EASAA 2026 Conference Timetable
EASAA 2026 Conference Programme and Book of Abstracts Now Available
The Organising Committee is pleased to announce that the EASAA 2026 Conference Programme and Book of Abstracts are now available online.
The Conference Programme provides detailed information on the schedule of sessions, individual papers, keynote lecture, guest lecture, film screening, and social events taking place during the conference. Participants are encouraged to consult the programme in advance to plan their attendance and make the most of the wide range of activities on offer.
The Book of Abstracts brings together abstracts for all papers and posters presented at EASAA 2026.
We look forward to welcoming colleagues from across the globe to Ghent for EASAA 2026!
EASAA 2026 Conference Programme (download here)
EASAA 2026 Book of Abstracts (download here)
Keynote Speaker Announcement: Professor Nayanjot Lahiri
EASAA is delighted to announce that Professor Nayanjot Lahiri (Ashoka University) will deliver the keynote address at the 27th International Conference of the European Association for South Asian Archaeology and Art (EASAA 2026).
Human Imprints in the Forests of Bandhavgarh: An Archaeological Journey
Professor Lahiri is Professor of History at Ashoka University and one of the most distinguished scholars of South Asian early history and archaeology. Her work has been instrumental in shaping contemporary understandings of South Asia’s ancient pasts and its archaeological practices.
She is the author of a wide-ranging and influential body of scholarship, including Pre-Ahom Assam (1991); The Archaeology of Indian Trade Routes (1992); Finding Forgotten Cities: How the Indus Civilization Was Discovered (2005); Marshalling the Past: Ancient India and Its Modern Histories (2012); Ashoka in Ancient India (2015); Monuments Matter: India’s Archaeological Heritage Since Independence (2017); Time Pieces–A Whistle-Stop Tour of Ancient India (2018); Archaeology and the Public Purpose: Writings on and by M.N. Deshpande (2021); and Searching for Ashoka (2023). She is also co-author of Copper and Its Alloys in Ancient India (1996), editor of The Decline and Fall of the Indus Civilization (2000), and co-editor of Ancient India: New Research (2009) and Buddhism in Asia: Revival and Reinvention (2016).
Professor Lahiri was awarded the Infosys Prize 2013 in Humanities–Archaeology, and her book Ashoka in Ancient India received the 2016 John F. Richards Prize from the American Historical Association for the best book in South Asian history.
We are honoured to welcome Professor Lahiri as our keynote speaker and look forward to welcoming her in Ghent.
Guest Speaker Announcement: Brendan Cassar, UNESCO Kabul
The European Association for South Asian Archaeology and Art is pleased to announce a special guest lecture by Brendan Cassar as part of EASAA 2026.
Recent Activities of UNESCO and the Current Status of Cultural Heritage in Afghanistan
Brendan Cassar is currently Head of the UNESCO Culture Programme in Afghanistan, a position he has held since August 2022. A heritage professional with more than two decades of experience across South Asia and the Middle East, his work has focused on the safeguarding, reconstruction, and sustainable management of cultural heritage in regions affected by conflict and natural disaster.
Cassar studied Classics and Archaeology at the University of Melbourne and later specialised in Heritage Management and Development at the Australian National University in Canberra. His long engagement with Afghanistan began in 2003 through his work with the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage, before joining UNESCO Afghanistan in 2006. Since then, he has contributed extensively to heritage protection initiatives across the region.
Prior to his current appointment in Kabul, Cassar worked at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre within the World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme. Between 2019 and 2021, he managed the UNESCO Culture Programme in Iraq, where he played a central role in the Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative, particularly in the reconstruction of monuments and housing in Mosul’s Old City and at the Erbil Citadel. Earlier, from 2014 to 2019, he coordinated cultural programmes for the Gulf States and Yemen through the UNESCO Cluster Office in Doha, overseeing projects linked to UNESCO Cultural Conventions, including the safeguarding and rehabilitation of heritage sites and cultural infrastructure in Yemeni World Heritage properties.
In addition to his UNESCO work, Cassar has collaborated closely with institutions including the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Afghanistan, contributing to heritage management planning, project development, and long-term preservation strategies.
This special lecture promises to be an important moment within the conference programme, bringing critical contemporary perspectives on heritage preservation, international cooperation, and the future of cultural landscapes in Afghanistan and beyond.