CADS PhD Conference 2021: Call for contributions

Published on 31 May 2021

First inaugurated in 2018, the CADS PhD Conference aims to provide young anthropologists in Leiden University and beyond an opportunity to meet each other, present their work, and engage in meaningful discussion. This year, the CADS PhD Conference will be a platform for sharing ideas and insights about uncertainty of the times, the possibilities they open up, and our responsibilities to the academic and non-academic communities we work with.

Anthropologists, by vocation and by profession, stand at the intersection of the familiar and the unknown. From our desks to our field sites, we embrace uncertainties and the possibilities they engender.

Events since 2020, however, have generated unprecedented challenges for our academic careers and the communities we collaborate with.  Most significant of these is the Covid-19 pandemic, and the various social re-configurations and re-interrogations it has prompted in the matters of health and social justice, labor, gender relations, education and conducting research, race and discrimination, and others.

Save the date: 14 October 2021

Standing at this intersection, we are then challenged to ponder this crisis, its impacts, and possible near futures.  Under such circumstances, we invite you to participate in the ‘CADS PhD Conference 2021’ to shed light on uncertainty and possibility in your careers and fields—by rethinking our responsibility and tracks of training together.

We may tackle some of the questions: 

• How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted our research and communities? 
• How do various communities conceptualize and confront uncertainty?  What novel (or not-so-novel) anthropological methods and theories lend themselves well to "the new normal"? 
• Has being an anthropologist—disciplinarily trained to handle the unfamiliar—been helpful in dealing with the unexpected changes of the past year?  If yes, in what ways?  And if no, is it possible to move forward? 
• And most importantly, what sorts of unique and urgent responsibilities have we been confronted with as young anthropologists as we and our communities imagine new futures together?

The conference will take place on 14 October 2021.

Call for Contributions

Ethnographic stories from the field, theoretical reflections, and other sharings are very much welcome.  Please submit 250 words abstracts through via the button below before Friday 20 July 2021.

Submit abstract

By young scholars, beyond young scholars

This conference is organized by young scholars of Leiden University as a platform for early-career researchers to shine, debate, and connect with each other and experienced academics. We encourage PhD candidates and those who have recently completed their PhD trajectory to submit their contributions – if desired, it is also possible to simply participate in the conference. Our keynote/plenary speakers will likewise be early-career anthropologists with fresh and relatable insights about our common challenges and opportunities. We warmly invite our more experienced colleagues to sign up for the conference and connect with the upcoming work of young scholars. This conference is a safe space to provide genuine peer support and feedback. As this conference is open to multiple institutions, we hope to facilitate the making of broader connections very much needed in this period of uncertainty.

Programme & More information

More information about the full programme will follow soon and be published on the event page. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [e-mail]

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