 |
 |
CFP DOPE2013: Weaponizing Nature
Dimensions of Political Ecology: Conference on Nature/Society
February 28-March 3, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Over its long career in social, political, and scientific thought, the concept of ‘nature’ has been used in any number of ways for any number of means. Militarily, nature has reflected trends in broader ideologies of natures, vacillating between threat and opportunity, enemy to be overcome and ally on which to rely. While these historical ideas about and engagements with nature are well documented and theorized, the contemporary physical environment is changing in unprecedented and unpredictable ways that merit critical attention across a broad spectrum of socio-political phenomena. Militaries around the world are acting on and reacting to these ecological changes, from climate change to fallout (literally and figuratively) from previous rounds of military-induced environmental degradation in diverse, novel, and sometimes contradictory ways. The aims of this session are twofold: first, to interrogate military technologies, techniques, and practices as they relate to changing environments; and, second, to understand how nature is being reconceived and even repurposed for military ends by state-actors, think tanks, or political discourse. The session will attempt to move toward a more synthetic understanding of the ecological futures that are being created by dialectical movements between military practice and material-discursive constitutions of nature.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
Geostrategic implications of artic ice melt
Synthetic biology and military genetics
Legitimation of environmental concerns through military endorsement or action
Military visioning and environmental aspects of scenario planning
Extension of post 9/11 securitization practices into ‘fortress conservation’ or other (non)state-environmental concerns
Ecological refugees and border security practices
Contesting or justifying military sacrifice zones
Repurposing sites of ecological catastrophe for military training or technology testing
Military-industry nexuses and environmental remediation
Non-state militaries engagement with environments
Insurgency, counter-insurgency, and the changing physical environment
Uncertainty in climate projections and contingency in military planning
Military repurposing of environmental buzzwords (such as sustainability or resiliency)
Links between ecological imperialism and military-led imperialism
Contributions to the session(s) may be empirical or theoretical, and may confront either one or both aims of the session. Abstracts should be sent to Patrick Bigger ([log in to unmask]) no later than November 15, 2012. Inquiries or expressions of interest are also welcome.
The third-annual Dimensions of Political-Ecology: Conference on Nature/Society will be held at the University of Kentucky February 28-March 3, 2013. For information on travel, registration, keynotes and other specifics, please see www.politicalecology.org/dope2013.