CESS Regional Conference 2026 Call for Proposals

Conference Scope

For 2026, we invite submissions relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship that fall within the conference theme, “(Re)thinking Central Eurasia: Spaces, Societies, and Power.”

The geographic domain of Central Eurasia encompasses Central Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, Inner Asia, the Black Sea region, the Volga region, and East and Central Europe. Practitioners and scholars in all fields are encouraged to participate.

The conference will be in-person only.

Proposal and Submission Guidelines

We highly encourage all participants to form their own panels; however, individual proposals are also welcome.

In addition to “traditional” (chair, 3-4 presenters, discussant) panels and roundtables, we encourage other proposals, including:

• Scholarship-in-Progress panels or ones on recently published works of scholarship (including author-critic forums)
• Events-in-Progress panels on the evolving political, social, economic, and cultural situation in the region
• Pre-conference workshops

Our Proposal Submission Information page provides more information about the requirements of each proposal type. See further details here.

How to Submit a Proposal

Please read the conference rules and language policy before submitting a proposal.

Proposal Submission Information

Submissions to the CESS2026 Conference are made here.

The deadline for proposal submissions is March 15, 2026 (23:59 Astana Time; 22:59 Tbilisi; 18:59 GMT; 14:59 EST).

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we will notify applicants of the outcomes of their submission no later than April 15, 2026.

Travel Grants, Sponsorship Opportunities, Registration, Waivers, and Forthcoming Information

Information on CESS 2026 travel grants, sponsorship opportunities, registration, waivers, travel, and logistics will be posted as it becomes available. Please refrain from inquiring about these opportunities until they are announced.

For updates, please refer to the CESS2026 webpage, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky pages.

Nazarbayev University

Founded in 2010, Nazarbayev University (NU) is a flagship academic institution in Central Asia located in the heart of Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Since its founding, NU has built partnerships with top universities and research centers across 22 countries, enhancing its global visibility. NU is dedicat