These are big years for Burma and for Burma Studies. In October 2012 the International Burma Studies Conference will be held at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. The abstracts of the papers are now up online. Unsurprisingly, it’s a diverse and lively line-up. Plenty of papers focus on very contemporary aspects of Burmese society, including recent political changes. At the same time there are papers on everything from the Burmese harp to ritual chanting in Sumtu Chin, and Buddhist cosmography to colonial healthcare.