Soumendra Mohan Patnaik

The World Congress of the IUAES is held every five years, last one being held at Florianopolis in 2019. This Congress is being held on site after the last three annual congresses were either cancelled or converted to virtual congresses. The aim and scope of the Congress is to bring together all member commissions as well as individual members of the IUAES in a large gathering. It has always been a grand occasion bringing scholars from across the globe on a common platform. The IUAES has large numbers of members from the Non-Western world unlike the Euro-American centered AAA, EASA etc. It attracts participants from South and East Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, East Europe and also Europe, UK and USA. The scope of the congress is extensive both in terms of the geographical area covered as well as the range of topics. It extends to all branches of anthropology and archaeology and every dimension of the disciplines. In a world shattered by Covid-19, this Congress is aimed to draw participants into face-to-face interactions, to form bonds and networks, and also have a platform to discuss and debate core issues of survival and adaptation in the post-pandemic world.