VARANASI: Banaras Hindu University published a call for papers on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, for a proposed international conference examining Nepal's political, social and ecological transition. The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, is organising the academic programme at BHU in Varanasi. Researchers considering a submission have until December 10 to send an abstract.

For students and scholars in the BHU campus area, the immediate task is to prepare a 200 to 250 word abstract, give it a title of no more than 20 words and identify one of the six listed panels. The university's concept note gives nepalconference@bhu.ac.in as the submission address and asks for a Word document.

The proposed conference dates are February 17 to 19, 2027. This is a newly published invitation to contribute academic work, rather than a report that the conference has taken place. The notice does not announce a particular room or a daily session timetable. Applicants should use the department's published requirements when preparing their abstracts and confirm later arrangements before making travel plans.

What the call for papers covers

The conference is titled Beyond Regime Change: Nepal's Political, Social and Ecological Transition. Its concept note proposes bringing together scholars, policy practitioners and public intellectuals from India and Nepal. The organisers encourage work that crosses disciplinary boundaries and is supported by evidence.

Six panels provide the structure. The first concerns institutions, accountability and the rule of law. Its questions cover the relationship between executive authority, courts and constitutional bodies, and the way accountability is pursued after political upheaval. These are research questions in the invitation, rather than findings announced by the university.

The second panel addresses youth, work and migration. It asks how younger citizens participate in institutions and how employment opportunities and migration shape political choices. A third panel focuses on identity, inclusion and representation, including the place of marginalised communities and women in public life.

Rivers, hydropower and resource politics form the fourth panel. The organisers invite examination of decisions about water, land and forests, the distribution of benefits and the relationship between river agreements, revenue and livelihoods. This sits alongside a fifth panel on climate change and related disasters, including the governance of floods, landslides and glacier risks.

The final panel concerns foreign policy and the regional order. Its scope includes Nepal's relations with India, China and the United States. Across the six panels, the concept note asks contributors to examine how institutional capacity, social inclusion, natural resources and external relations affect one another.

The stated objectives also include placing Nepal in a wider South Asian setting through comparison with countries where mass protests have brought down governments. The concept note names Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in that discussion. It proposes examining whether political, social and ecological changes reinforce one another or pull in different directions, giving contributors a comparative route into the programme as well as a focus on individual institutions or particular resources.

What applicants should do

The official BHU notice links to the full concept note and submission instructions. Abstracts must use Times New Roman in size 12, with double spacing, and be supplied as a .doc or .docx file. The instruction to identify a panel means the research topic should be connected explicitly to one of the six themes.

Selected presenters must prepare a full paper of 5,000 to 7,000 words, including references. The document specifies APA seventh edition formatting, consistent presentation, original work, proper citations and submission in Word format. The abstract and full paper are separate stages with different deadlines and length requirements.

  • Abstract submission: December 10, 2026.
  • Acceptance notification: December 25, 2026.
  • Presenter registration: February 1, 2027.
  • Full paper submission: February 8, 2027.
  • Proposed conference: February 17 to 19, 2027.

The registration amount is Rs 1,000 for presenters whose papers are accepted. The concept note says account details will be provided later. It does not publish a payment account in the invitation, and it does not specify a closing hour or time zone for the submission deadlines. Applicants should seek those operational details from the organisers before relying on a last-minute submission.

Who is organising the programme

Professor Tej Pratap Singh, head of the Department of Political Science, is named as convener. Dr Bagisha Suman and Dr Saheli Bose are the organising secretaries. The leadership listed in the concept note includes Vice-Chancellor Professor Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi as chief patron and Faculty of Social Sciences dean Professor Ashok Kumar Upadhyay as patron.

For related university coverage, the site's listed background reports include the BHU language documentation workshop, the archive seminar paper deadline and the BHU Sangamam preparations review. Each concerns a separate programme; this invitation has its own themes, submission requirements and proposed dates.