CFP: Emotions and politics 2: Activism and emotional sustainability

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2007
'Sustainability and Quality of Life'
28th - 31st August 2007, at the Royal Geographical Society with IBG,
London.

Convenors: Gavin Brown and Jenny Pickerill

Sponsored by: the Participatory Geographies Working Group and the 
Space, Sexualities and Queer Working Group

Recent years have seen an expanded interest within Geography in the 
spatiality of emotions (Davidson, Bondi and Smith 2005) and affect 
(Thrift 2004); as well as the spaces of activism, protest and 
resistance (Routledge 2003; Featherstone 2003; and Anderson 2004).  
Outside Geography, various scholars have begun to consider the emotions
that inspire and sustain activism, and that are provoked by it (Godwin,
Jasper and Polleta 2001; Cvetkovich 2003; Flam and King 2005).  This 
session seeks to draw together recent geographic scholarship on 
emotions, affect and activism to consider how they might productively 
inform each other.  It seeks to offer a spatial and geographic 
perspective to other social scientific enquiries into the connections 
between emotions and social movement activism.  

Although a recognition of the importance of emotions to the sustenance 
of political organizing has long been advocated by feminists, too often
activists, the academics who study and work with them and 
activist-academics treat this as (at best) a secondary issue that is of
less important than the more clearly 'political' objectives of activist
campaigns.  

Papers might consider (but should not be limited by) the following 
questions:
*	What emotions inspire different forms of political and social 
movement activism?
*	What emotional responses deter individual's involvement in 
activism?
*	What emotions arise in the spaces of political organizing and 
protest?
*	What spaces and practices are necessary to sustain individual 
and collective resistance in the long-term?
*	What and where are the spaces where activists can help those 
who have sustained trauma in the course of their activism?
*	How does an attention to emotions and affect shape and change 
what we understand as 'politics'?
*	How do the spaces in which protest and other activist practices
take place shape the emotional and affective engagements of 
participants?
*	How does the physical appearance and layout of meeting rooms, 
convergence spaces and social centres foster or curtail a range of 
emotions?
*	What spaces of activism can be opened up by a closer attention 
to emotions?
*	What gaps are left in activist networks when individuals 'burn 
out'?

This session is organized in conjunction with the session "Emotions and
politics 1: The importance of place."  Papers may be cross-referred by 
the organisers of these sessions if we believe papers who fit better 
into a related session.

Abstracts of not more than 200 words should be submitted to 
[log in to unmask] and [log in to unmask] by 31st January 2007.

Thanks
Jenny and Gavin
------------------------------- 
Dr Jenny Pickerill 
Lecturer in Human Geography 

Department of Geography 
University of Leicester 
University Road 
Leicester 
LE1 7RH 
UK

work: +44 (0)116 252 3836
fax: +44 (0)116 252 3854
email: [log in to unmask] 
web: www.jennypickerill.info
Anti-war activism project: www.antiwarresearch.info
Autonomous Geographies project: www.autonomousgeographies.org
Lammas low impact settlement project: www.lammas.org.uk
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