Conferences

MAY 2008
14 May 2008–“Political Islam and Democracy–What do Islamists and Islamic Movements Want”– (Washington DC) 9th annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy. For information, program, and registration, contact: CSID 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 601, Washington DC 20036 (http://csidonline.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=).

15-18 May 2008–“Georgia: The Making of a National Culture” (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Organized by the Armenian Studies Program at the University of Michigan. Scholars and artists are invited to submit proposals for papers or performances that illuminate the development of Georgian culture and society. Among the themes to be discussed will be: varieties of Georgian nationalism; artists and performers as nation-makers; diversity and unity in Georgia and the South Caucasus: Armenian-Georgian-Azerbaijani relations; effects of empire: Persia, Turkey, Russia; evolution and revolution in Georgian political development; and challenges of the Modern Moment: Georgia in the Globalizing World. For information, contact: Ronald Grigor Suny (rgsuny@umich.edu) or R. G. Suny at The University of Michigan, Department of History, 1029 Tisch Hall, 435 S. State Street, Ann Arbor MI 48109-1003.

16-18 May 2008–“Modern State Control and Nationalization” (Cambridge, Massachusetts) The 2nd Law of Waqf Conference at the Harvard Law School. For information, visit: www.law.harvard.edu/programs/ilsp.

27-31 May 2008–NCORE 2008 (Norman, Oklahoma) The 21st Annual NAtional Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Eucation. Sponsored by The Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies, Public & Community Services Division, College of Continuing Education, University Outreach at the University of Oklahoma. For information, visit:www.ncore.ou.edu.

JUNE 2008
02-04 June 2008– “A Different Approach to Debates on Political Islam–Micro-Level Studies” (Be'er Sheva, Israel) For information contact: Dror Zeevi (zeevi@bgu.ac.il) and Haggai Ram (hram@bgu.ac.il).

06-08 June 2008–“Iran and the Caucasus: Unity and Diversity” (Yerevan, Armenia).For information, contact: Dr. Khachik Gevorgyan, Secretary of the Organising Committee iranist@yahoo.co.uk. ARYA International University, Shahamiryanneri St., 18/2, Yerevan, Armenia (0037410) 44-35-85; fax: (0037410) 44-23-07; arya@arminco.com; www.arya.am; www.armacad.org).

13-16 June 2008–“Visual Representations of Iran” (Fife, Scotland) Presented by the Department of Social Anthropology, the Institute for Iranian Studies and the Centre for Film Studies of the University of St. Andrews and the Iran Heritage Foundation. For information, contact:: Pedram Khosronejad, Dept. of Social Anthropology, Research Fellow, Institute for Iranian Studies, 71 North St., University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland KY16 9AL (+44 (1334) 461968; fax: +44 (1334) 462985; pedram.khosronejad@st-andrews.ac.uk; www.iranheritage.org/visual-anthropology/).

19-20 June 2008– “The Healing Power of Ancient Literature” (Reno, Nevada) Under the auspices of The Parker Institute. The symposium’s premise is that literature, especially ancient literature, possesses a profound power to heal our souls, a power that is especially needed today when the rapidity of change and the force of world events combine to make peace of mind an ever more distant and seemingly unreachable goal. Featuring nationally-renowned scholars, the symposium will explore the wisdom literature of Egypt, the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, the poetry of Homer, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes as sources of enlightenment and inspiration. The Institute’s intent is to develop a true dialogue throughout the symposium and to provide a collegial atmosphere that will encourage active participation and the free exchange of ideas between the invited speakers and the audience. For further information, contact: Dr. Lois Parker,  2878 Barong Court, Reno NV 89523 (Loisp@unr.edu).

25-28 June 2008–Migration Matters: Immigration, Homelands, and Border Crossings in Europe & the Americas (Leiden, the Netherlands) 6th Society for Multi-Ethnic Studies (MESEA) conference. For information, visit: www.mesea.org.

25-29 June 2008 - 17th Annual World History Association Conference (London, United Kingdom) For information, contact: World History Association, 2530 Dole St., A203, Honolulu, HI 96822 (thewha@hawaii.edu; http://thewha.org).

JULY 2008
01-04 July 2008–"The 2008 Gulf Studies Conference" (Exeter, United Kingdom) The annual Gulf Studies conference of the University of Exeter. Submissions for papers and panels are invited on all aspects of the Gulf, past and present.  For information, see: http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/iais/all-events/conferences/2008_Gulf_conference_poster.pdf.

04-06 July 2008–'Mapping Middle Eastern and North African Diasporas' (Leeds, United Kingdom) The  2008 BRISMES annual conference. Conference website: www.dur.ac.uk/brismes/events_2008.htm.

07-09 July 2008–“The Decapolis” (Oxford, United Kingdom) The 26th ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian conference. The aim is to study the theme of the Decapolis with its new discoveries and researches. If you wish to participate, contact: ARAM, the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE, England (++1865-514041; fax ++1865-516824; aram@aramsociety.org; www.aramsociety.org). All papers given at the conference will be considered for publication in a future edition of the ARAM Periodical, subject to editorial review.

31 July-03 August  2008–7th Biennial Iranian Studies Conference (Toronto, Canada) Organized by the International Society for Iranian Studies (ISIS). For information, visit:: www.humanities.uci.edu/iranian-studies/conf/index.php, or contact: Professor Mohamad Tavakoli, Chair, Toronto ISIS Program Committee, Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Toronto, 4 Bancroft Avenue, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 1C1 (m.tavakoli@utoronto.ca). The conference will be held at Park Hyatt Toronto parkhyatttoronto.com, located near the University of Toronto. In order to obtain a Canadian entry visa, participants whose proposals are accepted should contact Prof. Tavakoli for invitation letters. Pre-registration is required. All conference presenters must be members of ISIS. m.tavakoli@utoronto.ca

AUGUST 2008
19-23 August 2008–“Understanding Conflict–Cross-Cultural Perspectives” (Aarhus, Denmark) An international, interdisciplinary research conference on the diversity of conceptions and cultural images of conflicts. The official submission deadline has passed, but we do accept late submissions for certain topical areas, see www.understandingconflicts.net). Conference papers will be published in an anthology and 2-3 special issues of international journals.

28-31 August 2008–Association Internationale de Dialectologie Arabe (AIDA) 8th Annual Conference (Colchester, United Kingdom) AIDA was set up in Paris in 1993 to provide a forum for Arabic dialectologist. Its membership currently stands at well over one hundred members. They represent more than thirty different countries from around the world, and include some of the best known scholars in the field of Arabic linguistics. AIDA Conferences were previously held at Paris, Cambridge, Malta, Marrakech, Cadiz, Tunis, and Vienna. Sponsored by the Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex AIDA 8 convenes in Colchester (UK). The Local Organising Committee of AIDA 8 welcome abstracts in all areas of linguistics related to Arabic dialects. Please send abstracts, with title and author’s name, app. 300 words in electronic form as an attachment (word format where possible) to the following address: locaida8@essex.ac.uk. In the Subject field, please write the word ‘ABSTRACT’. For information, visit: www.essex.ac.uk/linguistics/pgr/AIDA/home.shtm.

SEPTEMBER 2008
03-05 September 2008 –“Reading After Empire: Local, Global and Diaspora Audiences “(Stirling, Scotland) Hosted by the University of Stirling. This conference focuses on the neglected but central role of reading in colonial, postcolonial and diasporic contexts. It uses reading in its broadest sense (e.g. as reception, viewing, consumption, translation) to arise question aboutt the politics, and the pleasures, of interpretation. Suggested topics: contrapuntal reading; imagined and interpretive communities; catachresis; the postcolonial exotic; literacy; reception as a situated activity; colonial libraries; postcolonial history of the book; nationalism and hermeneutics; readers in fiction and film. Titles and abstracts of no more than 200 words should be sent electronically, along with a 50-word biography to: Bethan Benwell (b.m.benwell_at_stir.ac.uk). Call for papers deadline: May 16, 2008.

08-10 September 2008–“The Mandaeans” (London, United Kingdom) ARAM Society for Syro- Mesopotamian Studies 26th conference. Send intent to participate to: shafiq.abouazyd@orinst.ox.ac.uk. For information, contact: Shafiq Abouzayd ,  Aram  Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Society, The Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE ­ UK (+1865-514041; fax: +1865-516824; www.aramsociety.org).

12-13 September 2008–Navigating Northwest Africa: Towards an Analysis of Saharan connectivity? (Magdalen College, Oxford, UK) This workshop aims to rethink the history and the contemporary realities of North and West Africa both ‘from the bottom up’ and ‘from the inside out’, taking as its focus the Sahara as a shared environment of social, cultural and political interaction at the centre of a region that has been historically, and remains today, characterised by multiple and enduring connections and commonalities. Proposals from scholars of the Middle East, North Africa and West Africa are invited. Further information from: James McDougall jm56@soas.ac.uk.

19-21 September 2008–The Sacred and the Secular” (Southampton, United Kingdom) Hosted by the School of Humanities (English), University of Southampton, UK. Inviting  papers which address the relationship between the sacred and the secular in some of the following ways: How are the sacred and/or the secular performed? Papers might address dance, music, drama, political speech, and how these modes of performance function in various sites, such as media, parliament, the street, religious buildings; How are the sacred and/or the secular represented in literature, film and/or art? What is the relationship between the sacred and/or the secular and textual or cultural authority?; What is the relationship between governance and the sacred? And in what ways must secular states accommodate the sacred in order to sustain a functioning civil society?; What is the relationship between the sacred and the profane?; Why is conflict so often articulated in terms of oppositions between the sacred and the secular?; How are the sacred and/or the secular fetishized in media and other discourses? What are the justifications and dangers of declared secular states fetishizing state power?; How do sacred and/or secular discourses approach gender, sexuality and/or the erotic?; What are the intersections between the sacred and/or the secular and the regulatory discourses of science, medicine, business, economics, and the law? Submit a 200-300 word abstract via email or post to: Sandy White, English, School of Humanities, University of Southampton, Southampton, S017 1BJ; sw17_at_soton.ac.uk. Call for papers deadline: June 6, 2008.

25-26 September 2008–Red Sea IV: Connected Hinterlands (Southampton, United Kingdom) 4th Conference on the peoples of the Red Sea region; supported by the Society for Arabian studies. For information, contact:: Red Sea IF Committee, Centre for Maritime Archaeology, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BF, UK (redseas@soton.ac.uk; www.arch.soton.ac.uk/resea08).

26-27 September 2008–“Orienting Istanbul: Cultural Capital of Europe?” (Berkeley, California) Inviting abstract submissions for the interdisciplinary at the University of California,  Berkeley. Taking as a point of departure the selection of Istanbul as one of Cultural Capitals of Europe in 2010, the goal of this conference is to reflect on how cities and culture have become key to imagining communities in a globalizing word. Send abstracts to Deniz Gokturk [dgokturk at berkeley.edu] and Ipek Tureli [ipek at berkeley.edu]. Check www.ced.berkeley.edu/istanbulconference for full announcement and updates. Call for papers deadline: May 20, 2008.

26-27 September 2008– “World Politics: View from the Future” (Moscow, Russia) 5th Anniversary Convention of the Russian International Studies Association (RISA). For information, contact: Russian International Studies Association, MGIMO-University, Moscow, Russian Federation (info@risa.ru; www.risa.ru).

OCTOBER 2008
16-18 October 2008–“Spaces and Visions” (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Historians of Islamic Art (HIAA) Symposium. Contact information for each session is listed on the website: www.historiansofislamicart.org/announcements/index.htm.

16-18 October 2008–“Teaching about the Middle East in the 21st Century” (Fresno, California) Inviting proposals for the first annual conference.  One of the primary objects of this conference will be to explore the constructions and contextualizations of the modern Middle East through artistic, scholarly, economic, political, sociological, historical, and philological works and texts. The conference will subsequently examine the politics that underlie their production and dissemination in academia. Suggested topics: pedagogical approaches to Middle East studies; art, architecture, visual & performing arts; history & historiography; literature, literary studies & linguistics; culture, gender & ethnography; diaspora & migration culture; Middle East politics & representations; U.S. foreign policy; civil society, NGOs & international development; media studies (including film, broadcast, print, news, etc.); economic development/sustainability/democratic transitions; business and finance; and religion: Christianity, Islam and Judaism in the context of the Middle East. Send cover sheet for each submission with: the title of the presentation, author name(s), school affiliation(s), contact person address, and audio-visual requirements. Make a separate cover sheet for each submission. Abstract Abstract (500-word max.) and full paper submissions should be sent in MS Word or PDF document format. Include title but do not include author name(s) or school affiliation(s). Send as email attachment (preferred) to: sasanf@csufresno.edu with CSU-Fresno Mid-East Conference Submission in email subject line. Hard copy submission to: Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh, Program Committee Chair, Department of Economics, California State University, Fresno, 5245 N. Backer MS/PB20, Fresno CA 93740-8001. Inquiries to: Dr. A. Sameh El Kharbawy, College of Arts and Humanities, California State University, Fresno
(aelkharbawy@csufresno.edu). Call for papers deadline: June 27, 2008.

17-19 October 2008–“Trade and Traffic of Persia” (Claremont, California) A Mellon conference at Pomona College to explore the accounts of those who have traveled, traded, and trafficked across the Persianate world and beyond. The connections of trade and traffic provide a point of entry for approaching the history and anthropology of Iran from a global perspective. We invite contributions on any aspect of trade, traffic, migration, and exchange in Iranian history, from ancient times to the present. It is our intention to publish the proceedings of the conference in a collected volume. Suggested topics: trade and commerce; trafficking; trans-cultural exchanges; migration; diasporas; networks and boundaries; gender and trade; sexualities; commodities and consumption; and world history. Submit abstract (300-woord max.) as an attachment to: Pardis Mahdavi (pardis.mahdavi@pomona.edu) and Arash Khazeni (arash.khazeni@cmc.edu). Call for papers deadline: June 20, 2008.

18-19 October 2008–“Knowledge and Language in Middle Eastern Societies” (Cambridge, United Kingdom) Organized by The University of Cambridge, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. For information, contact: Yoni Mendel (yym20@cam.ac.uk).

24-25 October 2008–“Iconography of Death” (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) The John Douglas Taylor Conference. Proposals are invited for 20-minute papers on all aspects of the representation of death, from all time periods and cultures, including but  not limited to: the Jewish, Christian, or Islamic traditions; tombs, monuments, gravestones, memorials, cemeteries; funeral ceremonies; images of death in visual works of art; death and emblems; images of death in modern media: movies, advertising, print magazines, the internet, greeting cards, newspaper obituaries; gender and representations of death; depiction of death in anime and graphic novels; images of death in literature; and class and death.Abstracts (sent electronically in the body of an email preferred) should be sent to: silcox_at_mcmaster.ca, with subject heading: Iconography of Death Conference or to: Dr. Mary Silcox, Dept. of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9 Canada. Call for papers deadline: August 11, 2008.

24-26 October 2008–National Coalition of Independent Scholars 2008 Biennial Conference (Berkeley, California) For information, contact: Kendra Leonard, Program Chair, at caennen@gmail.com; www.ncis.org/.  

24-26 October 2008–“Crossing Boundaries: Mobilizing Faith, Diversity and Dialogue” (Cambridge, Massachusetts) The 37th Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America (AMSS). Hosted by the Harvard Divinity School. The conference aims to explore this topic in relation to Islam, Muslims and a globalised world.  What are Islam’s resources for “crossing boundaries” and for cultivating faith, diversity and dialogue? How do Muslims view these concepts?  Who are the activists working both for, and against, faith, diversity and dialogue? Inviting papers from Muslims and non-Muslims that might speak to the following sub-themes: theoretical reflections on inter- and intra-faith dialogue; studies of relevant Muslim intellectual heritages; empirical studies of Muslim peacemaking activists; case studies of inter- or intra-faith conflict or conflict resolution; hermeneutical studies of the Qur’an in relation to faith, diversity and dialogue; the media’s role in mobilizing dialogue on faith and diversity; politics of religious identity; religion and the politics of development and humanitarian aid; the role of religion in promoting world peace; the politics of cultural boundaries: assimilation, integration & resistance; the impact of war and conflict on women’s role in society; women as soldiers; the role of women in peacebuilding efforts; and women as refugees.

Abstracts (250 words) are due by May 15, 2008. Abstracts will be evaluated according to the following categories: originality of theme, clear methodology, clarity and relevance of the proposal to the conference theme, and sound academic scholarship. Accepted proposals will be announced within 30 days. Final papers must be submitted by September 30, 2008 to be included in the conference program. If completed papers are not in by the due date, they will not be included in the conference. Program Co-Chairs: Dr. Louis J. Cantori (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA) and Dr. Katherine Bullock (University of Toronto, Canada). For information, or to send abstracts, contact: Conference Coordinator Ms. Layla Sein (conferences@amss.org; www.amss.org). Call for papers deadline: May 15, 2008.

28-29 October 2008–“Translating the Middle Ages” (Urbana-Champaign, IIlinois) Sponsored by the Program in Medieval Studies and Center for Translation Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Inviting papers on the theory and practice of translation in the Middle Ages, including textual and visual translation. Who translates what, how and why, and to what effect?  The scope is interpreted broadly to include Europe, Iceland, Byzantium and the Islamic Mediterranean. For information, contact: Karen Fresco, Director, Program in Medieval Studies (kfresco@uiuc.edu)..

NOVEMBER 2008
01 November 2008–3rd Arab American History Conference (Dearborn, Michigan) Organized by The Arab American National Museum (AANM) and the Arab American Historical Foundation (AAHF). Inviting proposals for papers on topics dealing with Arab Americans within the disciplines of humanities and the social sciences on contemporary or historical issues related to Arab Americans. Proposals should include your name, the title of your presentation, a 250-300 word abstract, an email and/or postal address, your occupation, academic affiliation (if applicable), resume, and your A/V needs.  Presentation at the conference is open to scholars and activists. Papers will be selected by the Conference committee and selected participants will receive an invitation to present at the Forum. Proceedings from the Conference will be compiled and made available to the public and researchers. Partial subsidies will be made available to participants. More information is available at:
http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/Arab-American-History-Conference.id.468.htm
Selected presenters will be notified by July 15. Any questions about the conference please contact AANM librarian, Tara L.S. Fritzler, tlsfritzler@accesscommunity.org. Please send paper proposals to the aahistory@accesscommunity.org. Call for papers deadline: June 30, 2008.

06-08 November  2008 –“African Athena: Black Athena 20 Years on…” (Coventry, United Kingdom) African Athena was Bernal's original title for Black Athena, his "infamous" work that has confronted the modern academy with some of the most challenging questions it has faced over the last twenty years. This interdisciplinary conference seeks neither to demonize nor lionize Bernal's book, but to open dialogue on the issues it has posed: can a myth of Afrocentrism ever be a useful narrative in contemporary culture? For information, contact: Dr. Daniel Orrells, Department of Classics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL UK (D.Orrells@warwick.ac.uk).

DECEMBER 2008
12-15 December 2008–“Interrogating Tradition: Epistemologies, Fundamentalisms. Regeneration, and Practices” (Oxford, United Kingdom) 11th Conference of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE) For information, contact: or Sylvia Nam, IASTE 2008, Center for Environmental Design Research, 390 Wurster Hall, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720-1839 (510 642-6801; fax: 510 643-5571; iaste@berkeley.edu; www.arch.ced.berkeley.edu/reserach/iaste.

24-27 September 2008–“Textiles as Cultural Expressions” (Honolulu, Hawaii) The 11th Symposium of the Textile Society of America. In addition to paper presentations and panel discussions which form the foundation of the symposium, there will be an array of textile tours and exhibitions that highlight the diversity of this culturally rich Pacific Rim location. Tours will be organized around themes that include: Art Conservation, Ethnic Textiles, Garments in Paradise - Aloha Wear, Mission Quilts, Plantation Era Textiles and Traditional Hawai’ian Textiles. On view at the University of Hawai’i Art Gallery will be a special loan exhibition, “Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities,” with an international colloquium planned to precede the TSA Symposium. Complementing the wealth of historic and indigenous textiles will be exhibitions of contemporary fiber art mounted at the Academy Art Center and the Contemporary Museum at First Hawai'ian Center. For information, contact the Symposium Co-chairs: Reiko Brandon and Tom Klobe klobetm@hawaii.edu or visit: www.textilesociety.org.

2009
JANUARY 2009
30 January-01 February 2009--"Islamic Law and Custom" (Hyderabad, India) The International Society for Islamic Legal Studies (ISILS) is organizing the VI International Conference on Islamic Legal Studies which will address the relationship of Islamic law to custom and customary law. Forinformation, visit www.isils.net.

MARCH 2009
12-15 March 2009–Conference on “Arab-American Women” (Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas) Inviting papers dealing with different issues of Arab-American Women’s lives, including immigration, history (especially the early history of Arab-American women), settlement, organizations, professions, gender issues, marriage and family, health, religion, involvement in society and politics, status within the Arab-American community and the larger American society, successes and failures, general accomplishments, etc. Papers which analyze Arab-American literature, music and the arts are also invited. Abstracts, not to exceed one page, should be submitted to suleiman@ksu.edu. Final drafts should be ready and submitted by January 15, 2009. Call for papers deadline: August 31, 2008.

25-28 March 2009–Tenth Mediterranean Research Meeting (Florence, Italy) For information, contact: ForInfo@EUI.eu; www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Research/Mediterranean/mrm2009.

JUNE 2009
23-26 June 2009–5th “Hierarchy & Power in the History of Civilizations” Conference (Moscow, Russia) Organized by Center for Civilizational and Regional Studies of the Institute for African Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences in co-operation with the School of History, Political Science and Law of the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow. The objective of the Conference is to discuss the following issues: hierarchical and net structures in the history of cultures and civilizations; civilizational and evolutionary models of socio-political development; historical and ethno-cultural variability of the forms of socio-political organization; from simple societies to the world-system: pathways and forms of political integration; socio-political and cultural-mental factors of social transformations; cultural and socio-biological foundations of dominance in human societies; ideology and legitimation of power in different civilizational contexts; cultural models of power's perception in different civilizations; violence and non-violence in the history of political institutions; access to information as a means of political manipulation and mobilization; power, society, and culture in the era of globalization; the study of ‘hierarchy and power’: schools, trends, and methods.The working languages are Russian and English. Send inquiries to: Conference Secretaries, Dr. Oleg I. Kavykin and Ms. Anastasia A. Banschikova, Center for Civilizational and Regional Studies, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 30/1 Spiridonovka St., 123001 Moscow, Russia (+ 7 495 291 4119; fax: + 7 495 202 0786; conf2009@conf2009.ru). Call for papers deadline: November 8, 2008.

JULY 2009
06-08 July 2009–“Neo-Aramaic Dialects” (Oxford, United Kingdom) The  27th  ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies International Conference at the Oriental Institute (University of Oxford. If you wish to participate in the conference, please contact:
ARAM, the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE, England (++1865-514041;  fax: ++1865-516824; aram@aramsociety.org).

09-11 July 2009–“The Mandaens” (Oxford, United Kingdom) The 28th  ARAM International Conference at the Oriental Institute (University of Oxford). If you wish to participate in the conference, please contact: ARAM, the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE, England (++1865-514041;  fax: ++1865-516824; aram@aramsociety.org).