Summary
Start Your Submission
The submission portal for the General Call for Participation is Now Open.
Transitions – November 15-19, 2023
With “Transitions” as the Annual Meeting theme, we invite research presentations in a variety of formats, including in-person and online. With so many presentation types, you may wish to use this interactive Excel tool or view this PDF flow chart to consider your options. We have limited space on the program for live-virtual presentations, so selection of this type will be highly competitive. Space is less limited for in-person presentation formats and for pre-recorded virtual presentations. Once you select a presentation type, use the steps below and on the left navigation pane to prepare your submission.
You will need to be a AAA or CASCA member to have a presentation on the Annual Meeting program, and you will need to be registered for the meeting if your proposal is accepted. However, you do not need to register at the time you send us your proposal, nor does your membership need to be current. The deadline for everyone whose proposal is accepted to register for the Annual Meeting and become a member of either AAA or CASCA is Friday, September 8 by 11:59 PM Eastern.
For the 2023 AAA/CASCA Annual Meeting, sessions may choose from one of two modalities:
- In-person in Toronto
- Virtually online
Sessions must submit as they plan to attend. AAA/CASCA will not be able to change a session’s modality type following its submission. Your choice should reflect the plans of all participants in your group, which means all participants will need to either present in-person or virtually, but not in a blended-session format.
Virtual sessions will compose approximately 20% of the 2023 AAA/CASCA Annual Meeting program, and therefore will be highly competitive.
- Thursday, February 02, 2023 – 3:00 PM Eastern Time
- General Call for Participation Open
- Wednesday, March 22, 2023 – 11:59 PM Eastern Time
- Deadline for General Call for Participation Proposals to be started in the Portal
- Wednesday, March 29, 2023 – 11:59 PM Eastern Time
- Deadline for General Call for Participation Proposals to be completed in the Portal
- Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – Friday, June 2, 2023
- General Call Proposals Undergo Peer Review
- Week of July 10, 2023
- Accept / Decline Notices Sent to General Call Submitters
- Week of July 10, 2023
- Speaker Resource Center Launches for Accepted General Call Submitters
- Wednesday, September 13, 2023 – 11:59 PM ET
- Deadline for Speaker Resource Center Tasks
- Friday, September 8, 2023 – 11:59 PM Eastern Time
- Deadline for accepted General Call for Participation submitters to become members of AAA
or CASCA and register for the Annual Meeting - Participants who are not registered and AAA or CASCA members by this
date forfeit their participation in the General Call for Participation.
- Deadline for accepted General Call for Participation submitters to become members of AAA
How to Prepare for the General Call for Participation
To stay up-to-date on all Annual Meeting deadlines and upcoming announcements, visit the “Important Dates to Remember” webpage weekly.
All proposals for the General Call for Participation must be started in the General Call for Participation Submission Portal by 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 and submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
There are two options available: Individual and Group Presentations.
All presentation types are highly regarded by the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society. If you request proof of participation, AAA/CASCA will issue a certificate that will only contain your name, affiliation, date of presentation, presentation title, and session title if applicable. All submitters are encouraged to try a new medium for sharing their research, ideas, and experiences.
Presentation Options for Individuals
Individually Volunteered Paper Presentation – In-person
Individually volunteered paper presentations are submitted by individuals who wish to present on the
Annual Meeting program. During the review period, AAA/CASCA section program chairs review any
individually volunteered paper presentations and form them into cohesive sessions of four to seven
presenters. These cohesive sessions are then evaluated by section program chairs of that section and
ranked. If accepted, they are sent to the Executive Program Committee (EPC) to be included in the
scholarly program – but are subject to further review by the EPC.
Session format: In person, in Toronto – Live
- Individual presentation length: 15 minutes
- Session length: 105 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 1
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? YES.
- Length of individual abstracts: maximum of 3,500 characters including spaces
- Length of overall session abstract: 500 word maximum (and a 50 word minimum)
Role limits:
- Paper presenter: 1 (max)
Flash Presentation – In-person Live
Individual flash presentations are a rapid-fire, engaging performance of current projects/concepts
via a few image rich slides, along with brief visual descriptions, and dynamic and reasonably-paced
spoken content. Total presentation time is a speedy 6 minutes per presenter. Presentations should
present work in progress and/or upcoming projects. During the review period, AAA/CASCA section
program chairs review presentations and accept or reject them. If accepted, they are sent to the
Executive Program Committee (EPC) to be included in the scholarly program, where they’ll be assigned
a timeslot with other individual flash presentations of similar thematic topics. They are subject to
further review by the EPC. Individual Flash Presentations sessions will only be offered in-person.
Session format: In person, in Toronto – Live
- If your session doesn’t match this format, please consider submitting a Talk, or another type of
session. - Session length: 5 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 1
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? YES.
- Length of individual abstracts: maximum of 3,500 characters including spaces
Role limits:
- Flash presenter/organizer: 1 (max)
In-Person Poster – In-Person Live
An in-person poster is submitted by a single individual and
can be a traditional poster or related mode of visual display of content. Various modes of visual
presentation are encouraged. If you are a poster presenter, this session type is the one for you.
During the review period, AAA/CASCA section program chairs review poster presentations and accept or
reject them. If accepted, they are sent to the Executive Program Committee (EPC) to be included in
the scholarly program, where they’ll be assigned a timeslot with posters of similar thematic topics.
They are subject to further review by the EPC. Poster presenters are encouraged to upload their
posters to the Open Anthropology Research Repository for wider circulation.
Session format: In person, in Toronto – Live
- Session length: Place-based: 120 minutes (presenters can engage with attendees
at their posters) - # of session participants allowed: 1
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? YES.
- Length of individual abstracts: 250 word maximum (and a 50 word minimum)
Role limits:
- Poster presenter: 1 (max)
Virtual Poster – Virtual Pre-recorded
A virtual poster is submitted by a single individual and can
include a single PDF version of the body of research, with a voice (not video) recording attached
(10 minutes maximum) describing the work. Alternative modes of visual presentation are welcome (but
should not be multi-slided slideshows) but must be provided in an accessible format. During the
review period, AAA/CASCA section program chairs review poster presentations and accept or reject
them. Session content will be collected after acceptance onto the program. Only an abstract is
necessary at time of submission. Poster presenters are also encouraged to upload their posters to
the Open Anthropology Research Repository for wider circulation.
Session format: Virtual – On-demand
- Session length: Virtual: Recordings have a maximum of 10 minutes.
- # of session participants allowed: 1
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? YES.
- Length of individual abstracts: maximum of 3,500 characters including spaces
Role limits:
- Poster presenter: 1 (max)
Talk – Virtual Pre-recorded
For submitters simply looking to present their work independently, this presentation format allows
for uploading slides as well as a voice recording, or a YouTube video for which a link is provided.
During the review period, AAA/CASCA section program chairs review talk presentations and accept or
reject them. Session content will be collected after acceptance onto the program. Only an abstract
is necessary at time of submission. Submitters are also encouraged to upload their presentations
and/or papers to the Open Anthropology Research Repository. Talks can only be submitted to the
virtual program.
Session format: Virtual – On-demand
- Session length: 20 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 1
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? YES.
- Length of individual abstracts: 250 word maximum (and a 50 word minimum)
Role limits:
- Presenter: 1 (max)
Presentation Options for Groups of Two or More
Oral Presentation Session – In-person
A lecture-based panel WITH seven (7), 15-minute timeslots for paper presentations
and/or moderated discussion.
Session format: In person, in Toronto
- If your session doesn’t match this format, please consider submitting another type of group
session type. - Session length: 105 minutes (divided into 15-minute timeslots for paper
presentations and/or discussants) - # of session participants allowed: 4-12**
Abstracts?
- Are individual abstracts required? YES. Individual abstracts are required. The
Session Organizer must upload the final version of the abstracts to the submission portal - Length of individual abstracts: 250 word maximum (and a 50 word minimum)
- Length of overall session abstract: maximum of 3,500 characters including
spaces
Role limits:
- Organizers: 1 (max)
- Chairs: 1 (min) to 2 (max)
- Discussants**: 0 (min) to 2 (max)
- Paper Presenters**: 4 (min) to 7 (max)
**Oral Presentation Session note: There are only seven (7), 15-minute timeslots
designated for Oral Presentation sessions. Organizers and chairs do not have timed roles, and
therefore do not count toward the timeslot limit. Discussant and paper presenter roles are timed, so
you cannot exceed seven (7) total discussants or paper presenters for this session type.
Roundtable/Town Hall – In-person or Virtual Live
A discussion-based panel WITHOUT papers or timed 15-minute
presentations.
Session format: In person, in Toronto OR Virtual – Both Live
- Session length: 105 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 6-12
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? NO.
- Length of individual abstracts: N/A
- Length of overall session abstract: 500 word maximum (and a 50 word minimum)
Role limits:
- Organizers: 1 (max)
- Chairs: 1 (min) to 2 (max)
- Discussants: 0 (min) to 2 (max)
- Roundtable Presenters: 4 (min) to 7 (max)
Conversation / Debate – In-person or Virtual Live
Conversations or Debates are engaging sessions WITHOUT papers or timed 15-minute presentations.
Participants engage in a traditional-style debate led by one or two moderators, followed by a brief
question and answer session for audience members. No papers are presented in this format, and
participation in a conversation or debate session is weighted equally to that of delivering a paper
presentation. Conversations or Debates are submitted during the general call for participation
period as final, fully-formed sessions. These proposals are peer reviewed, evaluated, and ranked by
AAA/CASCA section program chairs. If accepted, they are sent to the Executive Program Committee
(EPC) to be included in the scholarly program – but are subject to further review by the EPC.
Virtual Conversations or Debates will be presented, recorded, and could be captioned in real time.
Participants must agree to be recorded, and to have their recordings posted online through the end
of December 2023.
Session format: In person, in Toronto OR Virtual – Both Live
- Session length: 105 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 2-6
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? NO.
- Length of individual abstracts: N/A
- Length of overall session abstract: maximum of 3,500 characters including
spaces
Role limits:
- Organizers: 1 (max)
- Moderator: 1 (min) to 2 (max)
- Speaker: 2 (min) to 4 (max)
Interview – In-person or Virtual Live
Interviews are one-on-one conversations in which a host interviews one person about a topic, engaging
in a lively discussion, followed by a question and answer session for audience members. This event
should be conversational in nature and should not include a recitation of papers. Participation in
an interview is weighted equally to that of delivering a paper presentation. Interviews are
submitted during the general call for participation period as final, fully-formed sessions. These
proposals are peer reviewed, evaluated, and ranked by AAA/CASCA section program chairs. If accepted,
they are sent to the Executive Program Committee (EPC) to be included in the scholarly program – but
are subject to further review by the EPC.
Interviews will be presented, recorded, and could be captioned in real time. Participants must agree
to be recorded, and to have their recordings posted online through the end of December 2023.
Session format: In person, in Toronto OR Virtual – Both Live
- Session length: 105 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 2
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? NO.
- Length of individual abstracts: N/A
- Length of overall session abstract: 500 word maximum (and a 50 word minimum)
Role limits:
- Organizers: 1 (max)
- Interviewer: 1 (max)
- Interviewee: 1 (max)
Podcast – Virtual Pre-recorded
Podcasts are view-on-demand, audio-only formatted presentations. They are a pre-recorded discussion
on a topic of the submitter’s choosing. Up to 5 participants may be included in any one podcast
presentation that lasts no longer than 40 minutes. Podcasts should be conversational in nature and
are not limited by any specific content requirements. Podcasts are submitted during the general call
for participation period as final, fully-formed sessions. These proposals are peer reviewed,
evaluated, and ranked by AAA/CASCA section program chairs. If accepted, they are sent to the
Executive Program Committee (EPC) to be included in the scholarly program – but are subject to
further review by the EPC. Session content will be collected after acceptance onto the program. Only
an abstract is necessary at time of submission. Podcasts can only be submitted to the virtual
program.
Session format: Virtual – On-demand
- Session length: 40 minutes
- # of session participants allowed: 2-7
Abstracts?
- Does it allow for individual abstracts? NO.
- Length of individual abstracts: N/A
- Length of overall session abstract: maximum of 3,500 characters including
spaces
Role limits:
- Organizer: 1 (max)
- Host: 1 (min) to 2 (max)
- Guest: 1 (min) to 4 (max)
After selecting the appropriate presentation type, gather the materials required for your proposal before logging into the portal. You can also use the General Call for Participation submission guide (English or French) for assistance.
For Individual Presentations
- For Individually Volunteered Paper Presentations and Posters, decide your preferred
modality.- All Individually Volunteered Paper Presentation submitters who select the
fully in-person modality will be grouped with other in-person paper
presenters to create a fully in-person session that will be held at the Convention
Center in Toronto, ON, CA.- Note: If your individually volunteered paper presentation
is not combined with other paper presentations to create a session, you will
be invited to present your paper either as an in-person or virtual poster.
- Note: If your individually volunteered paper presentation
- All Individually Volunteered Paper submitters who select the fully virtual
modality will be grouped with other virtual paper presenters to create
a fully virtual session that will be held online in the virtual platform.- Note: Space on the virtual platform for the 2023 AAA/CASCA
Annual Meeting is limited and highly competitive. If you are not selected to
present your individually volunteered paper presentation virtually, you will
be invited to present your paper presentation either as an in-person or
virtual poster.
- Note: Space on the virtual platform for the 2023 AAA/CASCA
- All in-person poster presentations will be held
onsite in the Convention Center in Toronto, ON, CA. - All virtual posters presentations will be pre-recorded and posted
to the online platform. There will not be a designated presentation date for virtual
posters. Annual Meeting attendees will be able to view the poster presentations on
demand.
- All Individually Volunteered Paper Presentation submitters who select the
- Create a title for your presentation.
- Write an abstract for your presentation that is 3,500 characters (about 575 words) or less.
- Note: You will be able to transfer your abstract from a document to the portal by using
the copy and paste feature – we recommend copying to and pasting from notepad in order
to strip any formatting from the text.
- Note: You will be able to transfer your abstract from a document to the portal by using
- View the 2023 Annual Meeting list of keywords and themes documents and select up to three of each type.
- Review the Individual Proposal Agreement Text (English
or French).
Once all these steps have been completed, navigate to General Call for Participation Submission Portal,
start your proposal no later than 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, then submit
by 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
For Group Presentations
- For Oral Presentation Sessions, Roundtable / Town Halls, Conversations or Debates, and
Interviews, discuss the following modality options with your panel and select the
appropriate option. Modality changes are not allowed once the submission portal closes.- Fully in-person: The entire panel will present onsite at the Convention Center in Toronto, ON, CA.
Fully virtual: The entire panel will present online on the virtual platform.- Note: Space for live virtual sessions on the online
platform is limited and highly competitive. If you are not selected to present your session live,
virtually, you will be invited to pre-record your
session and upload it to the View on Demand library.
- Note: Space for live virtual sessions on the online
- Fully in-person: The entire panel will present onsite at the Convention Center in Toronto, ON, CA.
- Create a title for your session.
- Write an abstract for your session that is 3,500 characters (about 575 words) or less.
- Note: You will be able to transfer your abstract from a document to the portal by using
the copy and paste feature – we recommend copying to and pasting from notepad in
order to strip any formatting from the text.
- Note: You will be able to transfer your abstract from a document to the portal by using
- For oral presentations, collate the individual titles, speaker name and email used in the
AAA Member/Registration Database (membership and registration not required at the
time of submission), and abstracts of the individual presentations.
(Note: You will not be able to add speakers to your session unless they have created a
profile in the AAA Community Hub – AAA’s membership
and registration database. Please have your speakers ensure their profile is created
before you try to add them to your session.) - View the 2023 Annual Meeting list of keywords
and general topics documents and select up to three of each type. - Review the Session Organizer Responsibilities Form and 2023 Annual Meeting
timeline with your panel.
Once all these steps have been completed, the session organizer should navigate to the
General Call for Participation Submission Portal and start your proposal no later than
11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, then submit
by 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
The submission portal is now closed.
Deadlines
- Wednesday, March 22, 2023 – 11:59 PM Eastern Time
- Deadline for General Call for Participation Submissions to be started in the Portal
- New proposals not accepted after this time.
- Wednesday, March 29, 2023 – 11:59 PM Eastern Time
- Deadline for General Call for Participation Submissions to be completed in the Portal
Accept/decline notifications will be sent during the week of July 10.
The American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society are committed to creating an Annual Meeting and anthropological community that are supportive, inclusive, conducive to anthropological research. Again, this year we invite you to join us to help fulfill this commitment by collecting and submitting all pertinent information related to your presentation by the designated deadlines. This includes delivering accessible presenter materials (e.g., PowerPoint slides, lists of terms, and outlines and agendas) to help interpreters and captioners prepare to support your session.
