The eighth biennial SSEASR (South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religion) Conference is to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 13 to 16 June 2019. It is organized and hosted by the Center for Archaeological Studies, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.

This conference is under the theme of Rivers and Religion. Rivers have played a crucial role in the development of world civilization, as it has in South and Southeast Asia, where thousands of rivers connect culture and thought. The vast watercourse of the River Ganga in South Asia and that of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, along with other major rivers in the region, determined the culture, belief system, and philosophical thoughts of the region for several millennia. The homogeneity of culture and religious practices therein is seen today largely due to the flow and sacredness of South and Southeast Asian rivers.

The purpose of the eighth SSEASR conference is to encourage world academia to initiate academic dialogue on relevant issues to better understand, compare, interpret, and analyze countless beliefs, practices, traditions, communities, and other related phenomena. There will be pre- and post-conference tours around museums, temples, handcrafts markets, World Heritage Buddhist sites, etc.

The SSEASR operates under the policies and principles of the parent body of International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR). The IAHR is the preeminent international forum for the critical, analytical and cross-cultural study of religion, past, and present. The IAHR is a member of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (CIPSH) under the auspices of UNESCO.

More details for this conference are available at the following links: http://www.sseasr.org/

Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna River, Bangladesh ⓒ The SSEASR