Call for Papers for SEAA10, the Tenth Worldwide Conference of the Society for East Asian Archaeology
19-23 August 2025 – University of Aberdeen, Scotland
The Society for East Asian Archaeology (SEAA) is pleased to announce that the Tenth SEAA Worldwide Conference will be held in Aberdeen, Scotland. The conference will be hosted by Dr Joshua Wright at the Department of Archaeology of the University of Aberdeen.
The conference offers an opportunity for researchers to present the results of their work on any of a broad range of topics relating to East Asian archaeology. We look forward to receiving proposals for presentations, posters or short films as individual proposals or in organized sessions. Contributions in all aspects of archaeology in relation to the East Asia and adjacent regions are invited. Examples of possible topics include, but are not limited to, archaeological scientific approaches to East Asian topics, theoretical themes that crosscut geographical boundaries, and papers or posters that focus on a particular site, region, or culture. We also encourage submissions focused on adjacent regions such as Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Eurasia, and North and Central Asia.
The length of individual talks will be approximately 20 minutes, although the specifics will ultimately depend on the final number of proposed talks. The conference language is English.
Information about SEAA, SEAA membership, and the Tenth Worldwide Conference in Aberdeen (including the relevant membership, registration and proposal forms) is available on the SEAA website: https://www.seaa-web.org).
The deadline for the submission of presentation and session proposals is December 8th (Now Extended!). Registration for the conference remains open until July 19, 2025, and on-site registration is also possible.
General information and procedures:
SEAA membership, conference fee, and conference registration
- All conference participants are required to be current SEAA members AND to pay the conference registration fee of £220 (or £180 for early registration up to March 31). Lunch and tea/coffee breaks at the conference are included in the fee, as is the mid-conference tour to visit archaeological sites in Northeast Scotland. Flight/train tickets to Aberdeen and housing must be organized and paid for by the conference participants themselves, however, the organizers will provide a list of recommended hotels and information on how to get to Aberdeen and to the conference venue.
- The conference organizers will provide as many bursaries for students and other individuals lacking the necessary financial means as funding allows. Application for bursaries can be made during the registration process
- Several post-conference tours will be offered and must be booked and paid for separately via local tour companies. These will include the East Asian collections in Scotland’s major museums, archaeology on the Orkney Islands, and classic Scottish landscapes, heritage, and distilleries. Upon registration you will be asked to express interest in any of these options and details will be finalised in early 2025.
- To join SEAA, please go to the membership section on the SEAA website at https://seaa-web.org/membership. Inquiries regarding a participant’s current SEAA membership should be directed to the SEAA Treasurer at treasurer@seaa-web.org.
- Registration for the conference, which includes the payment of the conference fee is likewise done via the SEAA website at http://www.seaa-web.org/. Please note that registration and proposal submission are only possible for SEAA members, so that option only appears after signing into the website with the membership credentials.
- If you experience any difficulties with the process, please contact the Web Editor at web-editor@seaa-web.org.
Proposal submission process
- All proposal submissions are done online via the SEAA Website at https://www.seaa-web.org. Please note that you need to be a SEAA member to be able to submit a proposal. There are three steps, first sign on the SEAA website with your membership credentials. Second, register for the conference and pay the conference fee. Third, submit your proposal(s).
- There are two categories of proposals: session proposals and individual proposals. The latter can be in the form of presentations or posters or short films (max. 15 minutes). Session proposals must have between 4 and 10 presentations or posters. Individual proposals will be grouped into general sessions around specific topics by the organizers. Individual presenters may be invited to chair one of the general sessions.
- Possible roles in the conference include session organizer/chair, paper presenter (in an organized session or a general session), poster contributor, discussant, non-presenting participant. Although participants can have more than one role (e.g. be both organizer and presenter), such multiple roles are permitted only within the same session.
- Session organizers need to complete the online proposal submission process, which consists of submitting a session title and abstract, before their session participants register. Once the session is created, it will be automatically added to a dropdown menu of sessions to choose from. Session participants then need to select the session when registering and submitting their abstract. Please DO NOT select a session if you have not been invited to by the session organizer directly. Presenters not associated with a particular session will be assigned to a general session by the conference organisers. All of the above steps must be completed by no later than November 29, 2024.
- Once proposers have become current SEAA members, paid their conference fee, and submitted their proposal, their proposal will first undergo an initial review by the SEAA Executive Board and then be submitted to the conference organizing committee at the University of Aberdeen for final review. Once the proposal has been accepted, it will be incorporated into the conference program. In the event the proposal is rejected, both the conference and membership fees will be reimbursed (minus international money transfer fees if applicable).
SEAA Student Award
- The SEAA Student Award Program is designed to promote and reward quality research by beginning and junior scholars in the field of East Asian archaeology. Awards will be made to two undergraduate and two graduate students in conjunction with SEAA’s worldwide conferences. Applicants are expected to submit papers which contribute to the discipline through the reporting of original field research, novel interpretations of published archaeological data, or thought-provoking theoretical and methodological perspectives on the practice of archaeology in East Asia. As a condition of the award, students are expected to present their papers at the SEAA conference which follows the announcement of awards.
- Each award consists of a £300 cash prize, a complimentary 3-year SEAA membership, and an award certificate. The SEAA Executive Board, in conjunction with the Conference host, will determine how best to allocate time at the conference for the awardees to present their papers. The awardees will also be formally recognized at the SEAA General Meeting during the conference.
- Papers should be in English, submitted as a Word document, and should not exceed 4000 words (including references). Illustrations are permitted. They have to be submitted on or before 1 April 2025 to info@seaa-web.org.
Visas, Visa Letters, and Accommodation
- Those in need of an acceptance letter confirming their participation at the conference, as well as those in need of a letter for visa purposes should contact the University of Aberdeen at cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk. To provide an invitation, they will need a copy of the confirmation email showing your conference registration which will be automatically generated upon registration. Note, the University cannot advise on visa requirements.
- All other non-membership and non-conference registration inquiries should be directed to Dr Joshua Wright (joshua.wright@abdn.ac.uk and cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk) or – in the case of his absence – to cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk.
- Further information regarding the conference (e.g. additional accommodation, post-conference excursions, etc.) will be communicated in due course. This will be done on the SEAA website itself, as well as by occasional emails sent to all current members.