Hi,
We've had a good response to earlier calls for this session and are now looking
for just one more paper (preferably, but not necessarily, on some aspect of
Indigenism, anarchism and place). Submissions and questions can be directed
to Adam Barker at [log in to unmask]
Call for papers:
Anarchist geographies: Place, identity and participatory approaches
Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers Annual
International Conference: 1st-3rd September 2010, London.
Session co-sponsored by the Participatory Geographies Research Group.
Session convenors: Adam Barker, Jenny Pickerill and Gavin Brown (all
University of Leicester, UK)
Anarchist theory has had much to say about the importance of place,
especially in critiques of how territory is claimed by power - whether the state
or corporate interests - but also in proposing different ways of relating to
land. Such theory needs to be engaged with by geographers not only in
enhancing our understanding of place and identity, but in supporting social
justice activism which seeks to challenge these power relations. Ecologically-
based concepts such as bioregionalism and examinations of place-based
autonomy have brought diverse groups together in discussions of how land is
related to and used to sustain non-hierarchical more participatory social
forms. However, anarchist theory has not included much commentary on how
place relates to political, social, and cultural identities. This session seeks to
engage with the various ways - contested, overlapping, and often incomplete -
that place informs identities, both for anarchist individuals and communities,
and for groups that anarchists may find themselves working with (or against).
As anarchists in practice seek to work within localized networks of activists in
the anti-globalization movement, or in partnership with Indigenous peoples and
communities, anarchists must consider the full range of implications for the
development of senses of self and 'other', production of cultural and social
meaning, and formation of political identities tied to place. Such an approach
also asks geographers to develop a more participatory approach in
understanding how place is understood and the construction of place and
identities through the processes of activism.
This session seeks to consider (but should not be limited by) the following
questions:
* How are variations within anarchistic identities tied to locality and place-
specific struggles?
* What are the implications for international solidarity, geographically-
dispersed affinity, and other networking concepts that must account for place-
based identities?
* Do ties to localized identities strengthen or weaken opposition to
globalizing power?
* Can experiences on, in, and with, specific places be used to help form
particular anarchistic identities?
* What challenges are posed by identities such as those of some
Indigenous communities which are place-based but also claim particular and
inaccessible relations to places?
* What do the ethics that inform participatory approaches add to
understandings of anarchist geographies?
Key words: anarchism, place, identity, Indigenous and participatory approaches
Please send abstracts of not more than 250 words to Adam Barker at
[log in to unmask], by 20th January 2010
|