The University at Buffalo, SUNY, is proud to hold its seventh annual Undergraduate Conference on South Asia. We invite papers on the theme  “Innovation & Heritage,” which may be interpreted broadly in its social and artistic senses. By focusing on South Asian narratives, the organizers hope that participants can offer new perspectives on both global and local issues. The 2025 UB Conference on South Asia will feature a keynote lecture by Dr. Ashima Krishna, Clinical Associate Professor in the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University. She is an architect and historic preservation planner whose research spans the management of historic urban landscapes and adaptive reuse of religious historic structures and landscapes, with a particular focus on intersection with community development and equity issues and resulting policy challenges. Dr. Krishna has examined issues related to historic preservation planning and urban conservation in the United States and India and continues to highlight the ways in which the historic built environment can be preserved, managed, and planned for. Her current book project is an interdisciplinary examination of Asian American places of heritage.

We welcome undergraduate participants from all disciplines who are studying South Asia to submit proposals, preferably but not necessarily working on any topic relating to the theme. Possible topics of discussion include: 

• Technology and History

• New Perspectives on the Past

• Innovations in Art and Media

• Emerging forms of Religious Identity

• Traditional and Globalized Gender Expressions

• Fashion in the Past and Present 

• New Developments in Health, Illness, and Disability Studies

• Advancing Political Expressions

• Appropriation of the Past

• Changes in Representation 

• Propagandization in the Modern World

• Comparative Intersectionality

This list of suggestions is by no means exhaustive. We encourage papers that explore sociopolitical issues, communities, or theories stemming from underrepresented perspectives. We shall organize panels around presentations addressing similar issues that draw from various disciplinary perspectives, including the social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, management, humanities, fine arts, and others. 

Please visit https://bit.ly/ubsouthasiasubmissions2025 to submit proposals.

Format

The conference will be held on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5, 2025. Student presenters should plan for 15-minute presentations. Each panel will include 30 minutes for discussion.

Deadline

Proposals, including 250-word abstracts and the contact information of a faculty supervisor, must be submitted via the online submissions portal (https://bit.ly/ubsouthasiasubmissions2025) by Friday, January 31st, 2025.

When submitting abstracts, applicants must affirm that they will be enrolled as undergraduate students at the time of the conference. Those in graduate programs or not currently enrolled in an undergraduate program will not be permitted to present. The organizers reserve the right to confirm student status with their advisor and home institution.

Funding and Accommodations

We are able to provide a limited number of presenters with a travel subvention of up to US $300. Accepted participants who attend in person will also be provided with individual hotel accommodations. The University at Buffalo cannot provide any additional assistance or guidance to international applicants seeking entry into the United States. 

Inquiries

Please contact southasiaundergradconf@gmail.com for more information about the conference. 

To view past conference programs, please visit 

• http://bit.ly/rustgi2018 

• https://bit.ly/2019rustgiprogram 

• http://bit.ly/rustgiprogram2021 

• https://bit.ly/rustgiprogram2022 

• https://bit.ly/rustgiprogram2023 

• https://bit.ly/rustgiprogram2024

The seventh annual South Asian Undergraduate Research Conference is made possible through the generous support of the University at Buffalo Asia Research Institute.