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2nd CFP Negotiating strange encounters: Conceptualising conversations across difference
Organisers: Catherine Harris and Lucy Jackson (University of Sheffield)
Session sponsored by Participatory Geographies Research Group (PyGyRG) and the Political Geographies Research Group (PolGRG)
In this session, we hope to rethink the politics of encounter and ideas of ‘the stranger’ (Allen 2004). In 2008, Valentine et al argued that “the twin forces of the global economy and global conflicts have accelerated patterns of transnational migration at the beginning of the 21st century, raising questions about how this mobility might shape migrants’ sense of belonging, and their integration into the societies in which they settle” (2009; 234). Whilst this work positions migrants as the central focus, the ideas put forward call upon us to address issues of not only who belongs but how, and to where. This builds on theories put forth by Cresswell (1996) around who or what belongs in place, as both in place and out of place. Further to this, Valentine et al (2008) highlight that the way in which the ‘site’ of encounter is important to how we contextualise both identities and belonging. These ideas link to the wider socio-political position of the UK, whereby living with, and negotiating, difference has become a key political (and social) aspiration, and one which seeks to transgress social and political spaces through its implementation. Here, we see ideas such as ‘Big Society’ (Cameron 2010), and ‘community cohesion (Cantle 2009) play out in and through space. These ideas have become prevalent, and it is through such concepts that who, or what, can be considered a ‘stranger’ are challenged. These ideas might also be linked to the politics of representation of groups of ‘strangers’ (Crawley and Crimes 2009; Crawley 2009). Therefore, we call for a further investigation into ‘who’ is considered a stranger (through concepts of identity) and ‘how’ these encounters are considered strange (through actions, interactions and performances). We also seek to consider the ‘site’ of such encounters, calling upon notions of scale to re-imagine the arenas through which these take place. The identity of the stranger, as performed and practiced must be considered as both in and out of place in distinct and different ways. Through such practices, we consider how ‘the stranger’ might be negotiated, where, and by whom and the wider socio-political implications of such thought; for example, how understanding ‘the stranger’ and strange encounters could help to eliminate conflict.
We invite papers that address these central questions:-
- Who is a ‘stranger’ (identification)?
- How do strange encounters occur (Performance)?
- Where do strange encounters take place (the site)?
- What are the scalar implications of strange encounters (thinking through concepts of neighbourhood, community and the ‘public’)?
We also invite methodological and practical insights into encounters with ‘strangers’ to help address issues of conducting research.
Please submit abstracts of no more than 250 words to Catherine Harris ([log in to unmask]) and Lucy Jackson ([log in to unmask]) by the 18th January.
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