2025 Conference Info
Welcome to the 2025 ISSRNC Annual Conference
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The ISSRNC conference will officially begin on Monday, June 23, 2025. The events scheduled for Monday afternoon are co-sponsored with the Society for the Anthropology of Religion, which will host its biennial conference from June 21–23 at UCSB. The sessions include a shared Plenary Panel and the Roy Tappaport Biennial Lecture by Ana Mariella Bacigalupo, as well as an evening reception for all registered participants of both organizations.
ISSRNC Panel Sessions will begin on Tuesday morning and run through the end of the day on Thursday. The ISSRNC Banquet will be held on Wednesday evening and the Conference Field Trip take place on Friday, June 27.
All conference participants must be members in good standing of the ISSRNC at the time of the conference.
Membership pricing is based on income level and includes free online digital access to the Society’s affiliated academic journal, the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.
You will be prompted to update your membership before you will be able to register for the conference.
All ISSRNC conference presenters are required to register by March 15, 2025. Cost of registration includes access to ISSRNC panel, plenary, and keynote sessions, the Opening Reception, and the Banquet and Awards Ceremony. This year, conference registration also includes access to any of the panel sessions for the Society for Anthropology of Religion conference (June 21–23).
Early bird registration will open on December 1st.
Early Bird Rate & Standard Rate
Student ($125) | $200
Contingent ($175) | $250
Tenure ($225) | $300
TRAVEL
The closest airport to UCSB is SBA (2 miles from campus). If you are booking a flight, we strongly recommend flying to SBA. However, you can also consider traveling to LAX and then taking the Airbus or Amtrack Train to Santa Barbara. The Airbus picks up directly from LAX and will drop you off 3 miles from UCSB campus. The trip is about 1.5 hours.
The train station pickup (Union Station, LA) is 20 miles from LAX, and 10 miles from UCSB campus. You will have to take a taxi/Uber/Lyft from the train station in LA & SB. If booking tickets in advance, we suggest leaving at least 2 hours between your flight arrival and train departure (3 hours if traveling internationally for customs).
ACCOMMODATIONS
The price for accommodation in Santa Barbara is very high, and availability is limited. ISSRNC has arranged a number of housing options that participants may choose to purchase for their stay.
Limited off-campus hotel reservations will be available at a discounted group rate on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have also arranged to offer on-campus dorm room accommodation and meal package options at an affordable rate. We recommend that participants book their accommodation by January 10th to guarantee on-campus housing.
Registration for housing will open on the conference website on December 1, 2024.
MEALS
Meal package options (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the University Dining Commons will be available with on-campus dorm room accommodation reservations. Individual meals may also be purchased at the University Dining Commons with a Credit/Debit card for those participants staying off campus.
There are a variety of other on and off campus dining options available. A list of recommended spots will be included in the conference program.
WELCOME RECEPTION – BANQUET – AWARDS CEREMONY
ISSRNC will co-host a welcome reception with the Society for the Anthropology of Religion on the opening night of our conference, Monday, June 23rd. We will also host our conference banquet and awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 25th.
There is no additional cost to attend either event, but advance registration is required by March 15, 2025.
Reception and banquet sign-up link coming soon…
CONFERENCE FIELD TRIP
ISSRNC has arranged to take a group of conference participants to Santa Cruz Island, which is part of Channel Islands National Park, on Friday, June 27th.
Lunch will be included, and additional food/ beverage will be available for purchase on the boat.This is an all-day field trip, so those who want to attend should plan to book accommodation through Friday night.
Tickets will be available for purchase beginning on December 1st and are first-come, first-serve until seats are filled.
ISSRNC awards a limited number of travel grants to support members who might not otherwise be able to attend conferences. Applications for Travel Grants are required, and you must be an ISSRNC member to be eligible. Grants are awarded to graduate students, international scholars, contingent faculty, independent scholars, and others for in person conference attendance and are based on eligibility and need.
The deadline for travel grant applications is December 15, 2024.
At each conference, the ISSRNC selects one graduate student paper to receive a merit-based award for best graduate student paper.
All submissions will be anonymously reviewed by the Awards Committee and the winner will be announced at the Awards Ceremony during the Conference Banquet.
The deadline for paper submissions is May 1, 2025.