Apologies for cross-postings



Title



Problematising Poverty: Critical Reflections on Geographies of Child Poverty



Abstract



2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Child Poverty Action Group and the 20th anniversary of the CPAG publication, Off the Map: The Social Geography of Poverty in the UK (Philo, 1995). Much has changed since the publication of the book described by CPAG as “The first book to explore systematically the patchwork geography of poverty in the UK”.  Most notably, following a decade of progress in reducing the number of children living in poverty, the UK Government - with all-party support - introduced the Child Poverty Act 2010, which committed the UK to eradicate child poverty by 2020.  Five years further on, it is clear to all that not only will this goal not be realised, but that child poverty is set to return to higher levels not witnessed for a generation.

The challenge of tackling child poverty is not unique to the UK.     Child poverty is a source of personal and societal concern in rich and underdeveloped nations alike. It is to be found in all world regions and has been conceived as a problem at all geographical scales. Much effort is invested in devising policies, programmes and initiatives to tackle its root causes and ameliorate its impact. However, our current understanding of child poverty should sit uncomfortably with geographers. Child poverty tends to be rationalised in a deterministic and reductionist manner across the political spectrum. On one hand, neoliberal interpretations celebrate the agency and success of the minority of children who prosper regardless of poverty, while on the other, structural interpretations tend to strip children of agency and portray them as ‘victims’ of adult decision-making. For critical scholars of childhood/social justice, there is a need to move beyond the limitations of these dominant positions. This session seeks to critical appraise geographical research on child poverty, which a view to:



·         Inform practice: What can geographers contribute to the work of CPAG and others concerned to tackle child poverty?



·         Inform theory: To what extent do we need to rethink the way in which we conceive of child poverty?



Session Organisation



2 sessions of 100 minutes, each comprising 4 x 20min presentation, plus 20min discussion (although other formats can be considered)



Session Convenor/s



John McKendrick (Glasgow Caledonian University)

Professor Chris Philo (University of Glasgow)



Convenor Email



[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>



Deadline for Submission of Abstracts



Friday 20th February 2015









John H. McKendrick

Glasgow School for Business and Society

Glasgow Caledonian University

Cowcaddens Road

Glasgow

G4 0BA

T: 0141 331 8221

E: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>



http://www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/staff/drjohnhollandmckendrick/

and also

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football_referees.cfm?page=720&startrow=19&currentPage=4



PLEASE NOTE that I work a pattern of condensed hours and I spend my Fridays with Morven, my youngest daughter!



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Some Recent Publications:



Mckendrick, JH et al. (2014) POVERTY IN SCOTLAND 2014: INDEPENDENCE AND BEYOND - http://www.cpag.org.uk/bookshop/policyresearch/poverty-scotland-2014



McKendrick, JH (2014) A ROAD CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO HILLCLIMBING ON SCOTTISH HIGHLAND ROADS - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclists-Guide-Hillclimbs-Scottish-Highland/dp/190702526X



McKendrick, JH (2013) Geographies of Children’s Well Being: In, Of and For and Space. In Ben-Arieh, A., Casas, F. Frones, I. and Korbin, J. (editors) _Handbook of Child Well-Being. Theories, Methods and Policies in Global Perspective_. Volume One. Dorcrecht: Springer. - http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/wellbeing+%26+quality-of-life/book/978-90-481-9062-1



Nansen, B et al. (including McKendrick JH) (2014) Children’s interdependent mobility: compositions, collaborations and compromises. _Children's Geographies_ (forthcoming)



Sinclair, S. and McKendrick, JH (2014) Tackling Child Poverty Locally: Principles, Priorities And Practicalities In Challenging Times. _Scottish Affairs_ (forthcoming)



McKendrick, JH (2013) Education and poverty: moving beyond the comfort of depressingly familiar knowledge. Scottish Education Journal. April, 16-17. - http://www.eis.org.uk/images/sej/mar2013/sej%20april%202013%20web.pdf





Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity, number SC021474