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FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PARTICIPATION Inaugural International Conference in Critical Geography Vancouvr, BC, Canada. August 10-13, 1997. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This is the inaugural international conference of critical geographers. In Scandinavia and elsewhere critical geographers already meet regularly and more and more geographers throughout the world attend conferences outside their own domains. The aim of this conference is to further these international linkages and to explore recent theoretically informed scholarship in critical/radical geographyin a convivial and innovative format. We aim to offer the following: SIZE: A relatively focused group will provide more opportunities for sustained intellectual and social exchange. COST: We estimate that the conference will cost about $Can100 for students, $Can125 for faculty. FORMAT: Rather than the traditional 15/20 minute paper presentations, we aim to provide flexible and varied formats. Brief paper presentations could be combined with longer workshop discussions, reading circles, and informal gatherings for the exchange of ideas, some of which could be initiated prior to the start of the conference. GRADUATE STUDENTS: Graduate students are directly involved in the planning of the conference. We will do all we can to ensure that conference costs, including accommodation, are kept to a minimum. We also aim to provide a supportive yet exacting forum for the work of new scholars. NON-ACADEMIC ACTIVISTS: We are exploring ways in which community activists, either local or beyond, can be involved in these discussions in a way that is non-hierarchial and inclusive. THEMES: The themes of the conference are up for discussion. One suggestion is for the themes to emerge from submitted papers and ideas of participants (and possibly to devolve the job of organizing to related groups of participants). Or a single theme might run through a sequence of events taking different forms (workshops, plenaries, papers, field trips etc.). Please send suggestions of themes and organizational strategies. LOCALITY: We will try to provide some real connections to the locality within which the conference is held. These might include financial, political and intellectual connections. We will try to arrange creative field trips that avoid the voyeuristic and to use local issues as a springboard for broader discussions and comparisons. CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS: A committee drawn from faculty and graduate students at University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University will play the leading organizing role. Contacts: Nick Blomley ([log in to unmask]) Geraldine Pratt ([log in to unmask]) Nadine Schuurman ([log in to unmask]) Jeff Sommers ([log in to unmask]) Margaret Walton ([log in to unmask]) (The latter three contacts are graduate students whos probably should not be swamped with enquiries.) National Contacts (beyond Canada) include: US: Neil Smith ([log in to unmask]) UK: Steve Pile ([log in to unmask]) Australia: Jane Jacobs (jane [log in to unmask]) We are currently looking for people willing to be contacts from outside these areas. MAILING LIST: We want to have the conference widely advertised throughout the world in order to attract a diverse group of geographers. Neil Smith is coordinating initial publicity. Please direct e-mail and paper addresses of other possible participants to him so that they can be included in a comprehensive mailing (electronic and paper) list. We especially need the names and addresses of possible participants beyond the English-speaking world. WHAT NOW? To get a sense of conference size, we are asking for PREREGISTRATION FEES $Can20 Faculty $Can10 Non-faculty Deadline: SEPTEMBER 1 1996. This pregistration fee will be applied to the registration fee. Cheques should be made out to IICCG (Inaugural International Conference of Critical Geography) and should be sent to: IICCG, Geography Department, University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2. ACCOMODATION: Hotels in Vancouver are expensive and need to be booked well in advance. UBC Conference Housing will be available. The following are 1996 prices before tax: suites (3-4 people): $Can105 double suites $Can90 single w/ bath $Can60 single (shared bath & kitchenette) $Can35 When you send the preregistration fee, please indicate whether you wish to stay in UBC conference housing and a preference. These preferences do not in any way commit you but allow us to assess overal needs. ORGANIZE! What we need now are initial statements of interest for papers and especially sessions, and other conference events. We also need to expoand our international mailing list. A more formalised call will be made on the basis of response. See you in Vancouver, August 10-13, 1997. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%