13th International African Studies Conference (Moscow, May 27-29, 2014)


Society and Politics in Africa:
Traditional, Transitional, and New
13th International African Studies Conference
(Moscow, May 27-29, 2014)
 First Announcement and Call for Panel Proposals


Dear Colleagues,

On May 27-29, 2014 in Moscow the Research Council for the Problems of African Countries and the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hold the 13th African Studies Conference titled “Society and Politics in Africa: Traditional, Transitional, and New.” The Conference will take place at the Institute for African Studies and the Institute for Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The working languages are Russian and English.
The Organizing Committee would like to encourage you to submit panel proposals, focusing on any particular topics related to the Conference’s umbrella theme. The deadline for panel proposals submitting is February 1, 2013. The Organizing Committee will be glad to consider any panel proposals (within 500 words in English or both English and Russian) received by this date. The information to be submitted alongside with the proposal includes the proposed panel convenor (s)’ full name(s), title(s), institutional affiliation(s), full mail and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax #. The list of prospective papergivers with their particulars is desirable.
The Organizing Committee will inform the applicants about the results of their panel proposals’ consideration by February 15, 2013. Besides that, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to establish one or more Free Communication panels. The list of all the Conference participants is to become known by December 1, 2013 due to the activities of both the Organizing Committee and panel convenors.
None of the proposals may be accepted or rejected on the basis of its submitter(s)’ previous academic credentials, ethnic or national origin, sex, or otherwise, but only on the basis of the proposal’s relevance to, and importance for, the Conference’s general theme.
In the case the proposal is accepted, the Organizing Committee will send you in the beginning of 2014 the list of documents necessary to support your and your panel participants’ visa application process at the Russian Consulates or Embassies in the respective countries.
The conference registration fee in Russian rubles, equivalent to $150 ($75 in rubles for students) is to be paid in cash onsite upon arrival. The registration fee includes the visa application support (Official Invitation**), the Conference Book of Abstracts, stationary items, reception and coffee-breaks. The fee for an accompanying person, equivalent to $50 in rubles, includes the visa application support (Official Invitation) and reception.
The Organizing Committee can assist in booking accommodation, but independent reservation is encouraged. Please note that early hotel reservation in strongly recommended, as the Conference is to take place in tourist high season.
All the correspondence should be sent by e-mail for the Conference Organizing Committee, to the attention of Mrs. Natalia Bondar, Head, Center of Information and International Relations, Institute for African Studies (conf2014@gmail.com; tel.: + 7 495 690 2752) – prospective international participants, or to the attention of Dr. Natalia Zherlitsyna, Secretary, Research Council for the Problems of African Countries (ns_inafr@mail.ru; tel.: + 7 495 690 6025) – prospective Russian participants.
The Organizing Committee would appreciate your familiarizing the faculty of your research unit, as well as all interested persons, with the content of the present Announcement.
* Please note that according to the Russian visa regulations, the host organisation has to pay fees to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for every international participant and even a bigger sum for accompanying persons. However, all the foreigners wishing to enter the Russian Federation must not only apply for visas at the Russian Consulates or Embassies in respective countries but also pay another fee on their own for the visas’ granting.