Whilst we very much hope that the pandemic will be past the worst in 2021 we have decided to plan for an online event for the following reasons. It is clear, as of now, that the pandemic has not yet reached its peak in many parts of the globe including South Asia. Simultaneously, European countries that were emerging from lockdown have experienced significant spikes in recent weeks. International travel continues to be uncertain and fraught with risk – if only that you may need to self-isolate on arrival or return.

We did not want to be in a position where we either had to cancel the event or deter delegates from particular countries from attending. We also hope to make the conference as accessible, safe and welcoming as possible to all irrespective of age, health-conditions and location. We also recognise the environmental benefits of reduced travel,

We are working with IT colleagues at the University to ensure that colleagues will be able to present their work to, and discuss it with, an audience. Talks will also be recorded and stored on a secure website for the duration of the conference to enable those who could not make the session or who experienced IT issues, to listen in at a later point. Questions will be taken in person and can be posted using the ‘chat’ function.

Whilst the informal sociality of a live event will be missing, we are aiming to maximise the opportunities for delegates to interact and engage in conversations. Delegates will be able to message each other through the conference platform – allowing people to ask follow-up questions, or connect through video-links. Time will be allocated to enable panels and/or research clusters to interact to discuss common interests.

The full registration fee is £60, and the concession fee is £30.

The concession rate applies to the unwaged, retired, researchers earning less than £18,000 gross per annum, people based in South Asia, full-time students, and graduate and early career (GEC) researchers. GEC researchers are current doctoral candidates at a recognised place of higher education, or those who completed their doctoral studies less than 3 years before the time of registering, unless the individual is already permanently employed in a full-time capacity.  

As always, you will also need BASAS membership to take part.

The difference is outlined in the call for papers section on the Conference page.

Papers and panels that could not be presented at BASAS2020 will be reviewed by the BASAS2021 organisers, alongside new paper and panel proposals in response to the call from Edinburgh. If you wish your original paper or panel to be considered for BASAS 2021, please let the organisers know.

Registration is now open for BASAS members. Please note that in order to register, you must receive the registration form password from BASAS.

There are a few issues that can be at play. If the problem is IT-related, it is worth trying a computer restart, testing another browser, trying from another location (or ensuring that firewall settings in your present location aren’t causing the issues), and also waiting a bit in case the server at our end is affected by something (like an upgrade). Another issue could be the passwords – please enter the BASAS password when prompted (you may be prompted more than once). The password is case sensitive, and it is best to type it in rather than paste it.

On completing the payment of the registration fee, you will receive an automatic email confirming the payment. Nearer the time of the conference, you will receive emails explaining how to access the conference, which will take place on Zoom and MS Teams.

We require all speakers to register before the end of February 2021, in order to complete and publish the detailed programme in March 2021.