Call for Panelists/Papers: Geographic Visions for Alternative Futures
Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers
San Francisco, April 2007
Human geographers, like other social scientists, are skilled at critiquing
the injustices of the global capitalist political economy. Historically we
seem to be less adept at (or perhaps less interested in?) generating or
elaborating upon concrete visions for a better world. Geographers, through
our focus on the spatiality of social relations, should have much to say
not only about the ways in which the spatial strategies of neoliberalism
can be contested, but also about new ways of connecting peoples globally to
support the maximization of not profit but rather human well-being. This
panel session will bring together activists from the San Francisco Bay Area
and geographers to explore visions of a more just society, from the local
to the global. Is there a special role for geographers and geographic
thinking in envisioning and creating alternative futures? What are the
principles upon which more just societies can be founded? What are some
real-world examples of current efforts to create a better world? What do
the terms "justice" and "liberation" mean from a global, multicultural
perspective? These questions and others will be explored by the panelists
and the members of the audience with the aim of clarifying what opponents
of the current global regime might present as fruitful alternatives to the
"race to the bottom".
If there is sufficient interest, at least one paper session could be added
in addition to the panel(s). Those interested in participating should
contact:
Dave Jansson ([log in to unmask])
Vassar College
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