Archive: Calls

EU-Africa migration conundrum in a changing global order

CALL FOR PAPERS:

 

International Scientific Conference and Workshop

EU-Africa migration conundrum in a changing global order

 

21-22 November 2019

University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu campus, Finland

 

 

The conference brings into conversation leading academics, policy-makers, political observers and practitioners from civil society to explore and examine the current EU-Africa relationships vis-à-vis migration. The issue of migration is challenging this relationship, whereas concrete efforts need to be taken in order for the benefits of the increased interaction to be better harnessed and the unprecedented flows of people managed. The conference will approach the topic thought the lens of border studies, an internationally recognized area of expertise of the Karelian Institute, UEF (Joensuu), in order to evaluate EU-Africa relations in a changing global order. An important aim of the conference will also get informed by lessons and parallels drawn from across Africa, and chiefly, the integration experience of the EU—particularly the Schengen Area—in moving from free movement of labour (only) to EU citizenship, as enshrined in Article 20 (1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Africa, in particular, is characterised by extensive interactions across its artificial and contiguous borders and borderlands, just as there are increasing migration flows from Africa to Europe.

The issue of migration is challenging intra-Africa relationships as well as its relationships with other regions of the world, such as Europe. Thus, the imperative to examine intra-Africa relations vis-à-vis migration, in the context of borders and boundaries and evaluate EU-Africa relations in a global order characterised by unprecedented fluxes of men, women and children between the two continents. In particular, Africa is characterised by extensive interactions across its artificial and contiguous borders and borderlands, just as there are increasing flows of migration from Africa to Europe. Several questions arise, such as inter alia; How should these fluxes be managed to promote socioeconomic transformation and development in Africa? What lessons can be gleaned from the experiences of the EU?

 

This conference is timely as it speaks to contemporary but longstanding issues that impact the continents concerned and the global political economy. Its outcomes and products will speak directly to and inform policy in a bid to formulate working solutions to these challenges. It will also contribute to ongoing discussions and debates in academia on matters raised and thus contribute to theory building. Moreover, the project has as its innovative strength, the proposed conferring of academics, policy makers and practitioners to exchange views, experiences and seek solutions to challenges concerning human mobility in general and the related issues of borders, boundaries and regional integration. The potential of networks that will also be built from this experience for future endeavours and development in general for Africa, the EU and relationships between the continents cannot be overstated.

Following the kick off conference hosted by the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation in Pretoria, South Africa, this second conference will be a two two-day event that will focus on human mobility and migration issues with respect to borders, boundaries and regional integration, and one international conference focusing on EU-Africa relations vis-à-vis migration and borders, under the theme “the EU-Africa migration conundrum in a changing global order.” In addition to the open conference, a closed workshop will be held in which participants will engage in detailed exchanges and discussions of issues framed out in the concept note.

 

PRACTICALITIES

• The participants are encouraged to submit a full paper to be considered for an edited volume to prepared based on the conference deliberations.

 

• The deadline for submission of abstracts is 2 September 2019.

 

• Please send a MS Word document in English containing: author’s name, affiliation, e-mail address, a paper title, and a clear and concise abstract of max. 250 words by email to Dr. Jussi Laine at jussi.laine@uef.fi

 

• The scientific committee will select those contributions which best fit the theme of the call for papers and selected participants will be notified by 12 September 2019.

 

• Participants are expected to make and cover for their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

 

• The participation is free of charge. Lunches as well as a conference dinner will provided for all registered and presenting participants.

 

• Travel grants: there are seven max. 1.000,00 EUR travel grants available to support attendees. To apply for the travel grant, please include a short motivation letter of why you should be awarded the travel grant in the same document together with your abstract. All travel grants awardees are expected to submit a full-length chapter for the edited volume. Note that there may be more meritorious applications than we will be able to award. Grants are awarded to attendants only upon providing receipts of expenses made in light of attending the conference.

 

For any other questions, please contact Dr. Jussi Laine: jussi.laine@uef.fi

 

 

The conference is supported by the Jean Monnet activity within the ERASMUS+ programme Africa-EU relations, migration, development and integration (587767-EPP-1-2017-1-ZA-EPPJMO-PROJECT) together with the Joensuu University Foundation.

IGC 2020 Istanbul

34^th International Geographical Congress in İstanbul in 2020, Turkey

Geography: Bridging the Continents

Geography is the science of relationship between the earth and human. This is the basic definition of Geography. But Geography is not only a science of relationship. Geography also has meaning of evaluation, interpretation, awareness and analysis. With all this meaning Geography is the “Queen of the all sciences”.

In the historical eras, people use the science of Geography to explore the World. While the first discoveries were in their own environment, as time progressed, human trips to discover other environments as well. These discoveries, sometimes made for the “wonder” but are often realized the needs.

In the Little Ice Age period, under the heavy climatic conditions people have traveled to unknown regions of the world to search for new sources. Thus, in a sense, the adverse climatic conditions seen in the Little Ice Age caused the beginning of the era of discoveries. And so Geography made the continents and human come together.

The fact that Istanbul is located at the junction of the continents constitutes the most important point of this great meaning. The 34. International Geographical Congress, which will be organized for the first time in Istanbul where the continents meets, will host the most accurate way of realizing this historical meaning of the Geography. Thus, all colleagues in all continents will meet in Istanbul.

Let’s meet where the continents meet.

https://www.igc2020.org/en/default.asp

 

•EUGEO Galway (Ireland) – 15-18 May 2019 – Extended deadline!

The Early Bird Registration for EUGEO 2019 Congress in conjunction with the 51st Conference of Irish Geographers

AND the open call for papers

deadline has been extended until Friday February 15th.
 
The theme for the 2019 Congress is ‘Re-imagining Europe’s future societies and landscapes’.

https://www.eugeo2019.eu/
 
Please find the final call for papers for three themed sessions sponsored by the Commission on Political Geography of the IGU at the bottom of this message

and on the website of the Conference at https://www.eugeo2019.eu/list-of-proposed-themed-sessions
 
1): Borders of populism in the European Union

Convenors: Anna Casaglia (University of Trento) and Raffaella Coletti (Sapienza University of Rome)
 
2): The end of endism? The Revival of the Nation State in Global Geopolitics

Convenors: Elena Dell’Agnese, Università di Milano-Bicocca and Virginie Mamadouh, Universiteit van Amsterdam
 
3): Neighborhood as a geographical and political concept: the European experience

Convenor: Vladimir Kolosov, Institute of Geography of Russian Academy of Sciences
 
Please use the online portal (https://www.eugeo2019.eu/submissions) to submit your abstract and send a copy to the convenors of the session you would like to join.

There is also an open call for papers.

Please Check the conference website for any queries regarding travel and accommodation options in Galway.
 
== Details about the CPG sessions:
 
Session: Borders of populism in the European Union

Session convenors: Anna Casaglia (University of Trento) and Raffaella Coletti (Sapienza University of Rome)

Emails: Raffaella Coletti (raffaella.coletti@uniroma1.it) and Anna Casaglia (anna.casaglia@unitn.it)
 
Research on populism is animating academic debates in light of the growing relevance of this trend, which is indeed a rising global phenomenon. Populist movements differ a lot across space and time; however, in its very basic definition, populism is the movement of the ‘pure people’ and their will against the ‘elites’; or, more precisely, a struggle between a reified ‘will of the people’ and a conspiring elite.

Populism is diffusing widely in the European Union and a common feature of these movements is their anti-EU positions, or the inclusion of European institutions and European representatives in the list of “corrupted” elites to be confronted by the new generation of “people” in power. As such, the diffusion of populism challenges the present and future of EU structure and integration.

The contribution of geography to the study of populism has been limited so far, even if borders, globalisation, inequalities, sovereignty, which are crucial variables in the current populist wave, are also traditional topics for geographers. In this frame, and in the case of the European Union specifically, the role of borders looks particularly important.
Indeed, (territorial and relational) borders are crucial sites in understanding processes of EU integration, and political geographers have widely explored the ‘nature of the beast’, interrogating the role of bordering practices and imaginaries in the making of the European Union. Consequently, EU borders and bordering processes are pivotal to exploring and understanding the rationale and the implications of the current shifting political landscape of the EU, and potential mechanisms of EU (dis)integration.

Moreover, borders are central in populist discourse and ideology, not only as ‘containers’ of national identity, but as crucial markers of sovereignty against supranational regulations. Populist parties all over Europe have been exploiting borders and the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ to securitise migration and human mobility and to promote the defence of national identity in the face of cultural invasion. In most countries where populism has been politically successful, like Hungary, Belgium, and Italy, the ‘pure people’s’ claims have soon met racist, homophobic and islamophobic politics invoking the closure of borders, the defence of traditional Christian values, and the strengthening of national bonds. The imaginary power of the nation-state seems to have risen again with a chauvinist revival and a strong feeling that Our security is threatened by Others.

This session aims to collect theoretical or case-study based contributions that explore the link between populism and borders in the European Union in two main directions: on the one hand, to understand if and how European bordering processes can be used as key variables in exploring the emergence and the features of populism; on the other hand, to analyse how European populism affects border practices, imaginaries and regimes at European internal and external borders.

==

Session Title: The end of endism? The Revival of the Nation State in Global Geopolitics

Convenors: Elena Dell’Agnese, Università di Milano-Bicocca and Virginie Mamadouh, Universiteit van Amsterdam

Emails elena.dellagnese@unimib.it and v.d.mamadouh@uva.nl
 
While (political) geographers have long questioned the end of the nation-state and the end of state borders narratives, their sudden dismissal around the world has bewildered them equally. This dismissal has been unexpected and highly contagious: a wave ending endist narratives and bringing nationalism and sovereignty back to fore of political debates. Such narratives have been articulated by (new or refurbished) political parties and broader movements that met unexpected electoral success in Hungary, Poland, and more recently in the US, Austria, Italy, Brazil. They take the form of populist discourses suggesting the existence of a monolith “people” with an essentialist identity and a clear national interest that has to take back control from a cosmopolitan elite thanks to a charismatic leader. These new frames echo nationalist narratives in Russia, China, India or the Philippines where autocratic leaders are in fashion too. Whether targeting globalization and free-trade, international migration and multiculturalism, Europeanization and international governance, or all of the above at the same time, new nationalist sovereignty narratives have emerged in places as varied as England and Italy, with one resulting in Brexit, the other in defiance of EU budgetary rules. Catchy mottos such as America First have a direct and deep impact on inclusion and exclusion processes, affecting social cohesion, identities, and power relations. They also guide foreign policy and affect international relations (border disputes, trade agreements), global governance (asylum, climate change) and regional collaborative efforts such as the EU. The Commission on Political Geography of the IGU sponsors a session for papers that analyze and theorize the political geography of this revival of nationalism and sovereignty in Europe and beyond. Papers may focus on domestic political geographies, on international relations or the interaction between populism, identities and geopolitical visions. Case studies, comparative studies and conceptual papers are welcome.

==

Session Title: Neighborhood as a geographical and political concept: the European experience

Session Convenor: Vladimir Kolosov, Institute of Geography of Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: kolosov@igras.ru
 
The term neighbourhood, though a geographic constant, requires further examination and debate. The European Union was one of the first international actors to formulate a neighbourhood policy for implementation across different spatial scales. In diplomacy the concept of neighbourhood (and in particular good neighbourhood) is well established. But it is not related with the understanding of neighbourhood (voisinage in French) by geographers and territorial planners. What does neighbourhood mean? If governments speak about good neighbourhoods, does this mean that there are “bad” neighbourhoods generating risks and threats? Is it a neutral term or has it a stable connotation(s)? What is the relationship between geographical concepts such as neighbourhood, proximity, spatial continuity and contiguity, border and periphery, integration and disintegration? What is the impact of geographical location on neighbourhood?

It is possible to suppose that neighbourhood has different dimensions: topological, functional, institutional, discursive and symbolic. Obviously, it depends on geographical context. Can neighbourhoods be evaluated and, if so, what criteria can be used for this purpose? If a neighbourhood’s characteristics can be changed, can such changes be assigned to spaces and territories? How are neighbourhoods imagined? How are they constructed and modified in political discourse and by historical narratives? How are they impacted by regional integration and cross-border cooperation? What role do different scales play in shaping and interpreting neighbourhood(s)? Naturally, the contiguous political entities do not necessarily share the same interpretation of their neighbourhood. And what are the conditions for co-shaping neighbourhoods and who are setting these shaping parameters? These questions are practically and politically important, especially in the deteriorating geopolitical situation in Europe. It is useful to compare the understanding, the discourse and the practical implementation of the notion of neighbourhood across different parts of Europe. These session seeks papers that address the above themes.

• CFP Eugeo 2019 – The end of endism?

 

• CFP Eugeo 2019 – Borders of Populism

 

https://www.eugeo2019.eu/
 

• 8th Nordic Geographers Meeting

Deadline for abstracts 10 December 2018 (See https://www.ntnu.edu/geography/calls-and-deadlines)

Sustainable Geography – Geographies of Sustainability

The 8th Nordic Geographers Meeting in Trondheim, Norway, June 16 – 19 2019

The term ‘sustainable development’ has become part of our everyday vocabulary, especially after the World Commission on Environment and Development published its report Our Common Future in 1987. As a result of the Commission’s report, the consequences of economic reason for all living systems, was explicitly put on the agenda. Thus, through sustainable development economic growth and long term environmental concerns were configured as compatible and in fact complementary with securing a sustainable common future. While the notions of sustainable development and sustainability have received widespread criticism for being all-encompassing, apolitical and elitist, they are still very much part of the rhetoric ‘weaponry’ mobilized, now often in combination with the terms green economy and green growth, to describe and prescribe why and how to deal with contemporary and future global challenges.
Sustainable Geography – Geographies of Sustainability provide opportunities to engage with ideas of sustainability within geographical scholarship, the politics of sustainability beyond the academy and the shifting discipline of geography itself. At the 8th Nordic Geographers Meeting in Trondheim we ask: What are the emerging challenges across the world and what role should or could the discipline of geography play in addressing and solving them, both within and beyond the academy? What emotions, behaviours, moralities, powers, transformations, hopes, grieves and responsibilities at different scales are implicated in thinking and acting sustainably? To what extent are our conceptual and methodological toolkits attuned to the shifting geographies of sustainability of the world today? Resources are distributed based on historically unmatched levels of inequality. Are we, then, at a point in time where ‘our uncommon future’ is becoming an increasingly apt diagnosis? What alternative agendas and concepts are emerging that challenge or complement sustainability as a problem formulation and agenda for the future?
See for details https://www.ntnu.edu/geography/ngm-2019

• CIGAL, Conférence Internationale de Géographie Anarchiste et Libertaire

Cher.e.s collègues,

Vous trouverez ci-joint un appel à communication pour la 2ème CIGAL, Conférence Internationale de Géographie Anarchiste et Libertaire qui aura lieu du 12 au 16 juin 2019 à Rabastens dans le Tarn (France) sur le thème de le thème “Se réapproprier le territoire, lutter contre les dominations”. Nous vous invitons à diffuser l’information très largement.

Les propositions sont attendues pour le 21 décembre 2018.

Dans l’attente de vos propositions, nous vous souhaitons une belle journée à toutes et à tous.

Le comité scientifique

Barrera Gerónimo, Baudoin Julien, Bénos Rémi, Blot Frédérique, Cantagrel Cécile, Cecillon Martine, Courcelle
Thibault, Diegx, Dietrich Judicaelle, Ferretti Federico, Fossier Gilles, Ince Anthony, Lamarche Karine, Berdjouh
Majid, Maestripieri Nicolas, Malaterre Nathalie, Maraud Simon, Massé Pauline, Matuzesky Guillaume, Minder
Patrick, Palome Manue, Pélenc Jérôme, Pelletier Philippe, Springer Simon, Poirrier Suzie, Tillous Marion,
Tomassi Isabella, White Richard, Zanetti Thomas.
_____________________________________________________________________
Dear colleagues,

You will find attached a call for papers for the 2nd ICALG, International Conference of Anarchist and Libertarian Geography, which will take place from June 12th to 16th, 2019 in Rabastens (Tarn-France) on the theme of “Reclaiming the territory, fight against dominations “. We invite you to spread the information very widely.

The proposals are expected until the 21 December 2018.

Looking forward to your proposals, we wish you a nice day.

The scientific committee
_______________________________________________________________________
Estimado.a.s colegas,

Encontraron adjunta una convocatoria de ponencias para la 2da CIGAL, Conferencia Internacional de Geografía Anarquista y Libertaria, que tendrá lugar del 12 al 16 de junio de 2019 en Rabastens (Tarn-Francia) sobre el tema “Reapropriarse el territorio, lucha contra dominaciones”. Le invitamos a difundir la información muy ampliamente.

Las propuestas estan esperadas hasta el 21 de diciembre de 2018.

Esperando sus propuestas, les deseamos un buen día.

El comité científico

• PGSG Preconference at the AAG 2019

For those planning to attend the AAG Annual Conference in Washington D.C.

Here is the call for the traditional preconference organized but the AAG Political Geography Specialty Group (PGSG):

Please mark your calendars for the Political Geography Specialty Group preconference on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. The event will be hosted by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University. Details are now available on the PGSG website at: http://www.politicalgeography.org/pre-conference/

Abstracts are not due until the end of January (the end of February for posters), but if you want to submit early while you are in an abstract-submitting-mood for the AAG, please do so!

• Security dynamics in Asia, Maghreb and Europe

International conference titled “The impact of rivalry between China, Russia and the United States on security dynamics in Asia, Maghreb and Europe”.

The conference will take place in Krakow, Poland, on November 22-23 (2018) at the Jagiellonian University.

See www.securityconference.pl.

• 2019 Regional Studies Association Annual Conference

The theme of the 2019 Regional Studies Association Annual Conference is „Pushing Regions beyond their border“
https://www.regionalstudies.org/events/pushing-regions-beyond-their-borders/

Deadline Abstract Submission : 28February 2019