The 37th Annual Conference on South Asia will be held on October 16– 19, 2008 at the Madison Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton St., Madison, WI 53703. The Conference is sponsored by the Center for South Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Annual Conference on South Asia attracts over 500 scholars and other interested parties annually, who travel from a dozen countries around the world and much of the United States including Hawaii and Alaska. The conference features 75 or more academic panels and roundtables, as well as association meetings and special events ranging from performances to film screenings.

Another important component of the Conference is our exhibit space. University presses, independent publishers and non-profit organizations provide the conference participants with high quality resources, and the best publications on South Asian topics. The exhibit space is also a great opportunity to meet with other scholars and to connect with the booksellers.

We are accepting proposals until midnight, April 1, 2008. Registration as a non-presenting participant at the Conference is open to the general public.

How are proposals evaluated?

Proposals are evaluated by a faculty Conference committee based on content, quality, and completeness. The Conference Committee favors new research and ideas. To optimize your proposal’s chances of being accepted, read and follow the proposal submission instructions carefully. We strongly advise that you do not send your proposal materials in at the last minute. This way we will be able to contact you before the deadline if there is a problem with your proposal.

The Conference Committee will not examine proposals that are missing abstract(s), registration fee(s), or the proposal form itself.

UC Berkeley is hosting their 23rd Annual South Asia Conference & Pre-Conference.

Important Dates:

April 1, 2008: Proposal deadline. All proposals must be complete and in our offices by midnight CST this day. Incomplete/late proposals will not be reviewed.

June 1, 2008: An acceptance/rejection email for all complete proposals are sent.

September 1, 2008:
- Last day to reserve a room for association meetings.
- Cut off date for the pre-registration fee. An additional $10.00 fee will be applicable after this date.
- Last day to make changes to abstracts and panels. Later changes will not appear in the program or the online abstract posting.

September 15, 2008:
- Last day to reserve book exhibit or sales space.

October 1, 2008:
- Last day to register for the Conference online (non-presenters only)
- Last day to order meal tickets.
- Last day for refunds (please read our refund policy)
- Last day to order audiovisual equipment.

October 16, 2008:
- Pre-conference events begin.
- Registration opens from 4pm to 8pm, Second Floor Foyer of the Concourse Hotel.

October 17, 2008: Conference begins. On-site registration available throughout the Conference for non-presenters only.

October 19, 2008: Conference adjourns at 12:15 pm CST