On 15-17 December 2025, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice will host the annual conference of the Italian Association for the Study of Central Asia and the Caucasus (ASIAC).
The Conference aims to foster scientific dialogue between scholars working on these geographical areas from Italy and abroad. We welcome contributions from a wide array of disciplines, including (but not limited to) history, linguistics, philology, literature, politics, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, and geography.
Special Section on Knowledge Production about Central Asia and the Caucasus
We invite contributions to our special section exploring questions on knowledge production about Central Asia and the Caucasus, where we invite scholars to examine how knowledge on these regions is generated, framed, and disseminated. Historically, scholarship on these regions has often been shaped by external lenses – particularly Russian and Western Orientalist perspectives. Today, these dynamics persist, further influenced by Eurocentric and Sinocentric views. This raises important questions about the hierarchies and power relations embedded in knowledge formation: whose perspectives are prioritised, and how do these narratives shape both policy and public understanding?
We welcome interdisciplinary submissions engaging critically with the issue of knowledge production and its implications for socio-economic, political, historical, and cultural development. These are some of the questions we ask:
- What does it mean to know, and how is knowledge produced? In what ways do people claim to know? How do different ways of knowledge meet, and how do they shape worldviews?
- How have historical narratives about Central Asia and the Caucasus been shaped by external and local perspectives, and whose voices remain marginalised? What role do history, literature, art, and oral traditions play in challenging hierarchies in knowledge production?
- How do language and translation influence the circulation of knowledge, and who controls these processes? What challenges and opportunities exist for scholars from Central Asia and the Caucasus to engage in global academic and cultural debates?
Scholars are encouraged to adopt comparative and transnational perspectives and employ diverse methodologies.
We strongly encourage participants to submit proposals for organised panels, comprising participants from different universities or research institutions and one chair.
Proposals for individual papers should include a title and an abstract (around 250 words), and the affiliation and contact information for all the speakers. Proposals for organised panels should also include a short description (approximately 100 words) on the general theme of the panel.
We also invite submissions for two new sections. The first is the Posters section, primarily dedicated to graduate students and doctoral researchers, where scholars can present their on-going research projects. The second is the Visual section, where we welcome documentaries, short films, photographs, graphic novels, and other visual formats of research. Submissions for the Visual section should be accompanied by a 250-word description explaining their connection to the theme of knowledge production.
Proposals should be submitted via the web form available following this link.
Please note that proposals received via email will not be considered.
The deadline for proposal submission is 15 June 2025 at 23:59 CEST.
The conference will take place in person. Under special circumstances (e.g. issues in obtaining mobility funds or visas), the Organisation Committee will accept participants joining remotely via e-conferencing tools.
The working language of the conference will be English. Full panel proposals in languages other than English may be considered on a case-by-case basis; in such cases, language preference should be clearly expressed in the panel proposal submission. A selection of papers will also be considered for publication in ASIAC’s academic journal Studies on Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The acceptance of papers and panels will be communicated by 13 July 2025.
Audience attendance is free, but all speakers must register and pay the conference fee, which will also serve as the Association’s 2025 membership fee (75 euros for professors and academics, 50 euros for students or independent researchers).
USEFUL DATES:
- Deadline for proposal submission: 15 June 2025, 23:59 CEST.
- Notification of acceptance: 13 July 2025.
- Registration and fee payment (remember to include participants’ names): 6 September 2025.
The Treasurer will notify participants of payment received after the 6 September deadline. Lack of payment will result in removal from the Conference programme. In case of urgent issues, please contact [email protected].
- Publication of the final programme: 15 October 2025.
- Conference dates: 15-17 December 2025.
This conference is organised by an Organising Committee composed of Aldo Ferrari, Daniele Artoni, Giorgio Comai, Carlo Frappi, Cesare Figari Barberis, Laura Mafizzoli, Frank Maracchione, Caterina Re, Giulia Sciorati, and Eleonora Tafuro Ambrosetti in close cooperation with ASIAC’s Board of Directors, Ca’ Foscari University and the Institute of Middle east, Central Asia and Caucasus Studies of St Andrews University, the European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS), Caucasus Survey.