[Bilimsel Haber] CONF./CFP- Formal and Informal Central Asia: Institutions, Identities and Discourses, CASI-AUCA, Bishkek, Sept. 28-29

[Gonul Pultar]

CONF./CFP- Formal and Informal Central Asia, CASI-AUCA, Bishkek, Sept. 28-29

Posted by: Shairbek Juraev <juraev_s at mail.auca.kg>



Call For Papers

American University of Central Asia
Central Asian Studies Institute

September 28-29, 2012
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Second Annual Conference
(http://www.auca.kg/en/casinews/301/)


"Formal" and "Informal" Central Asia: Institutions, Identities and 
Discourses

The first annual conference of the Central Asian Studies Institute at 
AUCA initiated discussion on the state of scholarship on and in Central 
Asia. The second conference continues a discourse on how we make sense 
of the region by taking the alleged boundary between "formal" and 
"informal" Central Asia as a starting point. As the terms themselves are 
being hotly debated elsewhere, this conference firstly encourages 
scholars to look at the nature, scale and legitimacy of such a binary 
division. It then calls for the deeper analysis of "formal" and 
"informal" institutions and identities, which are believed to be of key 
importance in understanding the processes of socio-political and 
cultural transformation in the region. How have the Central Asian states 
succeeded in establishing themselves as legitimate power institutions? 
How should one account for the variations and similarities among Central 
Asian states and societies in the development of state and non-state 
institutions and in the construction of their national and local 
identities? To what extent do the family and kinship based 
socio-cultural identities remain important in determining the politics 
in the region? Whether and how have the twenty years of independent 
statehood transformed regional institutions and identities, and what are 
the implications for the years to come? Finally, if the concepts of 
"formal" and "informal" are questioned, what other alternative 
discourses can be employed to create richer and more complex 
understanding of the region?

The Central Asian Studies Institute aims to bring together scholars from 
various disciplines whose active research projects address these and 
related issues. The conference will take place at the American 
University of Central Asia on September 28-29, 2012. CASI will have a 
limited number of travel grants. Applicants who need travel assistance 
should additionally submit a short online form available at 
http://tinyurl.com/8y5fgxt.

We encourage both paper and panel submissions. The paper proposals 
should include a) a 500-word outline of the proposed paper, with a clear 
title, and b) a short biographical note of the author. Panel proposals 
should ideally include three papers and have a clearly formulated panel 
theme. CASI aims to publish the conference materials, so full papers 
(4,500-6,000 words) will need to be submitted before the conference.

Conference Timeline

April 25, 2012 - early deadline for proposals (priority will be given to 
these applicants in consideration for travel grants)

May 14, 2012 - regular deadline for proposals

May 29, 2012 - notification of acceptance

September 01, 2012 - submission of full papers

September 28-29, 2012 - conference at AUCA, Bishkek

All proposals and queries should be addressed to casi at mail.auca.kg.  For 
more about AUCA and the Institute, please visit us at www.auca.kg 
andhttp://www.auca.kg/en/casi/.



Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian 
Studies