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 25, 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).
Late registration:
Student $250
Contingent $300
Tenure $350
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.
CONFERENCE LODGING IS NOW CLOSED
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.
PARKING INFO
Parking permits are required on campus at all times. Guests will need to purchase a parking permit if they are bringing a vehicle to campus. Permits are only valid in the lot designated. Be cautious of where you park. Guests are responsible for following parking rules and for any penalties incured. You will need the vehicle’s license plate number when purchasing your parking permit.
Parking Structure 22 is the visitor lot where ISSRNC guests should park. When you arrive at Parking Structure 22, proceed to the bottom levels or the upper levels. Do not park in the first level Coastal Access spaces. Proceed to one of the pay stations in the structure and follow the prompts on the screen to purchase a multi-day ePermit called “Summer Conference.” Choose “5” for more selection times until the “Summer Conference” option displays. You can select up to seven days with this ePermit option. Be sure to select the total number of days you will be on campus, including your arrival and departure days.
Permits in Parking Structure 22 are $8/weekday and $4/weekend day. Please note that your multi-day permit is NOT valid in the Coastal Access spots near the entrance to Structure 22. You may temporarily park closer to Manzanita to unload your luggage – please park in ParkMobile Zone 2600 near the Manzanita loop. Your Structure 22 ePermit will be valid for unloading or you can utilize the ParkMobile app to pay for parking in the zone.
Attendees from other UC campuses can click here for full information on UC Reciprocity visitor parking. Please refer to the Attendee Information page on our website for additional information on transportation and parking. Visit the Transportation & Parking Services website for more information on Disabled Parking.
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.
REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED
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.
FIELD TRIP IS SOLD OUT
GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER AWARD
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.
PAPER SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
ISSRNC Refund Policy:
In the event that you are no longer able to attend the conference and need to cancel your participation, please be aware of the following deadlines for refunds that will be observed.
Registration Refund: The deadline for registered participants to receive a refund for conference registration is May 20, 2025. [**All registration refunds will have a 10% administrative fee deducted to cover transaction costs.] After this deadline, no refunds will be issued for registration.
Dorm Room Housing: The deadline for participants to receive a refund for cancellation of dorm room housing is June 10, 2025. [**All refunds will have a 20% administrative fee deducted to cover housing deposit and transaction/service fees]. After June 10, no refunds will be issued for dorm room housing.