Apologies for cross-posting
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Andrew Jones
School of Geography
Birkbeck College
University of London
Malet Street
LONDON WC1E 7HX
tel. +44 (0)207 631 6471
fax. +44 (0)207 631 6498
email: [log in to unmask]
web: www.bbk.ac.uk/geog
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AAG2006 CALL FOR PAPERS
Relationality and the Space Economy
Chicago, 7th-11th March 2006
http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/Chicago2006/call_4_papers.cfm
Organisers:
Andrew Jones, School of Geography, Birkbeck College, University of London,
UK
Henry Wai-Chung Yeung, Department of Geography, National University of
Singapore, Sinagapore
The concept of relationality has become increasingly important in economic
geographical theories of economic activity. Relational theories of
economic activity span the literature on major themes within the sub-
discipline including business networks, regional economies, economic
globalization, global production networks and transnational firms.
Relationality appears to be quickly becoming a major paradigm across
economic geography and one that is drawing in more researchers (Yeung
2005). Yet it also remains an approach which is ill-defined and contested.
The so-called ‘relational turn’ has emerged from a diverse literature
across the social sciences, both within and beyond geography, that has
resulted in inconsistent and even contradictory usage. Whilst many using
the concept of relationality have made use of a poststructuralist
theoretical tradition and actor-network theory, others have been grounded
in very different such as the social relations of production (SRP)
approach. Relational approaches to economic geography therefore
incorporate unresolved conceptual and theoretical problems that
increasingly require attention.
Furthermore, as relational theorization has developed, there has been a
growing concern about both its explanatory capacity with respect to the
key research questions that concern economic geography: namely, economic
competitiveness, the significance of the spatial form of the economy and
power and agency in the global economy.
This session therefore seeks to critically assess these issues and assess
to what extent relationality does provide a useful basis for understanding
and explaining the nature of the space economy. It is envisaged that
papers might address one or more of the following thematic areas through
theoretical and / or empirical contributions:
Theorising Relationality
· theoretical understanding of relationality including the contrast
between approaches concerned with relational assets in regional
development, relational embeddedness and relational scales;
· how (and whether) power and agency can be adequately theorized in a
relational framework; how theorizations of social practice are best
integrated into a relational framework;
· the benefits / disadvantages of different approaches to relationality;
· the epistemological and philosophical underpinnings of relational
theories;
Applying a Relational Approach to Research
· empirical research using a relational approach: differences between
industries, regions and small / large firms; understanding the development
of global production networks;
· understanding economic competitiveness through a relational approach;
the relationship to theories of embeddedness;
· measuring relationality; the weaknesses and strengths of current methods
effective; qualitative and quantitative approach to measuring
relationality;
· problems in researching relationality; developing new techniques and
multi-method approaches.
Relationality and Space
· how relational economic theory can be spatailised;
· topological versus topographical theories of economic activity;
· conceptualising scale in a relational framework.
These more specific areas are given as a guide only and enquiries from
potential presenters who think that their paper would fit with the overall
themes of the session would be welcome.
The AAG website <http://www.aag.org> provides more information about the
annual meeting. Accepted papers will need to be registered online (paper
title and short abstract of no more than 250 words and with 3 keywords).
If interested in participating, please send abstracts (of not more than
250 words) for possible inclusion in this session to Andrew Jones at
[log in to unmask] by 5 October 2005.
Please forward to those who may be interested in participating.
Abstract instructions:
http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/Chicago2006/abstract.cfm
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