Annual Conference on South Asia

Center for South Asia, a member of The International Division at UW-Madison

53rd Annual Conference on South Asia
October 22-25, 2025

The 53rd Conference in 2025 is scheduled to meet in-person at
The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club (1 W. Dayton, Madison, WI 53703).

Download the Conference App!

Register for the 53rd ACSA

Scroll to the bottom of the page for information on how to register and submit a proposal – registration opens February 1

The Annual Conference on South Asia invites scholars, students, and professionals to Madison, Wisconsin, for a four-day event featuring research panels and round tables, lectures, performances, film screenings, booksellers, association receptions, and other special presentations! The conference has grown year-by-year since its inception in 1971 and welcomed over 1,200 registered attendees in 2024.

Request a Visa Letter for This Year’s Conference

Request a Certificate of Participation for Completed Conferences

Request a Registration Refund (through Sept 15)

Frequently Asked Questions

Registration Fees

Non-Student: $255
Student: $115
Emeritus: $115

For 2025: International VIRTUAL attendees receive 50% reduced registration

After October 10th, registration fees must be paid upon arrival to the conference and are $265 and $125 respectively.

To receive notification of when the registration portal opens, please join our listserv. When the portal opens, an email will go out.

Conference Deadlines

Click here for our Conference Submissions Guidelines

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Symposium (Formerly PreConference) Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Symposium submission portal opens
  • Conference registration opens
  • Meal/Reception Ticket and Program Book purchasing opens

March 1

  • Symposium submission portal closes – all Symposium submissions due

July 31

  • All participants must be registered by July 31st

August 15

  • Last day to submit program schedule changes. Changes made after August 15th may not appear in the program book (only on the printed addendum)

September 15

  • Registration refund deadline
  • Last day to purchase program books

October 1

  • Registration fee increase. After October 1st, registration fees must be paid upon arrival to the conference and are $260 (non-student) and $120 (student and emeritus)

October 10

  • After October 10th, registration fees must be paid upon arrival to the conference and are $265 (non-student) and $125 (student and emeritus)
  • Last day to purchase meal/reception tickets

Panel, Round Table, & Single Paper Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Panel, Round Table, & Single Paper submission portals open
  • Conference registration opens
  • Meal/Reception Ticket and Program Book purchasing opens

April 5

  • Submission portals close – all submissions due

July 31

  • All participants must be registered by July 31st

August 15

  • Last day to submit program schedule changes. Changes made after August 15th may not appear in the program book (only on the printed addendum)

September 15

  • Registration refund deadline
  • Last day to purchase program books

October 1

  • Registration fee increase. After October 1st, registration fees must be paid upon arrival to the conference and are $260 (non-student) and $120 (student and emeritus)

October 10

  • After October 10th, registration fees must be paid upon arrival to the conference and are $265 (non-student) and $125 (student and emeritus)
  • Last day to purchase meal/reception tickets

Film Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Conference registration opens
  • Film submissions accepted via email

April 5

  • Last day to email film submission information

Book Exhibit Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Book Exhibit submission portal opens
  • Conference registration opens

September 1

  • Book Exhibit submission portal closes

September 15

  • Deadline to choose a booth location and submit special AV needs (i.e. internet connection, etc.)

October 20-21

  • Have sales materials shipped to the Madison Concourse Hotel for delivery by Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Additional information can be found on our Exhibitors web page.

Advertisement Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Advertisement submission portal opens
  • Conference registration opens

September 1

  • Advertisement submission portal closes

September 15

  • Deadline to submit a black & white PDF of your ad

Additional information can be found on our Advertisers web page.

Association Meeting Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Association Meeting submission portal opens
  • Conference registration opens

September 1

  • Association Meeting submission portal closes

Additional information can be found on our Association Meeting web page.

Special Event Submission Deadlines

February 1

  • Special Event submission portal opens
  • Conference registration opens

September 1

  • Special Event submission portal closes

September 15

  • Deadline to submit additional information and/or changes related to your special event submission

Additional information can be found on our Special Events web page.

In Memoriam Submission Deadlines

If you would like to send additional information regarding your Memorial Submission, please email the ACSA Team directly – conference@southasia.wisc.edu

Memorial Form

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Meal Ticket Deadlines

February 1

  • Meal/Reception Ticket sales begin
  • Conference registration opens

October 10

  • Deadline for purchasing Meal/Reception Tickets and selecting meal options (meat or vegetarian)

Please note that a limited number of Meal Tickets may be for sale during the conference.

Conference attendees who have not purchased their Meal Ticket online before the Oct 10 deadline can find food in the Madison Concourse Hotel, CIRC, located on the first floor of the hotel. You may also use the Restaurant Map provided in your program book to locate restaurants near the conference.

For Performance inquiries,
please contact the Conference Organizer
at conference@southasia.wisc.edu

How to Register and Submit Proposals

Create an Account and Register

1.Go to “login/register” on the conference website.
2. Select “Create account” if you don’t already have one. If you do, go to step 5.
3. Enter all details on the create account page and
agree to the terms.
Please save the email address that you used to Create an account. This will be used later to register for the conference, access virtual sessions, log in to the app and register on site.
4. This will get you to the home page with the form to register for the conference.
5. Register for the conference, choose the mode for attendance, and mode of payment.
If you would like to register and submit a proposal but don’t want to pay via credit card, please select the option to pay by check and send us an email with details of your account and proposal.

Submit a Proposal

1.Go to “login/register” on the conference website.
2. Create an account and register for the conference if you haven’t yet. If you have, please use the email you created an account with to log in.
This page will also give you the option to download your registration receipt in the blue box.
3. Select “Submit Proposal” and select from the
options.
4.Add details to the form given.
If submitting a proposal for a symposium, please follow the instructions on the page closely and make sure all symposium speakers register individually for the conference.

Panel Submission

1.Go to “login/register” on the conference website.
2. Create an account and register for the conference if you haven’t yet. If you have, please use the email you created an account with to log in.
This page will also give you the option to download your registration receipt in the blue box.
3. Select “Submit Proposal” and select “Panel Group” from the options.
4.Add details to the form given.
Please make sure that all speakers on the panel have already registered for the conference. If not, please have their personal details and details of the paper on hand. Panel speakers DO NOT have to submit their individual papers.