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Call for Papers Institute of Australian Geographers Conference, 1st-4th July 2013 University of Western Australia Multi-species politics Organisers: Leah Gibbs (University of Wollongong), Catherine Phillips (University of Wollongong), Andrew Warren (University of New England) 'More-than-human' cultural geographies have flourished in recent years, bringing conceptual and methodological advances, and rich empirical research. This session asks how might we build upon these vital studies to engage practically with publics, policies and politics? A decade has passed since Castree (2002) described the 'deep-seated anthropocentrism' in political and environmental policy work, but today the critique remains relevant. In the context of rapidly changing climate and environments, and economic rationalism that condemns non-human species to demands for growth, we ask what are the implications of environmental and political decisions? As ecosystems, species range, and species behaviour change, humans will necessarily face new conflicts, challenges and opportunities of living with (or without) multiple species. What does this mean for a multi-species politics? This call for papers seeks investigations of productive encounters between more-than-human and political studies. We welcome papers that address any (or all) of the following connected questions: How might we best approach multi-species encounters in terms of politics, political action and policy? How are we currently, and how will we, manage the challenges of living with (and without) particular species? What might a multi-species politics look like? How might we address questions of multi-species politics conceptually? What are the implications of a multi-species politics for research methodology? How does our research change when multiple species – including but not limited to humans – are taken into account? How might it be conducted, written and presented? How do empirical studies illustrate multi-species power relations and/or policy enactments? What are the benefits and limitations of a multi-species approach? What other 'units of analysis' might be productively employed? Please send abstracts of no more than 250 words to Leah Gibbs <[log in to unmask]>, Catherine Phillips <[log in to unmask]> or Andrew Warren <[log in to unmask]> for consideration, by Monday 15th April.