SIEF2021 15th Congress: Virtual Helsinki, Finland

Due to the continuous uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15th SIEF congress will be taking place online. All panels, workshops and roundtables will be virtual.

 

Call for papers and posters

Before you propose a paper, a workshop or roundtable contribution or a poster, please read the theme of the congress, the rules below, and then browse the list of panels.

 

CFP rules: only one paper/contribution per person!

Please note that an individual must not make more than one solo-authored paper proposal or workshop/roundtable contribution (although they may also convene one workshop, roundtable, combined format or panel; or be a discussant or chair in one panel).

Convenors of accepted panels, roundtables and workshops or combined formats are obliged to be members of SIEF for 2021. Paper-givers and other delegates are not obliged to become members of SIEF for 2021, however all are encouraged to support the Society in this way. There will be a financial incentive to do so, in that non-members will pay a higher registration fee.

 

How to propose a paper:

1. Find a panel/workshop/combined format you want to take part of
   To begin with, browse the list of panels and find one that suits your work. The accepted panels of SIEF2021 have been divided into thematic streams:

   • Archives and Sources,
   • Body-Affects-Senses-Emotions,
   • Digital, Environment,
   • Food, Health and Medicine,
   • Heritage, Intersectionality,
   • Knowledge production,
   • Material Culture and Museums,
   • Mobilities, Narratives,
   • Performativity,
   • Politics and Power,
   • Religion, Resistance,
   • Urban Studies.
   • There is also a separate stream for posters.

   When browsing through the list of panels, you can alternate between the All panels view that shows all the panels in one list, regardless of the stream and a view that is filtered to show panels in a specific stream.

2. Write your paper proposal.
   A paper proposal must consist of:
   • a paper/contribution title
   • the name/s and email address/es of author/s
   • a short abstract of fewer than 300 characters
   • a long abstract of fewer than 250 words

   All proposals must be made via the online form, not by email. There is a 'propose paper' button in the panel header and beneath the long abstract of each panel/workshop/poster session page (in the case of poster sessions and workshops, the 'paper' will mean a workshop contribution or a poster proposal). Go to the panel/workshop/poster session page you are interested in and then click on this proposal link to make your proposal directly to that panel/workshop/roundtable/poster stream.

3. Check that the proposal made it into the system.
   On submission of the proposal, the proposing author and any co-authors listed will receive an automated email confirming receipt. If you do not receive this email, please first check the Log in environment - Cocoa (see toolbar above right) to see if your proposal is there. If it is, it simply means your confirmation email got spammed/lost; if it is not, you will need to re-submit, as for some reason the process was not completed. Co-authors cannot be subsequently added/removed nor can papers be withdrawn within Cocoa - for that, please email congress(at)siefhome.org.

 

What happens after the CFP has ended on 26 November?

Proposals will be marked as pending until the end of the Call. Convenors will then be asked to make their decisions over the papers proposed to their panel by 14 December and to communicate those to the proposers, marking them up within the Log in environment (Cocoa). Papers which are neither accepted nor rejected, but marked for 'transfer', will be given the opportunity to be re-housed.

 

View the panels

 

Proposing a poster

The congress theme is ideally suited for the visual dimensions of posters which the organisers plan to promote in the online environment, including organising a 'people's choice' award for the best poster and for the most creative poster.

The posters will be accessible throughout the Congress, with dedicated slots when poster presenters will be available to virtually discuss their topic with the colleagues.

A poster proposal must consist of:

• poster title
• the name/s and email address/es of author/s
• a short abstract of fewer than 300 characters
• a long abstract of fewer than 250 words

 

Formats: panels, roundtables, workshops, combined formats

This congress has panels in various formats:

• Traditional panels with up to 5 paper presentations per one 105-minute session. Panels can have up to 2 sessions (max 10 papers).
• Roundtables: at a roundtable a group of scholars (usually no more than 5) would discuss themes/issues of general scholarly interest in front of (and subsequently with) an audience for the duration of a single 105-minute session. While a roundtable can include short (5-10 min) provocations/presentations, the main idea is to create a lively debate, not to focus on any one presenter. In your roundtable proposal, you can list/name the participants in your long abstract, or you can leave the list open and take in 'provocation/presentation' proposals during the call for papers and choose five of those to be on the roundtable.
• Workshops: workshops are conceptualized as practical events containing collective research activities, guided interactions and free-format exchanges leading to specific public outputs. A workshop can have up to two 105-minute sessions. They may include elements of performance, various collective activities, exhibitions, or interactive media displays. All workshop proposals must list the practical requirements of the workshop at the end of the long abstract: specifications for required space, materials, max number of participants etc.
• Panel+roundtable: a two or three session event that combines paper presentations in the first session(s) with a roundtable in the final session. Rather than concentrating on the content of each paper, the roundtable conversation should be a general discussion on the theme of the P+R.
• Panel+workshop: a two or three session event that combines presentations with collective activities/practical tasks/performances. All P+W proposals must list the practical requirements of the workshop aspect at the end of the long abstract: specifications for required space, materials, max number of participants etc.

 

Useful information for later in this process

Editing your poster/paper

Paper authors can use the Log in link in the toolbar above to edit their proposals.

Pre-circulation of papers

SIEF has no rule about this; however many convenors are keen to pre-circulate completed papers. To facilitate this and save on email traffic, if requested by convenors, authors can upload PDFs of their papers within the online system, which will then show as a downloadable file beneath their abstract on the public panel page on this site.

Timing of presentations

Each panel/workshop slot will be 105 minutes long, accommodating a maximum of five presenters; each panel/workshop may only extend over two slots, i.e. a maximum of 10 presenters and no longer than a day. The most over-subscribed panels may be allocated an exceptional three sessions (15 presenters) by the Scientific committee - this will be communicated by email after the CFP ends. No panel may run for more than three sessions of 105 minutes. The Working Groups of SIEF may organize/sponsor more than one panel each but with different chairs/conveners.

Convenors should allot each presenter a maximum of 20 minutes (~15 for presentation and ~5 for questions/discussion).

We will show the allocation of papers across the sessions within a panel in the printed programme (but not online), so delegates reading the conference book will be able to panel hop to attend specific papers.

Communication between authors/convenors

Convenor/author email addresses are not shown on the panel pages for anti-spam reasons. However there is an in-built secure email messaging system. If you cannot work that, please email congress(at)siefhome.org to obtain relevant email addresses.

Any queries with the above please email congress(at)siefhome.org.