January 3-6, 2013 Boston, Massachusetts (USA)
In conjunction with the L.S.A.., the American Name Society (ANS) is pleased to announce its first call for critical papers on INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND NAMING
The present call for conference papers welcomes proposals which examine the importance of names and naming among indigenous peoples from around the world. From place names to personal names, this call welcomes onomastic investigations of any and all type. Proposals may offer either a synchronic or diachronic examination of qualitative and/or quantitative data. Possible topics for submission include the following:
• naming trends and traditions, past and present
• socio-political conflicts and controversies surrounding the official names of indigenous peoples and/or lands
• sacred naming practices
• collections of individual naming stories among indigenous peoples
• the etymology of indigenous names
• cross-cultural, cross-linguistic examinations of naming patterns among native peoples
• the misuse/abuse of native names
• language policies and practices involved in preserving or re-instating original names

Interested authors are requested to submit their 250 word abstract by April 15, 2012 to
Dr. I. M. Nick at mavi.yaz@web.de. All submissions must be in English and conform with the LSA stylistic regulations. Please note that you do not need to be a member of the ANS to submit an abstract. However, if your paper is accepted, you must join the Society to present in our panel. For additional information and/or clarification, please contact Dr. I. M. Nick at the email address listed above.