THE 5TH CONFERENCE OF THE CHINESE IN AFRICA/AFRICANS IN CHINA RESEARCH NETWORK
The 5th Conference of the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network will be held in Brussels 28-30 June 2018. The call for papers is out, deadline 1 December.
https://lamc.ulb.ac.be/IMG/pdf/CAAC_2018_CHINA-AFRICA_CFP-2.pdf
I would especially like to direct your attention to a panel convened by Giles Mohan:
**China’s internationalisation and new forms of territorialisation**
The panel is focused on the question of what new forms of territory are emerging to drive the next phase of China’s interdependent development? In understanding new forms of territorialisation we can focus on a range of political, economic and social processes which reconfigure spatial relations. Much of the analysis of China-Africa relations has focused on inter-national processes under the heading of ‘South-South cooperation’; that is deals between recognized state entities. While we should not underplay these important forms of geo-political relationships, contemporary China-Africa relations are unfolding in much more spatially complex ways which we seek to explore in this panel. These might include:
• Dispossession (which are spaces of exclusion) and enclosure (which are spaces of inclusion, but only for some) - SEZs, mineral concessions, dams, Special Purpose Vehicles
• Supra-national territorialisation – OBOR, infrastructure corridors in East Africa, various economic unions
These forms of territorialisation operate at scales above and below the national level but also cross-cut and integrate these scales in diverse ways. These are novel forms of territorialisation that are not simply political entities, because they deeply engage private actors. As such these new political spaces are not just geopolitical but geoeconomic, and we see rivalry between China, US, Europe etc for different versions of these spaces. So there may be some interdependence within these territories but competition between actors for control of them.
Papers submitted to this panel should be sent both to the conference organizers (following the instructions on the cfp above) and to [log in to unmask]
There may be a small number of travel bursaries available to cover the expenses of participants based in Africa or Asia (depends on our funding situation). If your participation is contingent on financial support, please indicate this when you apply.
Regards,
Heidi Østbø Haugen, PhD
Department of Sociology and Human Geography
University of Oslo
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