Announcement

Organised by
Social Science Baha, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, Britain-Nepal Academic Council, Centre for South Asian and Himalayan Studies (CESAH) & Japanese Association for South Asian Studies (JASAS)

CALL FOR PAPERS
The Annual Kathmandu Conference on Nepal and the Himalaya
23-25 July 2025

Proposals are invited for stand-alone papers or three-paper panels. The papers can deal with any aspect of life in Nepal and the Himalaya from the perspective of the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Papers can also be comparative so long as Nepal or the Himalaya, broadly defined, are also included. The language of the conference is English, so the final paper should be submitted and presented in English.

Papers
Interested individuals are asked to submit an abstract not exceeding 500 words (excluding the bibliography). Please fill out this form to submit the abstract.

Panels
Individuals or institutions can propose three-paper panels to provide a variety of perspectives on a particular theme.

Proposals for panels should consist of the name of the convenor of the panel; the topic, and a brief description of the panel; the three papers to be presented with titles; and abstracts not exceeding 500 words for each paper (excluding the bibliography). Please fill out this form to submit the abstract. The proposed chair and discussant(s) should also be listed along with the submission and their prior permission sought.

Note on panel proposals: The organisers would like to request panels that are part of research projects, with funds allocated for activities such as dissemination, to contribute extra funds beyond the registration fees to the conference. Such contributions would help reduce the loss that Social Science Baha has been incurring every year in organising the conference.

Poster
The conference has also been inviting submissions for poster presentations since 2019. Interested individuals/institutions are asked to submit an abstract not exceeding 500 words (excluding the bibliography). Please fill out this form to submit the abstract. The responsibility of putting up the presentation, including all logistics, shall lie with the individual/institution submitting the proposal.

Submissions have to be done through this form by 15 January 2025. Participants will be notified by 15 February 2025.

Since the Conference Organising Committee will be making its evaluation on the basis of the following three criteria – i) research question/hypothesis, ii) methodology, and iii) outline/structure of paper – submissions are required to follow the same format.

The length of the final paper is expected to be around 5000 words and the papers are due on
1 July 2025. Please note that the papers will be distributed to all registered participants via a designated Google Drive Folder.

All participants, including the panel chairs and discussants proposed, will be required to register to attend the conference. Participants are expected to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation and those requiring a letter of support to seek travel grants to attend the conference can write to the Conference Secretariat.

The structure of registration fees is as follows:

• Nepali and other South Asian students: NPR 4250
• Nepali and other South Asian professionals: NPR 6250
• Non-South Asian students: USD 80
• Non-South Asian professionals, including South Asians living outside South Asia: USD 120
  

(An early-bird discount of 20 per cent will be provided to paper presenters who register by 30 April 2025.)

Participants whose papers are selected will be required to register for the conference by 30 May 2025 to ensure inclusion of their paper in the conference. Details on modes of payment will be provided at a later date.

The Conference Organising Committee consists of two representatives each from the five co-organising bodies.

Dates to remember

1. Submission deadline for abstracts and panels: 15 January 2025
2. Notification of paper and panel acceptance: 15 February 2025
3. Deadline for registration by paper presenters: 30 May 2025
4. Final papers due: 1 July 2025
5. Conference dates: 23-25 July 2025

Conference Secretariat
The Annual Kathmandu Conference on Nepal and the Himalaya
Social Science Baha
345 Ramchandra Marg, Battisputali, Kathmandu – 9, Nepal
Phone: 977-1-4572807
conference@soscbaha.org

Please also note the future conference dates
2026: 22-24 July
2027: 28-30 July