Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
Washington, DC
14-18 April, 2010
Session Title: ?Critical Geographies of Outer Space?
Organizer: Jason Beery, University of Manchester
Abstract Submission Deadline: 21 October 2009
Despite the prominence of outer space in our daily lives in the form
of satellite communications, weather forecasting, global navigation
systems, remote sensing, and military surveillance and weapons
guidance, critical geographical research into outer space has been
largely absent. In the past few years, however, is an emerging body of
literature addressing how terrestrial geographies of power operate
(and maintain themselves) through each of these activities. Indeed,
each activity has required the mobilization of vast amounts of
monetary, ecological, and human resources to achieve particular ends.
These outer space activities, through their production or purpose have
incorporated our bodies ? willingly or unwillingly, in different and
highly uneven ways ? to the terrestrial exercise of power.
Following MacDonald?s (2007) call for research on critical geographies
of outer space and the successful ?Vertical Spatialities? session at
the 2009 RGS-IBG Conference in Manchester, this session provides an
opportunity for researchers from all disciplines to explore further
and discuss emerging critical research on outer space. Contributions
are invited on any dimension of space activity, including rocketry,
space stations past and present, satellite communications and
navigation systems, remote sensing, military surveillance, and
astronauts, among others. These aspects need not be approached solely
from a critical geopolitical perspective, but rather would benefit
from engagement with economic geography, political economy, feminist
geography, legal geography, cultural geography, historical geography
or any other relevant approach. Through this session, we will further
develop the discussion on critical geographies of outer space and
start to understand the multiple ways in which terrestrial regimes of
power operate through and in this ?extraterrestrial? space.
Abstracts of 250 words (maximum) should be submitted to Jason Beery
([log in to unmask]) by 21 October.
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