CESS Annual Conferences have been held at universities around North America since 2000, with conferences as large as 70 panels and attracting around 300 participants from all over the world.
For CESS 2023, we invite submissions relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship across the region. The geographic domain of Central Eurasia encompasses Central Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, Inner Asia, the Black Sea region, the Volga region, and East and Central Europe. Practitioners and scholars in all fields are encouraged to participate.
We encourage in-person participation but the conference will be fully hybrid, so proposals are welcome from those who will be unable to attend.
Panels
We highly encourage all participants to form their own panels; however, individual proposals are also welcome. In addition to “traditional” (chair, 3-4 presenters, discussant) panels and roundtables, we encourage other proposals, including:
*Scholarship-in-Progress panels or ones on recently published works of scholarship (including
author-critic forums)
*Events-in-Progress panels on the evolving political, social, economic and cultural situation in
the region
*Pre-conference workshops (see details below)
Our website provides more information about the requirements of each proposal type.
To connect with colleagues and plan a panel, members can post in the CESS Facebook Group.
The CESS Annual Conference in 2023 is being hosted by The University of Pittsburgh. The conference will run from October 19 to 1pm on October 22, 2023 with pre-conference workshops held in the morning of October 19.
Conference Host
Call for Proposals and Proposal Submission
Conference Rules and Guidelines
Conference Logistics (ARRIVAL INFO)
Travel Grants
Next Steps If Your Proposal Is Accepted
Registration
Program
Keynote Speaker
Travel, Accommodation & Local Information
Key Dates and Deadlines
Conference Host: The University of Pittsburgh Center for Governance and Markets
This year’s conference will be hosted by the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
Launched in 2019, the Center for Governance and Markets (CGM) is a multidisciplinary research center that analyzes the diverse institutions and governance arrangements that affect social order and human well-being around the world. From a bottom-up perspective, CGM generates knowledge of ways individuals and communities overcome challenges to living free, prosperous, and peaceful lives. It is a hub of a global network of researchers and practitioners in the areas of governance and institutional analysis, whose work focus on three key themes: political order and conflict, governance of emerging technologies, and economic institutions and property rights. The center achieves its mission through cutting-edge research, development of real-world policy applications, and through deep engagement with the public and communities where it conducts research.
CGM is home to the Afghanistan Project, an effort to preserve the intellectual communities of Afghanistan. Since 2021, the center has hosted a range of social scientists and practitioners from Afghanistan who were displaced after the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and subsequent Taliban takeover. The Afghanistan Project is a hub for Afghanistan-related research and policy work, providing mentoring and support to scholars with the goal of amplifying and supporting their voices.
How to Submit a Proposal
Please read the conference rules and language policy before submitting a proposal.
The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended through Sunday, March 12, 2023 (11.59pm Eastern Standard Time). We will notify applicants of the outcomes of their submission by April 1, 2023.
Submissions to the Annual Conference are made online by clicking either of the buttons below:
Conference Rules and Guidelines
Before submitting a proposal, please read CESS’ conference rules and guidelines.
The primary language of the CESS Annual Conference is English; however, proposals for panels to be conducted primarily in a non-English language are welcome and encouraged. Panel proposals should indicate the planned working language in brackets after the title (e.g. [Uzbek], [Russian], etc.) and submit an abstract in English followed by the abstract in the non-English language. Individual paper proposals can only be accepted if they will be delivered in English. Please read the CESS conference language policy for more information.
Conference Logistics
The University of Pittsburgh main campus located 18 miles from the Pittsburgh International Airport can be reached by public transportation or taxi. Numerous convenient accommodations and restaurants are located within walking distance from campus.
Conference venue address: TBA
Panel locations: see timetable (forthcoming)
On arrival: In-person participants: registration location TBA
Internet and printing: Free Pitt Guest Wi-Fi (Anyroam) is available for guests in academic and administrative buildings on campus.
CESS Annual Conference 2023 on social media: The conference hashtag on Twitter is #CESS2023. Find CESS on Twitter @CESS_news and on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/cess.info.
Travel Grants
CESS is delighted to once again be able to offer travel grants for presenters at the Annual Conference. Additional information and application deadline will be announced by April 1, 2023.
Next Steps If Your Proposal Is Accepted
All proposal submissions must be received by CESS by March 1, 2023. Proposal outcomes will be sent by email in April 2023. If your proposal is accepted for inclusion in the conference program, your next steps will be:
1. Ensure you are an active CESS member by the registration deadline. This is a requirement for all those who present at the conference. If you are not currently a member, you can (re)join by paying the invoice you were emailed in early 2023 or joining as a new member.
2. Register for the conference by the presenter registration deadline of (date TBC) in 2023 .
Note: CESS membership and conference registration are two separate processes with two separate fees. Both are mandatory for presenters.
3. If you need a letter of acceptance from CESS, log into Cocoa, then, after confirming your contact details, select the “A” button next to your paper title.
4. Visa invitation letters will be issued by The University of Pittsburgh once presenters are accepted.
5. If you have any accessibility requirements or scheduling requests, please contact CESS before the presenter registration deadline. We will do our best to accommodate your needs but cannot make a guarantee.
Please contact CESS as soon as possible if you can no longer attend the conference.
Registration
Registration for CESS 2023 will be open at a later date. Please note that to be sent your registration invoice, you must be a member of CESS for 2023.
Non-presenting delegates are welcome to register right up to the start of the conference.
Program
The conference program will be posted online and made available to download after the entries are confirmed.
Keynote
Information on the Keynote speaker is TBC.
Travel, Accommodation & Local Information
The costs of registration, transportation, hotels and other expenses are each delegate’s responsibility. Information about hotels and travel TBC
Key Dates and Deadlines
| Call for proposals opens | December 30, 2022 |
| Deadline for proposal submissions | March 1, 2023 |
| Proposal outcomes communicated | April 2023 |
| Conference registration opens | TBC |
| Preliminary conference program published (Online program will be continuously updated from this date) | August 2023 |
| Presenter registration deadline Any presenters not registered by this date will be removed from the program | TBC |
| Final conference program published | TBC |
| Deadline to send paper to panel members | Confirm with convener |
| Annual Conference | October 19-22, 2023 |