Conference Policies

To be considered by the committee to present at the conference, you MUST register by the submission deadline (2023 deadlines: March 1 for symposium submissions; April 5 for panels, round tables, and single papers; June 1 for film submissions).

If your submission is not accepted for presentation at the conference, you may request a refund of your registration fee here. In order to receive a registration refund for rejected papers, the conference organizer must receive your request by September 15.

Note: If you do not submit a proposal to the conference but plan to attend, you may register at any time, including upon arrival to the conference. Registration paid after October 1 must be paid on-site and costs $260 (non-student) and $120 (student and emeritus).

Each submitter/author is limited to ONE (1) paper submission in which the submitter is listed as the primary author or coauthor. This excludes the Symposium, in which you may also organize or present separately to your ONE (1) paper submission.

All submissions require a 200 to 300-word abstract along with a title for the Panel, Round Table, or Single Paper. Note, for panel presentations, each presenter must also include a 200 to 300-word abstract for the individual’s work to be included on the panel. Panel organizers should coordinate these submissions. The maximum link for an abstract is 300 words. We will NOT accept longer abstracts by email.

The conference organizers must receive submissions through the website form. If users face any issues while submitting, the conference organizers will try to facilitate technical help as long as contacted at least three days before the deadline.

If you submit 2 or more Panels, Round Tables, and/or Single Papers, none of your submissions will be reviewed.

We strongly encourage panel submissions to demonstrate diverse gender representation and a balance of scholars across career stages.

All submissions must be completed by the deadline, 11:59 PM, April 5, 2023 Early submission is strongly encouraged in order to avoid any technical issues, including slow uploads from multiple users.

2023 Policy on Virtual Participation

Organizers recognize that public health conditions and other factors will create circumstances in which some scholars will not be able to attend this year’s conference in Madison. Participants submitting in-person panels may allow for one (1) planned virtual presentation as part of their proposal. Arrangements for virtual (Zoom) or pre-recorded presentations must be coordinated by the session organizer/chair and are subject to the approval of conference organizers.

Conference refund policies do apply. All refund requests must be received by September 15, 2023.

Panel and/or RoundTable Organizers will automatically serve as the Chair of said Panel or RoundTable unless someone else is chosen. The Chair serves to both monitor speaker times as well as facilitate discussion amongst panelists and with audience members at the end of papers or at the end of the entire panel.

A Panel must have 4 speakers (no more, no less). The panel organizer & Chair may present on their panel, however they count towards the 4 speakers.

A Round Table must have a minimum of 5 speakers.

Multi-Part Panels: In some rare cases, Panel organizers collect enough papers around a topic to propose a Multi-Part Panel session. Panel organizers may only propose a two-part session, and there is no guarantee that both parts will be accepted to the conference. Multi-part sessions must still abide by the structure of Panels (ie 4 presenters per panel). If presenters drop out of a Multi-Part Panel and one panel falls below 4 presenters, the conference organizers will cancel that portion of the session.

The committee DOES NOT guarantee that both parts will be accepted to the conference. The committee reserves the right to contact the panel organizer to restructure the panels.

An individual may serve as an Organizer/Chair for a panel and also submit a paper for that Panel or another Panel. This excludes the Symposium, in which you may also present. An individual can appear no more than TWO (2) times in the conference program concerning Panels, Round Tables, and Single Papers. For example, an individual can appear as:

• Presenter in a Panel AND an Organizer/Chair for another Panel ;
• Presenter AND an Organizer/Chair on one Panel ; -or-
• Organizer/Chair for two panels

Panel Organizer: The panel organizer takes the responsibility of submitting all information about a panel, of communicating any decisions made by the committee about the panel to the presenters and Chair (if different from Organizer), and of ensuring that presenters submit their full texts to the Organizer/Chair. As the Panel Organizer, please stress the importance of vibrant discussion and feedback amongst the presenters and Chair. The Panel Organizer does not have to be a participant on the panel, but if the Panel Organizer plans to attend the conference, this individual must register for the conference. If Panel Organizers are not members of the panel as a presenter or chair, the panel organizer will not be included in the program book or on the online schedule.

Presenter: A presenter may participate on a Panel or submit a Single Paper for review by the conference committee. At the time of submission, the presenter should provide an abstract that indicates a research question and clearly articulates the means by which the research has been or will be conducted prior to the conference. Presenters should submit work that is complete or underway. Presenters should submit either the text of the presentation or the paper to the Panel Organizer/Chair at least ONE WEEK before the conference.

During a panel, a presenter has 20 minutes to present an overview of the research accepted by the committee for the conference. Presenters should not significantly alter the research they proposed to the committee. If a presenter feels that the work has significantly changed, the presenter should resubmit an abstract to the committee for review. The committee will either approve the change or request that the presenter return to the original research or restructure the work for the panel.

Organizer/Chair: The Organizer/Chair has two roles. First, they keep time during the panel and introduce each presenter. Time cards marking 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and 1 minute are provided in each room; if time cards are missing from a room, the Organizer/Chair should contact the conference organizers. Second, Organizer/Chairs should prepare to connect the various papers towards the conference or panel theme and to provide comments about each specific paper or pose initial questions to the presenters for a few minutes following all the presentations. These remarks should not extend beyond 10 minutes. Finally, they moderate the question-and-answer period of the panel, usually a 20 to 25 minute period following all presentations (time allowing).

If your Panel, Round Table, or Single Paper is accepted for inclusion in the conference program, we regard this as a commitment that you will register and attend the conference and present your work. Organizer/Chairs are held to the same commitment. If extenuating circumstances prevent you from attending, you should FIND A SUBSTITUTE to perform your duties and NOTIFY the chair of your panel AND the conference organizer at conference@southasia.wisc.edu.

The conference committee has noted a growing number of last-minute cancellations or no shows. This results in last minute changes to panels, which at times cannot be reflected in the program. It is disrespectful and disruptive not only to the conference organizers but also to conference attendees who plan their attendance around the posted online schedule months in advance. More importantly, submissions undergo an intensive review process, and it is unfair to those applicants who were not selected for the conference when participants do not fulfill their obligations to present and participate in a collegial manner. Participants who fail to notify the conference committee in advance of the conference, by October 1, 2023 will be removed from the online conference program archive and will not be able to submit a proposal or the following year’s conference.

The conference organizers understand that there are medical and family-related circumstances that may prevent you from giving adequate notice. The organizers are happy to consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis and are also interested in working with you to meet any childcare needs you may have. Please email the conference organizers at conference@southasia.wisc.edu regarding these matters.

The conference now provides the entire technology set-up for presenters to use in each room. Individuals CANNOT connect their own devices to the projectors, so it is best to save your presentation to a thumb drive AND email it to yourself so that there are two ways to access your file on the provided computer. Staff will be available to help save files to the laptops but should not be expected to troubleshoot IT issues beyond the electronic devices provided.

Presenters are responsible to format their PowerPoint (or Prezi, KeyNote, etc.) presentations or any other files to be used during the panel in a compatible format to Windows. The laptops will have Microsoft PowerPoint and ethernet connections. The conference staff, as well as the hotel staff, WILL NOT help participants reformat their presentations for compatibility. Please check your presentation before your panel time.

The following equipment will be in all rooms used for panel and roundtable sessions:

• Windows Laptop
• Projector
• Screen
• HDMI cable
• Speakers

Please note that Wireless Presentation Remotes are NOT provided.

Conference attendees can access the Madison Concourse Hotel wireless network for free throughout the premises. However, with increased traffic, the connection may slow down, and the conference staff cannot fix this issue. Please do not ask the conference staff at the registration desk for help with the wireless. Inquire with the front desk.

The safety and well-being of all visitors to the UW-Madison campus and the Annual Conference on South Asia are important to us. In accordance with UW-Madison policy, the Annual Conference aims to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment to everyone and does not condone discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnicity; sex; gender and gender identity or expression; marital status; age; sexual orientation; country of origin; language; disability; socioeconomic status; and affiliations that are based on cultural, political, religious, or other identities.

If you have any questions or concerns please call (at (608) 262-3209) or email the conference coordinators.

Sexual Harassment
Pursuant to campus policy, visitors to the campus, including conference attendees, may report sexual harassment to our Title IX Coordinator Lauren Hasselbacher for investigation and follow up: lauren.hasselbacher@wisc.edu or (608) 890-3788. Please see the following link for further information: http://www.oed.wisc.edu/titleix. Conference attendees may also contact the conference organizers via email (conference@southasia.wisc.edu) or by phone (at (608) 262-3209) with respect to such matters.

The following text appears on every user profile before an individual can register to participate or submit a proposal for consideration in the Annual Conference on South Asia program. This is only a copy of the statement for reference:

As a participant in the Annual Conference on South Asia, I agree to conduct myself in a manner that is consistent with the University of Wisconsin-Madison policies. To access the policies, click here.

I have reviewed the UW Systems Board of Regents Policies pertaining to discrimination, which includes sexual harassment under Title IX.