Apologies for any cross-posting

- CALL FOR PAPERS -
Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting, Tampa (Florida),
April 8-12, 2014

“Technologies at the Border: Corporations, States and the Production of
‘Smart’ Borders’”
Session Organizers: Martin GEIGER (Carleton University) and Emily GILBERT
(University of Toronto)

Following 9/11, modern, mostly IT-based technology has become even more
central to new approaches in border management and the regulation of
cross-border mobility. ‘Smart border’ technologies are promoted for
fast-tracking access by ‘trusted’ travellers, while keeping border
controls robust and preventing ‘illegitimate’ and ‘dangerous’ forms of
mobility.
The aim of this session is to address two major knowledge gaps: (1) It is
often assumed that the adoption of technology is exclusively promoted and
governed by dominant states or regional entities, but there is little
empirical knowledge regarding the more complex contextual factors and
dynamics determining how, by whom and why technology is developed,
promoted, and procured for deployment. More information is needed on the
role of corporations that are trying to influence on policy-making and
government procurement with the aim to sell (multi-use) products and
create new, or extend existing markets. (2) Although new technologies may
offer some benefits with regards to border control, there is public
concern over whether and how they are impacting on the lives and liberties
of people as they travel and migrate over borders. More information is
needed on the effectiveness of so-called ‘smart’ technologies in
detecting, avoiding or at least minimizing ‘risks of mobility’, and how
technology is ultimately changing the way border controls and border
guards ‘work’.
This paper session aims to critically evaluate the increasing deployment
of ‘smart’ border technologies by focusing on the corporations developing
and promoting technologies, alongside the activities of government
agencies as well as international agencies (e.g. EU Frontex or the ICAO)
in testing, procuring and deploying new technologies for managing
cross-border flows. We welcome both empirically grounded and
theoretical-conceptual contributions; paper topics might address, but are
not limited to the following questions:
a) The structural economic, political and social contexts determining
technology adoption in cross-border mobility; the emergence and
fortification of new security markets; technological competition; and the
fusion of military security and border control (markets);
(b) Conceptual and theoretical aspects of (‘smart’) border politics and
the use of technologies at the border;
(c) The relevance and specific activities of individual corporations,
government agencies and international bodies in developing, testing,
promoting, procuring and deploying ‘smart’ border technologies;
(d) Empirical insights into how new technologies change the way borders
and border guards ‘work’, the effects on migrants and travellers, their
agency and opportunities for resistance;
(e) Critiques of new border technologies, e.g. privacy rights;
(f) The geographical implications that new technologies (may) have, e.g.
spatial shifting and unpacking of ‘borders’; the new political geography
of smart border management at different sites, in different countries,
regions;
(g) Specific new products/technologies in border and cross-border flow
management, their mechanisms and
effects/implications.

Potential session participants should contact Martin Geiger
([log in to unmask]) by 01 September to indicate their interest in
participating in the session.

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Dr Martin Geiger
Banting Fellow (Government of Canada/SSHRC)
Carleton University, Ottawa
[log in to unmask]
http://www1.carleton.ca/polisci/people/geiger-martin