Call for paper: 1st International Conference on Lao Studies

[Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong]

Conference website: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/LaoStudies/FICLS2.htm

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies of Northern Illinois University is
pleased to announce the First International Conference on Lao Studies
(ICLS) to be held on Friday-Sunday, May 20-22, 2005 in DeKalb, Illinois,
USA.
  The main objective of this conference is to provide an international
forum for scholars to present and discuss various aspects of Lao studies.

Abstracts are invited for the conference.  By March 1, 2005, please submit
a one-page abstract by postal mail or e-mail MS-Word attached file.

Abstracts must be typed, camera ready, and contain the following
information: title of abstract, author name(s), author affiliation, and
content.  If you are submitting the abstract as part of a group or
organization, please indicate this as well.  The  First ICLS will create
special panels for individuals, groups or organizations that have three or
more presenters.

Send abstracts to: jhartman at niu.edu  (or)
John Hartmann
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
USA
Phone: 1-815-753-6462

Papers to be distributed at the conference must be submitted before April
1, 2005. Vetted papers will be published in the First ICLS Proceedings
using Author's Guidelines developed by the NIU Center for Southeast Asian
Studies Publications Program.  To ensure inclusion in the volume, submit a
camera-ready copy of your paper by September 1, 2005.   Papers should be
no longer than 20 pages in the final format described in Author's
Guidelines.

Topics

The 2005 conference will feature papers on any topic concerning Lao
Studies.  Topics include all ethnolinguistic groups of Lao (e.g. Mon-Khmer
groups, Hmong-Mein groups, Lao-Tai groups, etc.), the Isan Lao
(Northeasterners of Thailand) and other ethnic Lao groups in Thailand
(e.g. Lao Song, Phuan, Phu Tai), cross-border ethnic groups in Thailand,
Vietnam, China, Burma, and Cambodia (e.g., Akha, Hmong, Khmu, Mien, Lao
Phuan, Tai Lue, Tai Dam, Tai Deang), and overseas Laotians (e.g.
Lao-American, Hmong-American, Lao-French).  Sub-topics are provisionally
divided into the following broad categories:

(1) languages and linguistics;
(2) folk wisdom and literature;
(3) belief, ritual, and religions;
(4) history;
(5) politics;
(6) international relations;
(7) economics;
(8) sociology;
(9) environment;
(10) forestry;
(11) ethno-cultural contact and exchange;
(12) architecture, arts, music, and handicrafts;
(13) archaeology;
(14) science and medicine;
(15) information technology (IT);
(16) the media and popular culture;
(17) health, medicine and HIV/AIDS;
(18) agriculture;
(19) education;
(20) community development;
(21) rural development;
(22) women and society and
(23) others.

Please feel free to contact us with additional topics and we will add
them.

Languages

The languages to be used in the conference will be English, French and
Lao, with translators provided when available and deemed necessary.
Time Limitation
Presentation will be no longer than 15 minutes in length, with 5 minutes
for questions.