SALSA XIII Biennial Conference – Call for submissions

SALSA XIII Biennial Conference SALSA XIII Biennial Conference

Call for Submissions and Instructions

28 July 2020

[Submissions already closed]

The Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America (SALSA) is pleased to announce that its XIII Biennial Conference will take place virtually from June 21-June 25 and June 28-July 2, 2021, with the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, as the host institution.

George Mentore (Conference Organizer) and Laura Mentore (Academic Program Chair) are working with Jeremy Campbell (SALSA President), Laura Graham (SALSA President-Elect), Laura Zanotti (SALSA Secretary-Treasurer), Juan Alvaro Echeverri (SALSA Webmaster), Chris Hewlett and Elliott Oakley (Academic Program Assistants) to prepare a dynamic and engaging virtual conference experience for you.  We are delighted to share that Dr. Janet Chernela accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker, and Dr. Dan Rosengren accepted our invitation to deliver the opening lecture.

We invite proposals in the following categories:

  1. Thematic Panels with individual papers solicited by the organizer(s) – Proposal submission deadline: October 31, 2020 (extended to November 23, 2020). Notification of acceptance: December 23, 2020.
  2. Workshops with individual papers solicited by the organizer(s) – Proposal submission deadline: October 31, 2020 (extended to November 23, 2020). Notification of acceptance: December 23, 2020.
  3. Individual Papers, either as part of an accepted Thematic Panel  or independent. Abstract submission deadline: January 31, 2021. Notification of acceptance: February 28, 2021.
  4. Films and Artistic Works to be screened or virtually displayed during the conference. Proposal submission deadline: January 31, 2021. Notification of acceptance: February 28, 2021.
  5. Posters, open to non-member students as well as members. Proposal submission deadline: January 31, 2021. Notification of acceptance: February 28, 2021.

Abstracts and papers may be submitted and presented in English, Portuguese or Spanish. For all categories except Posters, presenters must be SALSA members by the membership deadline (to be announced on SALSA website in early 2021) and must have earned a Ph.D. or be an advanced student in a Ph.D. program. Petitions for exceptions/professionals in other fields must be submitted in writing to the Academic Program Chair (salsaconference2021@gmail.com) at the time of submission.

Paper presentations in panels must be no longer than 20 minutes in length. Normally, there shall be a limit of one paper and one other official role per person. All proposals should be submitted through the electronic submission portals – details and embedded links provided below. For information on conference registration fees, see Conference registration below.

Thematic Panels

Instructions for organizers

(Note that Thematic Panels and Workshops function differently!)

Panels will feature a minimum of four and a maximum of fifteen paper presentations. Organizers may also choose to allocate some of their panel time to invited discussants. Panels will be broken down into two-hour sections in the program schedule.  Each section will consist of up to 5 papers and 20 minutes of discussion. The presentation portion of all panel sections will be conducted as a zoom webinar in which pre-recorded presentations will be played (for more information on pre-recordings, see instructions for submission of Individual Papers). The webinar format minimizes potential disruption during presentations; attendees will be able to post written comments and questions in the Q & A tab.  Each panel section (webinar) will conclude at the end of its last presentation, and will be immediately followed by a zoom meeting consisting of live, open discussion among panelists and attendees.

In advance of the conference, Panel Chairs will determine a discussion moderator for each of their panel sections. Chairs may elect to take on this role themselves if there is only one section, or solicit volunteers if there are multiple sections. Moderator(s) will be responsible for taking note of questions that are posted in the Q & A tab during the webinar portion, and facilitating discussion in the subsequent zoom meeting (open discussion time). Zoom meetings will be officially scheduled for 20 minutes, but do not have to end at that time (meaning that discussion can continue as long as desired). Other conference events will proceed as scheduled, however.

Prepare your proposal for a Thematic Panel using the electronic SALSA 2021 Thematic Panel/Workshop Submission Form and submit by November 23, 2020. Proposals should include the title and abstract of the panel, names and email addresses of the organizers, paper abstracts from at least four presenters, and indicate whether the organizers wish the Academic Program Chair to circulate the panel abstract to the SALSA membership, as part of a list of panels or workshops that would admit additional participants. Open slots in panels may also be filled with thematically appropriate volunteered papers assigned by the Program Chair. Panel organizers are expected to communicate promptly with the Academic Program Chair regarding changes to the Panel, panelist absences, and special requests.

*Panel organizers: please review the instructions in Individual papers – Instructions for submission regarding pre-recording and submitting presentations by June 7th, 2021 (two weeks before the conference).

*Note: Prior to the conference, the conference organizers will conduct an informational session with all panel chairs to review features of zoom webinars and zoom meetings. Chairs can then relay any necessary details to their presenters.

Workshops

Instructions for organizers

(Note that Workshops and Thematic Panels function differently!)

A workshop is a focused discussion of a topic defined by the workshop organizer, with well-developed papers submitted in advance and the expectation that participants will read and be prepared to discuss each others’ papers. It is expected that each participant will present a summary or highlights of their paper in 15 to 20 minutes, after which there will be 40 to 45 minutes for careful discussion of it.

Workshops will be conducted as zoom meetings. Prepare your proposal for a Workshop using the electronic SALSA 2021 Thematic Panel/Workshop Submission Form and submit by November 23, 2020.

Proposals should include the title and abstract of the workshop, names and electronic addresses of the organizers, paper abstracts from at least four presenters, and indicate whether participation is limited to those invited, or whether the session is open for general attendance by conference attendees.

It is the organizers’ responsibility to establish and enforce their deadline for receiving papers, and to circulate these in advance to the workshop participants.  An author who fails to meet the deadline established by the organizer may be dropped from the session.  Workshop organizers may redefine procedures as appropriate to the session’s objective, but will inform the Academic Program Chair of the matter; however, the requirement for pre-circulation of fairly completed drafts is essential to the workshop format.  The organizer is also responsible for ensuring that the workshop has a well defined plan for moderating discussion.

*Note: prior to the conference, the conference organizers will conduct an informational session with all workshop organizers to review the features of zoom meetings. Organizers can then relay any necessary details to their participants.

Individual Papers

Instructions for submission

Submission of paper abstracts, either attached to a Thematic Panel or Workshop, or presented independently, should be submitted by January 31, 2021, using the SALSA 2021 Individual Paper/Poster/Film Proposal Form.

Papers attached to an accepted Thematic Panel or Workshop should indicate the title and organizer(s) of the panel or workshop in the space provided.  Please also send your title and abstract to the organizer of your panel or workshop.

The Academic Program Chair will organize accepted independent papers (i.e. not attached to a panel or workshop) into thematic panels, or assign them to an appropriate organized panel that has an opening.

Based on a review of best practices for virtual conferencing, the organizers have decided that all paper presentations must be pre-recorded. Whether a presentation is part of an organized panel or individually submitted, all presenters will submit their recording to the Academic Program Chair by June 7th, 2021 (two weeks before the conference). The Conference Organizer and Academic Program Chair  will provide detailed guidelines on how to create and submit the recordings in advance. This approach will significantly reduce  technical difficulties during the conference. It will also directly support the aim of equitable participation for all attendees regardless of geography, digital connectivity, and so forth. Furthermore, when all presentations completed and submitted in advance, conference attendees will be able to more fully immerse themselves in the discussions and other live components of the conference. If your circumstances prevent you from being able to record your presentation, please communicate with the Academic Program chair (salsaconference2021@gmail.com) and your panel chair as soon as possible and we will determine if alternative arrangements can be made in your case.

Recorded presentations will be released (i.e. played) at their scheduled time in the conference program as part of their panel’s zoom webinar, and will then remain accessible to all conference attendees for the duration of the conference. Only registered conference attendees will be able to access these materials through the conference website’s secure login system.

Films and Artistic Works

Instructions for submission

Members volunteering a film to be screened, or submitting an artistic work/virtual exhibit should fill out the SALSA 2021 Individual Paper/Poster/Film/Artistic Work Proposal Form and submit it by January 31, 2021. In the abstract section of the form, include a brief statement explaining the film or artistic work’s theme, length in minutes, and format.

*Note: All materials must be submitted to the Academic Program Chair by June 7th, 2021 (two weeks prior to the conference start date) in order to be included in the program.

Posters

Instructions for submission

(Open to non-member students and professional members.)

Students at all levels may present a poster. SALSA membership is not required, but poster presenters must register and pay the student registration fee. To submit a poster proposal, fill in the electronic SALSA 2021 Individual Paper/Poster/Film/Artistic Work Proposal Form and submit it by January 31, 2021.

Given that this is an online conference, posters may have visual and audio components, or only a visual component like a more traditional poster.  Poster presenters can choose their desired platform/program for creating their poster, but this needs to be communicated with the Academic Program Chair in advance. Any audio or video (i.e. anything other than  a virtual equivalent to an actual poster) may not exceed 10 minutes. Each poster presentation will have a 15 minute live discussion time, to be included in the program schedule.

Posters must be submitted to the Academic Program Chair by June 7th, 2021 (two weeks before the conference) in order to be included in the program.


Expedited Review Option

For those who require earlier notification about acceptance of their proposals (for example, those who intend to request funding for the conference registration fee through their home institution), we offer an expedited review. Check the relevant box on the form when you submit the proposal. You will receive notification within ten days, accompanied (if accepted) by an official letter of invitation.

Conference registration

Conference registration fees and information on the registration deadline will be communicated by early 2021. Payment of conference fees is not required in order to submit a proposal. We anticipate a reduction in fees compared to previous conference years, and are striving to keep registration fees as low as possible in the interest of broad participation. As in previous years, we will be using a tiered fee structure, with an increase in the fee from Student Members and Un/Underemployed Members to  Latin America/Asia/Africa Professional Members to North America/Europe Professional Members.

SALSA Membership

Information on fees and instructions on payment will be made available on the SALSA website by early 2021. Membership in SALSA is not required to submit a proposal, but Academic presenters will need to join SALSA or renew their membership prior to participating in the conference.

Please send all inquiries about this conference to:

salsaconference2021@gmail.com