Art, Architecture and Petroglyphs in Ladakh

I am delighted to report the publication of two new books on Ladakh. The first is Visible Heritage. Essays on the Art and Architecture of Greater Ladakh, edited by Rob Linrothe and Heinrich Pöll and published by Studio Orientalia. 

This contains ten papers from the 16^th conference of the IALS, held in Heidelberg (Germany) in April 2013. The subjects range from temple architecture to fortifications, vernacular architecture and the beautiful set of mid-19^th century pictorial maps known as the Wise Collection. 

For further details on the contents and how to order the book, please see the publisher’s website:

http://www.studioorientalia.com/index.php?p=bookdetails&String=9788192450278

The second book is Rob Linrothe’s Seeing into Stone. Pre-Buddhist Petroglyphs and Zangskar’s Early Inhabitants, also published by Studio Orientalia. For further details please see:http://www.studioorientalia.com/index.php?p=bookdetails&String=9788192450285

Both publications are lavishly illustrated, true labours of love by the authors, editors and publisher.

John Bray

Call for Papers (Deadline for abstract submission: THursday, 15th September 2016)

  Current Western Himalayan Research

18th Colloquium of the International Association for Ladakh Studies (IALS)                                                       Bedlewo, Poland, 2nd-6th May 2017

The 18th Conference of the International Association for Ladakh Studies (IALS) will be jointly organized by the Board of Polish Academy of Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin, and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland. It will be held at the Bedlewo Conference Centre near Poznan, Poland from Tuesday, 2nd to Saturday, 6th May 2017.

The conference theme will focus broadly on Current Western Himalayan Research with the aim of gathering together senior and independent researchers, postgraduate students, and practitioners from across all academic disciplines. Whilst precedence is given to Ladakh-oriented research, we wish also to encourage studies that focus upon the wider Himalayan belt, including the neighboring high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Pakistan. The conference will have an interdisciplinary character as is the tradition and trademark of IALS colloquia.
We are now accepting abstracts of up to 400 words. If you wish to apply, please download and complete the conference application form and submit to the following email address: Ials2017bedlewo@gmail.com

Proposed sessions’ structure:
We strongly encourage participants from various scientific disciplines to submit an abstract in the following sessions:
- Cultural and social change
- Religious transformations
- Economic transformation in rural areas
- Heritage, conservation and restoration
- New data in Himalayan studies
- Climate change: resilience and adaptation
- Development practices
- Health and well being
- Historical issues

In addition, we invite suggestions and proposals for additional panel sessions, although please inform us swiftly of any intention, indicating with whom you would like to cooperate or convene such a panel.
Documentary films
We are also issuing a call for good documentary films for those with visual research related to the region and themes of the conference. The process for proposal is the same as for paper abstracts. However, please state the format you would like to present the documentary footage.

All paper proposals will be subject to review by the conference committee before final acceptance. The most important consideration is that papers must represent the results of original research, and not simply a restatement of existing knowledge based on the work of well-known authors.

For details including conference fees, terms and deadlines and travel grants, please download and refer to the full Call for Papers.

Please direct all enquiries to the Conference Secretaries:
Rafal Beszterda, Poland
Email: rbeszterda@gmail.com; telephone: +48 61 810 46 22; mobile: +48 601 669 702

Diana Lange, Germany
Email: diana.lange@hu-berlin.de; telephone: +49 30 20 93 66 065; mobile: +49 171 75 25 498
Further conference details will be posted here and at the http://www.etnologia.umk.pl/ials2017 as they are finalised.