grants for academics attached to a UK higher education institutions. Calls are usually in the autumn and spring. Collaborative projects have been funded in the past. However, it is essential that the lead applicant is attached to a UK HEI.  https://www.bips.ac.uk/

TheInstitut français d’études sur l’Asie centrale (IFEAC) in Bishkek offers support to visiting researchers.  E-mail: ifeacd@gmail.com / Site Web ifeac.hypotheses.org  /  Facebook facebook.com/ifeac  /  Twitter @ifeac

The Erasmus plus project www.eiscas.eu is developing a new handbook for teachers, teaching guidelines and curriculum design recommendations for Central Asia Studies. Forthcoming events include a Master Class in April 2020 and Conference in Gent in March 2021.  Help the project track and map the field and fill in our survey: https://eiscas.eu/online-survey/

The International Council for Central and East European Studies’ 10th World Congress is in Montreal in August 2020: https://sites.events.concordia.ca/sites/iccees/en/iccees2020

Many thanks,

John Heathershaw

On behalf of the 16th ESCAS Conference Committee