The fourth annual Sikholars Graduate Student Conference is scheduled to be held at Stanford University in Stanford, California, from February 16-17, 2013. The Call for Papers has now been announced:

In anticipation of the fourth annual Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference, we are pleased to announce our call for papers. The Sikholars conference has attracted young scholars from over three continents and twenty–five universities. With topics ranging from Khalistan to Unix Coding, from sex-selective abortion to diasporic literature, from Nihangs in the court of Ranjit Singh to the North American bhangra circuit, from Sikh sculpture and architecture to representations of masculinity in Punjabi films, we encourage the widest possible range of those pursuing graduate studies on Sikh-related topics.

Two special panels for the upcoming event will include the topics of caste, and of technology and entrepreneurship. This iteration of the conference is sponsored by Jakara Movement and the Center for South Asia at Stanford University.

I have attended each of the first three conferences (see my reflections on the conferences in 2011 and in 2012) and very much enjoyed the variety of topics discussed, the display of expertise, the open and challenging discussions, and the camaraderie among participants attending the event.

Visit the Sikholars website (http://www.sikholars.org) for more details and to submit a proposal to present your paper. Abstracts must be submitted by December 15, 2012.