**Apologies for cross-posting**

Call for Papers: Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, April 17-21 2007.

"From Inequality to Difference: Exploring connections in changing spaces of post-socialism"

Session Organisers: Megan Dixon (University of Oregon, USA), Sergei Shubin (University of Aberdeen, UK)

Sponsored by: Russian, Central Eurasian and East European Speciality Group of the AAG

The processes differentiating multiple spaces in post-socialist countries have become a central theme in social studies since the transition began in late 1980s. Numerous analyses have sought to understand local socioeconomic changes within the context of changing political, social, economic and cultural environments, and the subsequent transformation of people's lives. However, influenced by changing networked vision of space (Massey, 1991; Castells, 1996; Murdoch, 2000) and resource networking (especially in the form of social capital, for an overview see Anderson and Bell, 2003), the focus of works on difference in transition countries has shifted towards network analyses of the flows of materials and meanings which reproduce potentially problematic sociality of life in spaces of post-socialism.

The main concerns of this session are connections between different actors embedded in social contexts in the post-socialist countries, different forms of associations between local people, and ways in which specific forms of interrelations frame *experiences* of marginalisation and difference.

This session welcomes papers which attempt to further interconnect the material, social and cultural aspects of difference and disadvantage in post-socialist countries.

Some possible areas:

-Identity, social capital and difference
-Cultural transformation and cultural competence
-Development from networks: dealing with social change
-Informal networks and disadvantage
-Re-articulating difference: emerging subterranean spaces

Please send titles and abstracts up to 200 words and your contact details to Sergei Shubin [log in to unmask] and Megan Dixon [log in to unmask] by 9th October 2006.
Abstracts should be in accordance with AAG guidelines. For AAG abstract specifications, see http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/SF2007/call4papers.cfm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Sergei Shubin
Department of Geography & Environment   off. +44 (1224) 273691
University of Aberdeen                  [log in to unmask]
Elphinstone Road                        fax +44 (1224) 272331
Aberdeen AB24 3UF, UK