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Annual Association of American Geographers Meeting
Washington, DC, 14-18 April 2010
CALL FOR PAPERS: Fascism: its origins and development
ORGANISERS: Pierpaolo Mudu and Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
ABSTRACT:
Although briefly discussed or mentioned in some published works, fascism
rarely appears in the agenda of geographers' studies. Such little
attention compared to other issues has resulted in a lack of systematic
analysis and explanation for what has been arguably one of the most
influential historical processes. Existing studies tend to treat fascism
as a historical and geographical singularity, with hardly any
comparative approach. Worse, some proffer ill-defined notions of fascism
and sometimes outright facile analogies, especially with respect to
recent forms of nationalism, or, more egregiously, to sovietism. The aim
of this session is to stimulate the beginnings of a more thorough
geographical study and critical appraisal of the origins and development
of fascism. Several perspectives can be applied already to this end. One
way of approaching a study of fascism is to consider it historically as
part of a past that still needs to be grasped and explained. Another way
of understanding fascism can be relative to specific processes of
convergence within capitalist power relations. These two perspectives
are not necessarily mutually exclusive and there are certainly more that
could be developed and applied.
We ask interested scholars to consider a first set of questions:
� How much do we know about the origins of fascism?
� What were the conditions that supported the rise and longevity of the
fascist regime?
� How do fascist practice and ideology inter-relate? How does fascist
ideology become predominant?
� Are there features of fascism that are intrinsic to it, such as
heterosexism, colonialism, racism? If so, how and why?
� Did fascism end with World War II? Was it limited to one or a few
countries? Why or why not?
� Is fascism part of the past or does it represent a dangerous
revitalised label and/or movement? How so?
� What is neo-fascism and how is it connected to past fascism?
The objectives are to examine and critically investigate the spaces,
politics, and practices of fascism. We welcome theoretical and/or
empirical analyses of fascist theory, ideology, and practice.
Possible paper topics might include but are not limited to:
- Spatiality of fascism
- Sexism, racism, and colonialism
- Nationalism and militarism
- Media control and how achieved
- Crime and order policies
- Italian fascism as singularity or fascisms as multiple occurrences in
different places and times
- The relationship between Italian and other coeval fascisms or
analogues to fascism
- Fascism and state theory
- Militant anti-fascist research praxis
- Fascism and Capitalism
- Fascism and environmental practices, landscapes, ideologies of nature,
etc.
- Neo-Fascism and Neo-liberalism
In addition, we are also interested in organising a panel discussion to
be held after the paper session(s).
If interested, submit a paper title with an abstract of not more than
250 words, along with your registration number, by* Thursday 15 October*
to Pierpaolo Mudu ([log in to unmask]) and Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
([log in to unmask]).
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Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
Department of Geography
Hanmer House 11, SUNY New Paltz
New Paltz, NY 12561
Tel:(845)257-2991, Fax:(845)257-2992
Email: [log in to unmask]
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Nathan L. Clough
Ph.D. candidate
Dept. of Geography
The University of Minnesota
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