The Reformatted Conclave
Research Clusters and Landing Zone
In the spirit of IACS’ decades-long experimentation with new modes of knowledge production, IACS 2023 at Ahmedabad proposes a further format innovation that involves long-form programming:
Step 1: An Open Call for Research Clusters is put out. Interested applicants – either as groups or individuals – fill out the application form and send it to the conference host, CIAR. The list of selected clusters will be put up on the IACS Society website. If you have proposed a new cluster theme, it will be included in the list if selected.
If you haven’t already applied as a cluster member, you will have two weeks’ time to go through the list, decide which cluster you want to enter, and complete the correspondence with the convenor of that cluster. At the end of that period, the convenor will inform CIAR of its list of members.
Each cluster will be a self-organised collective, located at different virtual and offline venues. CIAR will offer logistical support where required. Each cluster can have an open or closed structure as per its preference. We expect that approximately 15-20 Research Clusters will be formed about ten months before the 2023 Conclave. These will include clusters that already exist, are in the process of being formed, or are yet to be created.
General guidelines for clusters: (a) Please ensure that the members are engaging in an inter-Asia conversation beyond national boundaries; (b) Convenors should include at least five people in their clusters to ensure greater diversity of perspectives.
Step 2: Cluster convenors meet, to discuss and explore possible partnerships, working groups, overlaps of interest and potential panels. This could be in the form of an online roundtable convened by the IACS Secretariat.
Step 3: Collaboration with local partnerships explored. This includes setting up ‘local programming’, including planning for sites of engagement in Ahmedabad and planning for visits or excursions which resonate with the key ideas of the clusters. CIAR will be in charge of providing advance information and background readings.
Step 4: As the Conclave programme is worked out, each Cluster proposes a series of panels in its area. These panels could be in both the closed or open-call format as per preference. Overarching themes bringing the concerns of different clusters together would be presented in plenary events for conference participants and invited guests.
Step 5: Full programme is published and advertised. And there are regular check-ins with the working groups by the Knowledge Production and Facilitation team at CIAR.
Step 6: The in-person conclave happens at the Landing Zone.
Step 7: After the conclave, each Cluster has a reflection session among its members and puts out a short entry on the conference blog. The different commitments made for the final production are archived, and an online space for continuing interaction can be established.
Step 8: Post-Ahmedabad, the Research Clusters reconvene online and work towards an anthology, a journal special issue, a digital database, collaborative journal articles etc.
Step 1: An Open Call for Research Clusters is put out. Interested applicants – either as groups or individuals – fill out the application form and send it to the conference host, CIAR. The list of selected clusters will be put up on the IACS Society website. If you have proposed a new cluster theme, it will be included in the list if selected.
If you haven’t already applied as a cluster member, you will have two weeks’ time to go through the list, decide which cluster you want to enter, and complete the correspondence with the convenor of that cluster. At the end of that period, the convenor will inform CIAR of its list of members.
Each cluster will be a self-organised collective, located at different virtual and offline venues. CIAR will offer logistical support where required. Each cluster can have an open or closed structure as per its preference. We expect that approximately 15-20 Research Clusters will be formed about ten months before the 2023 Conclave. These will include clusters that already exist, are in the process of being formed, or are yet to be created.
General guidelines for clusters: (a) Please ensure that the members are engaging in an inter-Asia conversation beyond national boundaries; (b) Convenors should include at least five people in their clusters to ensure greater diversity of perspectives.
Step 2: Cluster convenors meet, to discuss and explore possible partnerships, working groups, overlaps of interest and potential panels. This could be in the form of an online roundtable convened by the IACS Secretariat.
Step 3: Collaboration with local partnerships explored. This includes setting up ‘local programming’, including planning for sites of engagement in Ahmedabad and planning for visits or excursions which resonate with the key ideas of the clusters. CIAR will be in charge of providing advance information and background readings.
Step 4: As the Conclave programme is worked out, each Cluster proposes a series of panels in its area. These panels could be in both the closed or open-call format as per preference. Overarching themes bringing the concerns of different clusters together would be presented in plenary events for conference participants and invited guests.
Step 5: Full programme is published and advertised. And there are regular check-ins with the working groups by the Knowledge Production and Facilitation team at CIAR.
Step 6: The in-person conclave happens at the Landing Zone.
Step 7: After the conclave, each Cluster has a reflection session among its members and puts out a short entry on the conference blog. The different commitments made for the final production are archived, and an online space for continuing interaction can be established.
Step 8: Post-Ahmedabad, the Research Clusters reconvene online and work towards an anthology, a journal special issue, a digital database, collaborative journal articles etc.
Anyone interested in joining a cluster should write directly to the cluster convenor.
Please be guided.
The main difference of our proposed new format is that we are not asking you to send a paper abstract or a panel abstract. We are inviting you to work with your peers at different times during the year and decide what and how you will be presenting at Ahmedabad. Each Cluster is free to decide its own modalities of discussion and presentation.
The final programme schedule for the three-day conclave will be prepared in June 2023 after receiving inputs from all the Research Clusters. See Deadlines below for the date by which each Cluster has to send in its presentation format and requirements.
When your Cluster is accepted, or when you enter an existing Cluster, you will receive documentation from CIAR to enable you to apply for conference funding from your institution.
The final programme schedule for the three-day conclave will be prepared in June 2023 after receiving inputs from all the Research Clusters. See Deadlines below for the date by which each Cluster has to send in its presentation format and requirements.
When your Cluster is accepted, or when you enter an existing Cluster, you will receive documentation from CIAR to enable you to apply for conference funding from your institution.
Important Dates
Call for Cluster Formation: Issued July 10, 2022
Application Deadline: September 10, 2022 Notification of Cluster Acceptance: September 15, 2022 Cluster Membership closes: September 30, 2022 Early Bird Registration Opens: March 1, 2023 Early Bird Registration Closes: April 22, 2023 Final Registration Deadline: May 31, 2023 Cluster requirements sent to CIAR: June 1, 2023 Conclave: July 27-29, 2023 |
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