Apologies for cross posting.

 

Second Call for Papers: RGS-IBG Annual Conference, 26 – 28 August 2009, Manchester

 

Geographies of expertise and experts

Sponsored by the Economic Geography Research Group

 

 

Organisers:

James Faulconbridge, Department of Geography, Lancaster University

Sarah Hall, School of Geography, University of Nottingham

 

Framed by the power of ‘knowledge based economy’ discourses, governments, firms and organizations have identified ‘knowledge’ creation, circulation and exploitation as important sources of economic growth, resilience and competitiveness for some time.  Such discourses are underpinned by a belief that society and in particular the economy needs certain forms of expertise and highly-skilled, ‘talented’ professionals and citizens in order to manage issues as diverse as the challenge of adapting to climate change through to innovation in bio-technology.  Recently, political and corporate interest has centred on the role of research, education and training in (re)producing such a workforce and the ways in which such activities legitimate particular forms of knowledge and expertise. 

 

There has been a growing body of academic research that scrutinises the nature of expertise and the range of actors involved in (re)producing and legitimating particular forms of expertise that are of value in business and society more widely.  For example, in geography, Thrift (2005) has explored how business schools together with management consultants and business gurus circulate and legitimate particular forms of expertise in what he terms ‘soft capitalism’. Meanwhile, in management studies, significant debates have emerged concerning the possible future trajectories of MBA degrees and business schools.  However, relatively little attention has been paid to the diverse geographies and spatialities involved in the (re)production and circulation of expertise.  For instance, how are particular forms of expertise tailored to particular geographical settings?  Moreover, why is geographical sensitivity important for the effectiveness of experts and bodies of expert knowledge? The aim of this session is, therefore, to connect work on the (re)production of expertise with geographical studies of knowledge.  In so doing, we hope that the sessions will contribute to a more geographical sensitive understanding of the role of actors in (re)producing expertise and the implications of their actions.

Specific topics might include, but are by no means limited to:

 

·         Theoretical approaches to spatial accounts of the (re)production of expertise and experts (such as approaches using work on the varieties of capitalism, relational and practice based approaches and communities of practice).

·         The way experts and expertise move across space and the effects of geographical heterogeneity on them.

·         The geographically varied ways in which particular forms of expertise are legitimated by actors such as gurus, consultants, professional associations etc.

 

·         The methodological and political implications of foregrounding questions of space and place in studies of the (re)production of expertise and the work of experts.

 

·         The way institutions and organisations produce and circulate expertise and geographical influences on this.

 

·         The relationship between vernacular knowledges and more formally legitimated expertise

 

 

If you are interested in participating in this session please send an abstract of your paper to James Faulconbridge ([log in to unmask]) and Sarah Hall ([log in to unmask]) by 23^rd January 2009.

 

 

 

SSRN page: http://ssrn.com/author=546230