R U S S I A N  A C A D E M Y  OF  S C I E N C E S

INSTITUTE FOR AFRICAN STUDIES

Africa and Africans in National, Regional and Global Dimensions

14th International African Studies Conference

(Moscow, October 17-20, 2017)

Final Announcement and Call for Panel Proposals

Dear Colleagues,

On October 17-20, 2017 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 14th African Studies Conference titled “Africa and Africans in National, Regional and Global Dimensions.” The Conference will take place on the premises of the Institute for African Studies 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 December 1, 2016. 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 numbers. The list of prospective papergivers with their particulars is desirable but not compulsory.

The Organizing Committee will inform the applicants about the results of their panel proposals’ consideration on or soon after December 15, 2016. The list of all the Conference participants is to become known by early April, 2017 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.

During the Conference, each panel will work for one day and will have one or two time slots, with no more than six papers in each (that is, no panel will exceed twelve papers).

In the case the proposal is accepted and you and/or your panel participants need Russian entry visas, the Organizing Committee will send you in April 2017 the list of documents necessary to support the visa application process at a Russian Consulate or Embassy.

The conference registration fee in Russian rubles, equivalent to $150 ($75 in rubles for students and for citizens of African states residing in Africa, except South Africa), 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 Conference participants working for the Institute for African Studies official partners are waved from registration fee.**

According to national immigration regulations, only official spouses and children can be considered as accompanying persons. For getting an official invitation for an accompanying person from the Organizing Committee, you must send the Organizing Committee an apostil of the respective person’s marriage (for the spouse) or birth (for the child) certificate. After receiving an official invitation, you will be able to apply for a humanitarian visa for that person. Otherwise, you can apply for a tourist visa for the accompanying person at a Russian Consulate. You will not need to apostil the documents in this case (as well as it is not necessary for the Conference participants to get a humanitarian visa). No accompanying persons can be waved from registration fee.

The Organizing Committee can assist in booking accommodation, but independent reservation is encouraged. Please note that early hotel reservation in strongly recommended, as Moscow hotels and hostels may be full any season. Besides booking.com, otel.com and other internationally recognized hotel and hostel search and booking websites, you may try specifically Moscow websites http://www.moscow- hotels.net/ and http://www.moscow-hotels.com/.

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  (conf2017@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 members of your research/teaching unit, as well as all interested colleagues, with the present Announcement.

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*  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.
** For the list of the Institute for African Studies official partners please, visit the page “Cooperation” on the Institute’s website at the address http://www.inafran.ru/en/node/144.