CALL FOR PAPERS RGS-IBG 2008: GEOGRAPHY MATTERS....BUT DOES GEOGRAPHY?

CALL FOR PAPERS RGS-IBG 2008: GEOGRAPHY MATTERS....BUT DOES GEOGRAPHY?

Session organisers: Heaven Crawley (Swansea University), Peter Hopkins
(Newcastle University), Larch Maxey (Swansea University)

Session sponsor: Participatory Geographies Working Group

Session abstract:

The relationship between the social and the spatial – between social
processes on the one hand and the fact and form of their spatial
organisation on the other – clearly matters (Massey 1984). Perhaps less
clear is the extent to which Geography as a discipline, and the
geographical practices undertaken by academic geographers, matters to the
world that it seeks to describe and explain.

The relevance or otherwise of Geography has been the subject of ongoing,
and sometimes heated, debate within the discipline (Imrie 2004; Beaumont,
Loopmans and Uitermark 2005; Mountz and Walton-Roberts 2006). These
discussions suggest that the issue of what makes geographical research,
teaching and publication relevant cannot be separated from the questions
of why research, for example, should be relevant, how research becomes
relevant, the goals of research, and for whom it is intended to be
relevant (Staeheli and Mitchell 2005). They also suggest that whilst
relevance can be direct and intended, a commitment to relevant research
requires a long-term view and an appreciation for the indirect pathways of
relevance. This means much more than simply promoting Geography as a
discipline; it also requires geographers to grapple more frequently with
multi-scale questions, including the big questions of our time, foster
more in-depth understanding of different geographies, enhance interactions
between discrete parts of the discipline and with other disciplines, and
make explicit the implications of geographical work for the discussions
that are shaping public, political and intellectual agendas (Alexander
2006).

This session will explore the relevance of Geography to the making of
public policy and to broader public and political discourses. It will also
explore the extent to which an emphasis on the distinctiveness of
Geography as a discipline (a trend which has arguably been exacerbated by
the RAE process) is helpful in the production of policy-relevant research.
And it will consider the extent to which participatory approaches to
Geography – with their origins in grassroots activism and social
movements – are able to affect social change and empowerment by giving a
voice to those who are most marginalised from policy and decision making
processes.


Call for papers:

Contributors to this session are invited to submit papers which explore
the relevance of Geography and of geographical research to policy making
and to broader processes of social and political change. Papers that
directly address the following questions will be particularly welcomed:

* Do the methodological and philosophical approaches that we adopt
influence the extent to which our research, teaching and dissemination
matters to the people and processes with which we engage? Do participatory
approaches to research, for example, provide a mechanism for affecting
social change regardless of the ‘policy relevance’ of research?

* Which geographical practices matter? Why and to whom? Does a concern for
relevance include research, teaching and dissemination? Should it? Are
there other practices which constitute ‘Geography’ beyond this triad?

* Is it helpful to emphasise the relevance of Geography as a discipline
when engaging with policy makers, practitioners and others interested in
what we have to say? Are interdisciplinary approaches more useful in
describing and explaining complex social issues and processes? Does the
potential relevance of Geography lie in its role as an ‘inter-disciplinary
pivot’ (Fulong 2002)?

* Given the complex relationship between research evidence and policy
formation, how do we ensure that the research we do is most able to affect
change? In what ways is it important that the research we do is
politically as well as policy relevant?

Session format:

We are keen to encourage audience participation in the themes of this
session and to use it as a springboard from which to increase the
relevance of Geography. Therefore the session will consist of three x 20
minute papers with ample time for questions and discussion. If a
sufficient number of proposed papers are submitted then it may be
necessary for two 1 hr 40 minute sessions to be set aside for this topic.
The papers will be themed and contributors will be asked to engage
directly with the content of other papers in the session where
appropriate. The session(s) will be chaired by the session organisers.

Abstracts (max. 200 words) should be sent to h.crawley@swansea.ac.uk,
l.maxey@swansea.ac.uk and Peter.Hopkins@newcastle.ac.uk by 11th February
2008. All those submitting abstracts will be informed of the outcome of
the process by 18th February.

If you would like to discuss the aims, objectives and format of the
session before submitting your abstract please contact Heaven Crawley on
01792 602409 or email h.crawley@swansea.ac.uk

JRF Viewpoint: Is poverty in the UK a denial of people's human rights?

** Just published on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website:

* Is poverty in the UK a denial of people's human rights?
Failure to incorporate the principles of the UN Convention on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights into UK law has compounded
social attitudes that denigrate people who experience poverty and
undermine popular support for eradicating poverty, argues Damian
Killeen.
- http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/2183.asp

Free access to famous Wiley-Blackwell geography journal articles

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE: Read popular and cited articles from Wiley-Blackwell's geography journal collection

For free online access to some of the most widely read and cited articles in geography from each of our geography journals in 2007, click on the links below.

====================================================

Antipode
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAjJJrFjGDfwQaFa

New Globalism, New Urbanism: Gentrification as Global Urban Strategy
by Neil Smith
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAk8XMB7v0wHAtrX

A Day Without Immigrants: The Racial and Class Politics of Immigrant Exclusion
by Laura Pulido
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAkyc7wVjnNSkMeK

--------========--------

Area
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAkXqssJ7L53551x

Ethical Issues in Water Use and Sustainability
by Adrian Armstrong
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAlmENowW8mdPnOk

Thinking Across the Divide: Perspectives on the Conversations Between Physical and Human Geography
by Stephan Harrison, Doreen Massey, Keith Richards, Francis J Magilligan, Nigel Thrift and Barbara Bender
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAlLT8kkKvDozGB7

--------========--------

Asia Pacific Viewpoint
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Place, Memory and Identity: Imagining 'New Asia'
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The Working and Living Space of the 'Floating Population' in China
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--------========--------

Bulletin of Latin American Research

The Abortion Debate in Mexico: Realities and Stalled Policy Reform
by Andrzej Kulczycki
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAnO2OZlOo1gjcx4

Competitive Global Fruit Export Markets: Marketing Intermediaries and Impacts on Small-Scale Growers in Chile
by Warwick E. Murray
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAodh9V9CLir3vjR

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The Canadian Geographer
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAoCvuQXr8zBNO6E

Transnational Geographies: Indian Immigration to Canada
by Margaret Walton-Roberts
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAp1JPMLfvQMy6Tr

Feminist Geography, the 'Everyday', and Local-Global Relations: Hidden Spaces of Place-Making
by Isabel Dyck
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JApqYaIz3T7XipGe

--------========--------

Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JApQcvEmSgp82It1

Global Heat Budget, Plate Tectonics and Climatic Change
by Stuart A. Harris
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAqfqQAaGDGiN1fO

Evidence for Late-Glacial Ice Dammed Lakes in the Central Strait of Magellan and Bahía Inútil, Southernmost South America
by R.D. McCulloch, M J. Bentley, R.M. Tipping and C.M. Clapperton
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAqEFbvYv0Xtxk2B

--------========--------

Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JArt7RnA7LvP1VCb

The Black Flag: Guantánamo Bay and the Space of Exception
by Derek Gregory
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JArSmcjnW8MZMeoY

Money Flows Like Mercury: The Geography of Global Finance
by Gordon L. Clark
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAshAxfbKw4awxbL

--------========--------

Geographical Analysis
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAsGOSaZyTllgPYy

GeoDa: An Introduction to Spatial Data Analysis
by Luc Anselin, Ibnu Syabri, and Youngihn Kho
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAt63d6NngCw18Ll

A Measurement Theory for Time Geography
by Harvey J. Miller
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAtvhy2BbDTGLry8

--------========--------

Geography Compass
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAtUvSYp01aRvKkV

The Current Debate on the Linkage Between Global Warming and Hurricanes
by J. Marshall Shepherd and Thomas Knutson
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAujKdUcOos2g37I

Redrawing the Map of Europe: Spatial Formation of the EU's Eastern Dimension
by Sami Moisio
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAuIYyQ0CLJd0lUv

--------========--------

The Geographical Journal
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAv8cTLOr90nKEHi

Contradictory Socio-Economic Consequences of Structural Adjustment in Kingston, Jamaica
by Colin Clarke and David Howard
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAvWFzDq3TyJfggS

A Geographical Perspective on Poverty–Environment Interactions
by Leslie C. Gray and William G Moseley
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAwlTUzdSgPTZz3F

--------========--------

Geographical Research
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAwL8fv1GE74JRQs

Valuing the Arts: Theorising and Realising Cultural Capital in an Australian City
by Louise Johnson
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Geography's Emerging Cross-Disciplinary Links: Process, Causes, Outcomes and Challenges
by J. H. Holmes
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAxzAVmDjoFqetq2

--------========--------

Global Networks
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAxYPgir7LWAYMcP

The Blessings and Burdens of Communication: Cell Phones in Jamaican Transnational Social Fields
by Heather A. Horst
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAyo3BeeW9dLJ4ZC

The Cliquishness of World Cities
by Ben Derudder and Peter Taylor
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAyNhWa2KwuWtnMp

--------========--------

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
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Struggling With the Creative Class
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http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAzBKC1Enh3hXZlZ

Globalization from Below: The Ranking of Global Immigrant Cities
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--------========--------

Journal of Regional Science
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The Association Between Urban Sprawl and Obesity: Is It A Two-Way Street?
by Andrew J. Plantinga and Stephanie Bernell
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Duopoly Prices Under Congested Access
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--------========--------

New Zealand Geographer
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Recent Changes to Conservation of New Zealand's Native Biodiversity
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Making New Zealanders Through Commemoration: Assembling Anzac Day in Auckland, 1916-1939
by Matthew Henry
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--------========--------

Papers in Regional Science
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Agglomeration, Economic Geography and Regional Growth
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A Retrospective on Beckmann, McGuire and Winsten's Studies in the Economics of Transportation
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--------========--------

Population, Space and Place*
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The Demographic Transition Revisited as a Global Process
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Foucault's Population Geographies: Classifications, Biopolitics and Governmental Spaces
by Stephen Legg
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--------========--------

The Photogrammetric Record
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The Absolute Positioning of Spaceborne INSAR Data Using the Integer Ambiguity Method
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Quality Assessment Of Digital Surface Models Generated From IKONOS Imagery
by Joanne Poon, Clive S. Fraser, Zhang Chunsun, Zhang Li and Armin Gruen
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--------========--------

Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography
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Are Women Reservoirs of Traditional Plant Knowledge? Gender, Ethnobotany and Globalization in Northeast Brazil
by Robert A. Voeks
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Surplus Possibilities: Postdevelopment and Community Economies
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--------========--------

Sociologia Ruralis
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Possible Food Economies: a Methodological Framework for Exploring Food Production–Consumption Relationships
by Lewis Holloway, Moya Kneafsey, Laura Venn, Rosie Cox, Elizabeth Dowler
and Helena Tuomainen
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Alternative Strategies in the UK Agro-Food System: Interrogating the Alterity of Farmers' Markets
by James Kirwan
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--------========--------

Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie
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Economic Globalisation and Workers: Introduction
by Evert Jan-Visser and Meine Pieter Van Dijk
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Porous Europe: European Cities in Global Urban Arenas
by Peter J. Taylor and Ben Derudder
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--------========--------

Transactions in GIS
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAPT07jMSi8dQ6PB

GIScience Ten Years After Ground Truth
by Michael F Goodchild
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAQiesfAGFpoApCo

Using Ontologies for Integrated Geographic Information Systems
by Frederico T. Fonseca, Max J. Egenhofer, Peggy Agouris and Gilberto Câmara
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAQHsNbov2GzkIpb

--------========--------

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAR6H87cjpXK51bY

River Meander Behaviour and Instability: A Framework for Analysis
by Janet Hooke
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JARvVt307NeUPjYL

Regional Spaces, Spaces of Regionalism: Territory, Insurgent Politics and the English Question
by Martin Jones and Gordon MacLeod
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JASko8UBKxNgjVyl

==========================================================

Also of Interest
Business Strategy and the Environment
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JASJCtQpyV4r4el8

Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JAT8QOMdnilBOx7V

European Environment
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JATy59I1bFCMyPUI

Sustainable Development
http://wiley-blackwell.msgfocus.com/c/11JATXjuDP02TXj8Hv

*Please log-in to Wiley InterScience to view the sample articles

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Final cfps - extended dealine - rural futures

Hi there

We have had some great looking responses to this call for papers be are
seeking a few more.

If you are doing anything like action research – participatory methods –
collaborations – inter disciplinary research - in any area of rural
geography, rural studies, (with board interpretations applied to all terms)
we want to hear from you! We are seeking papers (about work) which are/is
trying to ‘push the envelope’. We are not talking paper work! we are talking
taking academic work beyond its (so far) designed capacities for action!

Call for papers: RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2008 - 27-29 August, London.

Title: Towards Transformative Knowledges/Practices for Sustainable Rural
Futures

Sponsored by the Rural Geography Research Group

Convened by the Countryside and Community Research Institute


Within human geography and the social sciences more broadly there is a move
to break up settled, and narrowly drawn, institutional, pedagogic,
theoretical, disciplinary and methodological boundaries as we come to
realize that addressing the intensely complex, hybrid, unstable (yet
intransigent) nature of reality calls for new knowledge
formations/practices. New views of knowledge are exploring/practicing
integrations of theory, practice, politics and methods into new
‘non-representational’ assemblages of creative inquiry (Law, 2005).

Related to this there is also what Latour calls a ‘pixelisation of
politics’, where progressive actions can take place at many sites, in many
forms, and at different scales and in different networks. These actions are
(can be) pragmatics of knowledge/practice created within competency groups
clustered around situations of concern and/or potential. Academic attention
focuses on action already in process within communities,
socio-techno-ecological networks, and processes of governance and economics.
Can rural academics identify, join and add value to these? Can rural
academics initiate these?

This session seeks to explore these new terrains of theory/practice "which
matter", in relation to sustainable rural futures. In particular we invite
papers which report upon work where academics (perhaps in interdisciplinary
alliances) are actively working with (rather than on) rural actants (which
may include non-humans) in ways which seek to be transformative in some way
- not least in terms of sustainable socio-ecological formations.

Possible themes (amongst many)

Action research and rural sustainability
Participatory research and rural sustainability
Interdisciplinary research and rural sustainability
Innovative stakeholder engagement strategies
Working with humans and non-humans
Case studies of rural projects working toward sustainable socio-ecological
sustainability in the developed and developing world
Putting non-representational theory into practice (and other theoretical
methodological trajectories)
The ethics and politics of non-representational research


Titles and Abstracts of up to 200 words to be sent to HYPERLINK
"mailto:ojones@glos.ac.uk" ojones@glos.ac.uk by 25 Jan 2008

CFP: New biomedical geographies of disability and chronic illness

Please see below a CALL FOR PAPERS for a session at the RGS-IBG Annual
Conference, London, 27-29 August 2008. Please circulate widely.

Session title: New biomedical geographies of disability and chronic
illness

Organisers: Ed Hall, University of Dundee and Isabel Dyck, Queen Mary,
London

Sponsored by: Geography of Health Research Group

In recent years, a whole new set of medical technologies have emerged
with which to diagnose, assess, treat and reshape the bodies of people
with disabilities, chronic illnesses and mental health problems. From
pre-natal diagnosis of particular disabilities, abnormalities and even
chronic illnesses, and biomedical and genetic screening and testing for
disabilities and illnesses, to pharmaceutical treatments for mental
health conditions and surgical procedures and appliances to
‘correct’ abnormal body shapes and movements, biomedicine is
maintaining and arguably extending its dominance of the discourse of
health and disability. This is despite a decade or more of emphasis on
the social and spatial contexts and structures within which bodies and
health are constructed.

This session will seek to examine the nature and extent of biomedical
imaginings of the ill and disabled body, covering the following
questions:

- What is the role of biomedicine in (re)producing disability and
chronic illness?
- What are the implications of biomedical discourse and institutions
in the technocratic processes through disability is categorised and
legitimised and, further, how does this biomedical power mediate access
to resources by disabled and chronically ill people?
- What techniques and practices is biomedicine using to diagnose, treat
and shape ill and disabled bodies?
- What role does medical technology play in the lifecourses of disabled
people and those with chronic illness?
- Is the social constructionist understanding of disability and chronic
illness being replaced by a resurgent biomedicine?
- How are patients, illness groups and disability organisations
resisting these new developments?

Please submit a short abstract (250 words maximum) to both Ed Hall
(e.c.hall@dundee.ac.uk) and Isabel Dyck (i.dyck@qmul.ac.uk) by 8
February 2008 if you are interested in participating in the session.

Dr. Edward Hall
Lecturer in Human Geography
Department of Geography
University of Dundee
Dundee
DD1 4HN
UK

Tel: 01382 388073
Email: e.c.hall@dundee.ac.uk

UGRG - RGS Sessions

Dear Colleagues,



This is the final call from the Urban Geography Research Group for sessions for the RGS-IBG ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2008 which will take place in LONDON , 27-29 AUGUST 2008.



The chair of the 2008 conference is Professor **Noel Castree** ( Manchester University ). The theme of the Conference is 'GEOGRAPHIES THAT MATTER' and priority will be given to sessions that relate to the conference theme.



As you may know, arrangements for the submission of session proposals are a little different this year.



Individuals or groups who would like to propose a session for UGRG sponsorship should submit a PROPOSAL PACK to Dr Mags Adams m.d.adams@salford.ac.uk by 2pm on FEBRUARY 1ST 2008. To be considered for sponsorship, the Pack must contain the following:



* Session title and abstract (max 400 words)
* Name(s) and affiliation(s) of session convenor(s)
* Full list of Papers to be included in the session
* Paper titles, and name(s) and affiliation(s) of author(s)
* Abstracts (c 200 words) for each Paper



Sessions will be 1 hour 40 minutes in length but the format is flexible, e.g. contributed papers, poster sessions, panel discussions and practitioner forums. It is expected that most sessions will contain five x 20 minute papers (with time included in each for questions) or four x 20 minute papers with discussion / questions at the end.



SESSION CONVENORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PUT OUT A CALL FOR PAPERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO AS TO BE ABLE TO FORWARD A COMPLETE LIST OF AUTHORS/PAPERS FOR THEIR SESSION TO THE UGRG BY THE 1ST FEBRUARY DEADLINE.



Convenors will be notified as to whether or not their session has been sponsored after the meeting of the UGRG committee on 8th February.

Any sessions not sponsored by us can be submitted directly to the RGS by the session proposer as an Independent Organiser by 22nd February.



Research group sponsorship provides promotion for your session, and can help manage timetabling clashes for parallel sessions. It also enables you to bid for money for Research Group guests (who may be speakers in your session). UGRG are able to sponsor 7 sessions (with sessions submitted jointly to other research groups counting as only 0.5 of the quota) and encourage submissions that are innovative and exciting and that connect the conference theme to the aims of the Urban Geography Research Group (http://www.urban-geography.org.uk/).



Dr Mags Adams

Senior Research Fellow

Acoustics Research Cen tre

Newton Building

University of Salford

Salford M5 4WT



Tel: +44 (0)161 295 4599

Email: m.d.adams@salford.ac.uk

Reconsidering Conflict, Terror and Resolution

Call For Papers
Reconsidering Conflict, Terror and Resolution
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow 11-12 September 2008

The Strathclyde Conflict and Resolution (SCAR) group is hosting an
interdisciplinary conference which will analyse the themes of conflict,
terror and resolution at various levels: past-present; private-public;
local-global. In doing so it aims to reach across disciplinary barriers
by bringing together experts from the whole of the social sciences
spectrum, including (but not limited to) politics, history, law,
sociology and psychology. Such a holistic analysis of conflict and
terror will provoke, stimulate and question contemporary thought, while
advocating the need for joint efforts to address common challenges.

We welcome submissions, individual papers, as well as three paper
panels, on any of the following or related themes:

Constructing Conflict
Linguistic representation
Visual representation
Propaganda and spin
Speech-acts and securitisation
Collective memory
Silencing of conflict
Narratives of conflict
War reportage

Experiencing Conflict
Living with, and fleeing conflict
Prisoners of war
Implications for human rights
Divided cities and sectarianism
Conflict and the body
Gendering conflict
Conflict in schools and in the home
The ‘War on Terror’

Managing & Resolving Conflict
Restorative justice
Civic justice
Just war and military intervention
Diplomacy and multilateralism
Culture and reconciliation
Crisis and contingencies management
International organisations
Technologies of security

Abstracts of 300-500 words and a one-page CV should be submitted by 31
March 2008 to scar-group@strath.ac.uk
A selection of papers will be considered for publication.
For more details please visit www.strath.ac.uk/scar or contact us at
scar-group@strath.ac.uk

Psychogeography: fifty years on

TIMECODE

A seminar series in media and technology



30th January 2008, 6pm, FREE ADMISSION



Psychogeography: fifty years on



The year 2007 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of radical
artistic/philosophical movement the Situationist International a major
influence on revolutionary actions (most notably Paris '68), critical
thinking and subcultural movements. One of the central and long-lasting
concepts emerging from this group was that of 'Psychogeography'- "the study
of the specific effects of the geographical environment (whether consciously
organized or not) on the emotions and behaviour of individuals". This
concept has been applied widely across many disciplines and this seminar
will introduce aspects of the psychogeographical pertinent to contemporary
media and society.

Dr Andrew Evans (University Of Leeds) will discuss how landscape and
geography (including the perceived and/or virtual) how been affected by the
psychogeographic, while Dr Mark Banks (Open University) will address how the
poetics of the original concept have become increasingly commodified just as
the radical aspects of the term have almost disappeared. This seminar will
be of interest to artists, political theorists, poets, geographers, media
producers, social scientists and anyone with an interest in the urban
milieu.

Presented in conjunction with the Psychogeographical Research Group, a
collaboration between the University of Bradford and De Montfort University



On Location, National Media Museum, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1NQ. Tel:
0870 70 10 200

http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/





For more information on the series contact:

Mark Goodall

m.goodall@bradford.ac.uk

Tel +44 (0)1274 236071

Research Posts JOMEC

(1) Research Associate - Media research for the project on “Diversity and the European Public
Sphere. Towards a Citizens’ Europe”

Applications are invited for a Research Associate to join the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media
and Cultural Studies. The Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies was rated 5 in
the last RAE. The post is funded by European Commission FP6 integrated project on “Diversity and
the European Public Sphere. Towards a Citizens’ Europe.” The research associate will carry out
research on media, supervised by Dr Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Dr Stephen Cushion. The project
involves quantitative content analysis of media coverage of European issues, interviews with media
professionals and the writing of reports and other outcomes. It may also involve additional research
on political parties, social movements and think tanks. You should possess an MA degree in media or
journalism studies or related areas, and have experience conducting research in social science
areas.

The post is fixed-term for 12 months due to limited external funds. We expect candidates to start
in March 2008.

Informal inquiries should be made to Dr. Stephen Cushion (CushionSA@cardiff.ac.uk).

Vacancy information and application forms are available from
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs/index.html

Closing date: 1 February 2008

(2) Research Associate - Research on political parties and think tanks for the project on
“Diversity and the European Public Sphere. Towards a Citizens’ Europe”

Applications are invited for a Research Associate to join the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media
and Cultural Studies. The Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies was rated 5 in
the last RAE. The post is funded by European Commission FP6 integrated project on “Diversity and
the European Public Sphere. Towards a Citizens’ Europe.” The research associate will carry out
research on political parties and think tanks, supervised by Dr Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Dr Stephen
Cushion. The project involves interviews with political party representatives and think tank
employees, and the writing of reports and other outcomes. It may also involve additional research on
social movements and mass media. You should possess an MA degree in sociology, political science,
media studies or related areas, and have experience conducting research in social sciences.

The post is fixed-term for 12 months due to limited external funds. We expect candidates to start
in March 2008.

Informal inquiries should be made to Dr. Stephen Cushion (CushionSA@cardiff.ac.uk).

Vacancy information and application forms are available from
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs/index.html

Closing date: 1 February 2008

(3) Research Associate - Research on social movements and think tanks for the project on
“Diversity and the European Public Sphere. Towards a Citizens’ Europe”

Applications are invited for a Research Associate to join the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media
and Cultural Studies. The Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies was rated 5 in
the last RAE. The post is funded by European Commission FP6 integrated project on “Diversity and
the European Public Sphere. Towards a Citizens’ Europe.” The research associate will carry out
research on social movements and think tanks, supervised by Dr Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Dr Stephen
Cushion. The project involves interviews with social movement activists and think tank employees,
and the writing of reports and other outcomes. It may also involve additional research on political
parties and mass media. You should possess an MA degree in sociology, political science, media
studies or related areas, and have experience conducting research in social sciences.

The post is fixed-term for 12 months due to limited e
xternal funds. We expect candidates to start
in March 2008.

Informal inquiries should be made to Dr. Stephen Cushion (CushionSA@cardiff.ac.uk).

Vacancy information and application forms are available from
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs/index.html

Closing date: 1 February 2008

RGS-IBG 2008 call for papers - Maps as Method

Call for papers - The Royal Geographical Society / Institute of British
Geographers Annual Conference, London. 27-29 August, 2008.

Session: Maps as Method

Session convenors:
Chris Perkins and Martin Dodge (University of Manchester)

Context:
There remains a widespread public impression that we work with maps
continuously, that cartography is somehow defining of geographical methods
for knowing the world. Yet it is apparent that many geographers do not
feel at home working through the map. Across a range of geographical
practices - be it research, publishing, or teaching - many, and perhaps
the majority, of geographers do not see the need to make and use maps. The
lack of map use has been well noted in the discipline over the last couple
of decades (Wheeler 1998; Martin 2000). Moreover, British Geography.s
seems largely disassociated from newly-significant approaches to the
visual representation of space, and spatial practices, that are blossoming
in wider social contexts and particularly online.

The goal of this session is to challenge the inexorable decline in map use
by demonstrating the capabilities of geographers and others to work
creatively through cartography. The aim being to foster a theoretically
informed discussion around the different ways maps have been, are being or
could be employed in geographical research, and learning and teaching.
Importantly, we want to bring together scholars working across the
discipline, encourage dialogue between physical and human geographers, and
linking up of theoretical ideas with practical experiences to reveal real
potential of maps to advance geographical praxis. We would also encourage
participation from those working in more applied policy arenas, along with
those engaging new technologies (such as the Web or mobile tracking)
directly in their academic practices. Ultimately, we hope to show how maps
can make a positive difference to what we do and, perhaps, show that the
public perception of geographers working through maps is not so confining
after all.

Suggested themes that show the renewed vigour of .maps as method.:
- maps as a participatory method that can draw in different stakeholders
- maps as a collaborative method linking co-workers
- maps as an insightful contribution to new theory
- maps as creative and playful methods
- maps as artistic methods able to beckon forth beauty
- maps as new ways to see the world (integrating new sensing and imaging
technologies)
- maps as interactive method learning from the map hackers and geowankers)

The session will also be supported by the new 'Maps and Society'
commission of the International Cartographic Association.

If you are interested in contributing a paper to the session please email
a title and short abstract (maximum of 250 words) to Martin Dodge
(m.dodge@manchester.ac.uk) or Chris Perkins (c.perkins@manchester.ac.uk)
by 31st January 2008.

http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/m.dodge/maps_as_method_cfp.pdf

Hans Monderman

I regret to learn of the passing of Hans Monderman, pioneer of shared
space approaches to street design.

Obituary:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3167372.ece

Other links via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Monderman

The Wikipedia site has a tribute from Ben Hamilton-Baillie:

"What is so remarkable about the man is that he has achieved such a
transformation in thinking from the basis of a traffic engineer (not
a profession famed for its profound thinking and original analysis).
Through remarkable persistence, patience and professional commitment
he has managed to put in place well over 100 "shared space" schemes,
transforming the urban and rural landscape of his native Friesland,
Groningen and Drenthe. I have never met a man so generous with his
time, so modest and unassuming about his achievements, and so humane
in his application of technology to the benefit of everyday human society."

Summer Institute in Economic Geography 2008 - Application deadline 25 January!

Apologies for cross-posting...but just two weeks to the deadline for
applications for this July’s 4th Summer Institute in Economic Geography,
which will be hosted in Manchester, England.

Details can be found at:
http://www.wun.ac.uk/economicgeography/Manchester2008/manchester2008.html

We look forward to receiving your applications!

Bests

Kevin (Ward) and Neil (Coe)

Planum Newsletter- Special: Future Urban Research in Europe

Planum Newsletter- Special: Future Urban Research in Europe
English - 14-Jan-2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUTURE
Future Urban Research in Europe
Call for applications - ISSUE 2008 THE ETHNICALLY DIVERSE CITY
European Fellowship Programme, granted by the European Commission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FUTURE supports young scientists for the research on the European City and
enables them to participate in a training programme including a workshop,
online
training, an international conference and the possibility of publishing a
paper.
Topic of the training programme 2008 is "The Ethnically Diverse City".
The project aims at the integration of different disciplines relevant for
the
topic and also at internationality.
Deadline for applications for the training 2008 is April 1st 2008.

IMPORTANT DATES:
Deadline for Application: 1st of April 2008
Workshop: 25th July 2008 – 1st August 2008
Conference: 31st October 2008 – 2nd November 2008

Brochure of the call at: http://www.planum.net/future2008.pdf

Get more at: http://www.urban-future.net/

Old calls at: http://www.planum.net/showspace/future2006.htm
http://www.planum.net/future2007.pdf
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Planum News section is catching up the goal of 1000 news about events,
conferences, meetings, competitions, exhibitions, etc., across Europe and
the rest of the world http://www.planum.net/news/

If you want to contribute to our timely news data base send your
announcements to staff@planum.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Planum - The online magazine and international network dedicated to urban
planning, territorial development and architecture
http://www.planum.net/menu.php
- ISSN 1723-0993
European Community project funded by Ten Telecom in the year 2000

Contact staff@planum.net
if you wish:
- to publish articles, essays, reports about urban policies, master plans,
urban planning project management
- to send your announcement about upcoming events, projects, workshops
- to become a Planum partner for dissemination in E.U. funded project

If you are looking for a window in this newsletter,
through which to promote
your special event or your firm, become a Planum guest and reach more than
22.000 planners around the world!
http://www.planum.net/services/services.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Postgraduate Research in Culture-Economy

2nd Call for Papers

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) 2008 Annual Conference, London,
August 27-29


Postgraduate Research in Culture-Economy


Research within economic geography has become increasingly sensitive to
the nuanced ways in which culture can impact upon economic activity across
space. Indeed, as long ago as 1996 Thrift & Olds argued that, ‘This kind
of work no longer sees the economy as simply ‘embedded’ in the social …
but instead sees the economic and social as incorrigibly intertwined,
unable to be separated off from one another.’ Subsequently, the past few
years have seen the borders of economic geography broaden to accommodate
new and exciting narratives of ‘the economic’. This session aims to
celebrate, and provide a forum to present and discuss, this new found
diversity and innovation within geography through highlighting post-
graduate research projects. The session is open to all post-graduate
researchers conducting work in this broad subject area.

We are seeking papers upon all aspects of the relationship between culture
and the economy including, but not restricted to, the following research
areas:

•Geographies of Finance and Financialisation
•Geographies of Neo-Liberalism
•The Cultural Circuit of Capital
•Commodity Culture(s)
•Affect and the Economy
•Geographies of Post-Fordism

If you are interested in contributing a paper to this session please
submit an abstract of no more than 200 words and also your contact details
to either Thomas Wainwright, lgxtw@nottingham.ac.uk, or James Corah,
lgxjsc@nottingham.ac.uk. The deadline for this is Friday the 1st of
February.

Thomas Wainwright, James Corah

JRF newsletter - January 2008

JRF newsletter - January 2008

* Caring Choices - final report published

The UK needs a new system to pay for long-term care for older people, which combines an entitlement to support with a sharing of costs between individuals and the state. This is the conclusion of The Future of Care Funding: Time for a change (PDF, 929KB), following the 'Caring Choices' consultation with over 700 users, carers, providers and researchers with experience of the long-term care system.

Caring Choices - a coalition of 15 organisations - encouraged and facilitated debate across England and Scotland through a series of events and a website. Five areas of broad agreement emerged:

People receiving and providing care thought the current system is unclear, unfair and unfit for purpose. In particular they disliked the 'postcode lottery' giving different entitlements to people in different areas, and the high degree of means-testing that seems to penalise people who have made provision for their old age.
More money will be required to meet growing need. Between 2002 and 2026, the number of older people requiring care is likely to rise by 50 per cent, and costs per head will also rise. Unless the Government increases its own contribution, the extra costs will fall on care users. Already today, some local authorities focus only on those with the most critical conditions.
There should be a universal element of long-term care funding. 9 out of 10 participants supported a system where everyone gets some contribution from the state. Many participants argued for a baseline entitlement available to everyone with care needs, regardless of their income and wealth.
Funding of long-term care should be shared between the state and individuals. Only 1 out of 5 participants believed that personal care should be funded 100% by the state. Most favoured a system of 'co-payments' whereby a care package is paid for mainly by the state but with a fixed percentage contribution from the user.
Better support for unpaid carers is crucial. There was strong resentment about the lack of support for unpaid family carers. Carers and care users emphasised that any effective settlement for long-term care funding needs to involve more generous funding of items such as respite care and Carer’s Allowance.
Other areas of debate were more contested and generated different views on the best options. These included:

how far state support should be limited to 'personal' care (help with bathing, eating, etc) as opposed to wider social care, or measures that could prevent or slow down dependency;
the role of benefits such as Attendance Allowance;
how far Government should provide help to individuals to enable them to pay their share of care costs, through schemes such as long-term care insurance and equity release.
To view the report, read more about the Caring Choices initiative, or contribute your own thoughts please visit the website:

http://www.caringchoices.org.uk


* Care in the UK

BBC Radio 4's 'You and Yours' is running a month long series on Care in the UK. JRF director, Julia Unwin, is a guest on the show on Tuesday 15 January and Thursday 31 January.

* JRF's strategic plan for 2008

Alongside our key concerns of poverty, place and empowerment, four themes will shape everything we do in 2008:

understanding and supporting the growing ethnic, racial and religious diversity of communities across the UK;
meeting the challenge of environmental sustainability;
supporting the development of a healthy, innovative and genuinely independent voluntary sector;
understanding the different approaches to policy and practice in each of the four countries of the UK.
In addition, we will continue with our exploration of the nature of social evil in the 21st century. Our April report will give a detailed breakdown of the concerns raised by the respondents to our survey.

More details: JRF website / Strategic plan 2008 (PDF, 128KB)

* Other news and latest research

People of South Wales asked to share their rural housing concerns with independent Commission
Drinking places: where people drink and why
Cannabis supply and young people
How local planning authorities are delivering policies for affordable housing
Combating child poverty in Wales: are effective education strategies in place?
Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Ipsos-MORI Hothouse win award for poverty research
Julia Unwin appointed to Council on Social Action
* Forthcoming publications (January):

'Is poverty in the UK a denial of people's human rights?' (17 January)
'Developing active networks in local communities' (28 January)
'An evaluation of Local Links: Reviewing a pilot programme to develop active networks in local communities' (28 January)
'Supplying cannabis to young people' (full report on 30 January, Findings summary already published)
Please note: publication dates are subject to change.

RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum Mid-Term Conference – Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Saturday, March 1st 2008

RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum Mid-Term Conference – Department of
Geography, University of Liverpool, Saturday, March 1st 2008

The RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum Mid-Term Conference provides a relaxed,
supportive, yet academically relevant atmosphere for postgraduate
geographers from all aspects of the discipline to present their
research and to discuss ideas. The conference is also a social event,
and an ideal opportunity to meet up with other postgraduates.

The event encourages postgraduates at any stage in their research
career to present their work, or simply to listen to others. We
welcome papers or posters from any geography-related subject: human
geography, physical geography, and GIS. Presentations will be arranged
into themed sessions (based on submitted abstracts) that will run
throughout the day. Posters will be displayed during the lunch period
for viewing by all delegates.

In addition, two workshops will take place:

Academic Careers Workshop: how to begin to think about and develop
an academic career while still a postgraduate. Session run by Staff at
the University of Liverpool

An Introduction to Publishing: run by the RGS-IBG Journal and Book
Series Editors and led by Prof. Alison Blunt, Editor of Transactions,
this session will aim to help postgraduates understand how to get
their articles published.

Wine Reception Sponsored by Geography Compass, a new online journal
from Wiley Blackwell

In 2008, Liverpool will be the European Capital of Culture, and as
such offers an exciting chance to see a vibrant city undergoing
radical change, with arts and cultural events in full swing and many
regeneration projects being undertaken.

Papers & Posters
See Conference Website below for guidelines

Registration
The cost for the conference (including lunch) will be £13.

Dates
Abstracts will be accepted up to and including 25 January 2008.

Website
http://www.liv.ac.uk/geography/postgrad/conf/forum.htm

Contact: Andy Davies (a.d.davies@liv.ac.uk) or Ivo Wengraf (ivo.wengraf@liv.ac.uk
)

Cultures in Resistance

Cultures in Resistance

18 - 20 March 2008
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
http://www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/dpr/

Conference Stream: Social justice and communities: responses to dominant
discourses

The income gap between rich and poor in the UK means we live in an
increasingly divided society. Disadvantaged groups and communities
within society are further marginalised by dominant cultural discourses
that promote particular ideals and behaviours while stigmatizing the
behaviours and cultures of others, thus justifying their continued
social, political and economic exclusion. The amplification of dominant
cultural discourses can create 'silences', where groups/ communities
feel unable to speak out, or are denied a voice. Other groups/
communities are more successful, and create their own resistant
dialogues, which although often unheard outside their communities,
challenge the dominant discourses.

We are seeking empirical and/ or theoretical papers that consider the
nature of dominance, silences and resistance by groups and communities,
and the possibilities for social justice in the twenty first century.

Please send abstracts to Jude Robinson, at j.e.robinson@liverpool.ac.uk
marked 'Social Justice and Communities' by 31 January 2008. Abstracts
should be in Word format, no more than 200 words.

Dr Jude Robinson
Deputy Director of the Health and Community Care Research Unit,
Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences

HaCCRU,
Thompson Yates Building,
The Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill,
University of Liverpool.
L69 3GB

Telephone: +44 (0) 151 794 5288/ 5503
Fax: +44 (0) 151 794 5434
Email: j.e.robinson@liverpool.ac.uk

MEETING OF THE IGU COMMISSION THE DYNAMICS OF ECONOMIC SPACES

MEETING OF THE IGU COMMISSION THE DYNAMICS OF ECONOMIC SPACES
INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION
"WORLDS OF NEW WORK? MULTI-SCALAR DYNAMICS OF NEW ECONOMIC SPACES"
5-8 AUGUST 2008, BARCELONA

Dear colleagues,

This e-mail relates to the 2008 conference program of the INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL UNION Commission on THE DYNAMICS OF ECONOMIC SPACES.

Local organizers would welcome your participation in the congress WORLDS OF NEW WORK? MULTI-SCALAR DYNAMICS OF NEW ECONOMIC SPACES.
The meeting will take place in BARCELONA 5-8 August 2008, SPAIN.

Information on the meeting and call for papers can be found at: http://www.economicspaces.com
The deadline for sending your abstract is 24 February 2008.

Travel support information for early career researchers in economic geography can be found at the Commission's website: http://www.sges.auckland.ac.nz/conferences/igu_commission/

Please feel free to contact local organizers if you would like further information regarding the meeting at: meeting@economicspaces.com

Best regards,

Pere Suau Sánchez
Geographer
E-mail: pere.suau.sanchez@uab.cat
URL: http://www.economicgeography.eu
Telf. +34 93 5814805

Economic Geography Research Group
Departament de Geografia
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Edifici B - Campus de la UAB
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès)
SPAIN

Worlds of new work? Multi-scalar dynamics of new economic spaces
IGU Commission on The Dynamics of Economic Spaces - Barcelona 2008 Meeting - 5-8 August
URL: http://www.economicspaces.com

17th Conference of the International Association for Research in Juvenile Criminology

17th Conference of the International Association for Research in Juvenile Criminology

Swansea University - Wednesday 26th to Saturday 29th March 2008

Call for papers: If you wish to present a paper at the conference, please send an abstract (to include: your name, title of presentation and 100 word description) to Dr Stephen Case: Stephen Case. Papers will be accepted in English and French.

Book before 25th January 2008 to qualify for an ‘early-bird’ discount. A conference registration form is attached.

Promoting Positive Practices: Transforming Youth Justice Policy and Practice

The conference will address the theme of ‘Promoting Positive Practices: Transforming Youth Justice Policy and Practice’. The conference will embrace positive practices in the areas of both prevention of delinquency and direct work with young people who have offended. Policy and practice interventions in communities, schools, sentencing, youth justice services/interventions and specialist institutions (education, treatment centres and custody) will be explored.

'Positive practices’ in this context may be seen (although not exclusively) in terms of those derived from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the policy and practice implementation of children’s rights, including: participation – having a voice, 'children first', promoting pro-social behaviour, restorative justice, promoting social inclusion, unblocking 'blocked' opportunities (in education, training, employment and social life) and responding to young people.

The conference is relevant to all those whose work touches young people and the youth justice system, including: academics, researchers, policy makers, managers, practitioners, Judges and magistrates and is expected to attract participants from across Europe and more widely. The conference will provide a lively and engaging context in which to present and discuss research and practice in youth justice with colleagues from many countries and from many different organisations.

The conference dinner will include a concert by the internationally acclaimed Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir.

For more information contact: Kevin Haines or alternatively, download this document: IARJC Conference Information

Download the IARJC registration form here. There is an 'early bird' discount for conference registration before 25th January 2008.

All those attending the conference are encouraged to present a paper and to discuss their work with colleagues. If you wish to present a paper at the conference, please send an abstract (to include: your name, title of presentation and 100 word description) to: Stephen Case.

For further information about the conference, registration, Swansea and travel please click here.

Willan Publishing will be hosting a wine reception at the conference and launching the new Dictionary of Youth Justice, edited by Barry Goldson.

Further information about the Swansea campus can be found at www.swansea.ac.uk and information about the Swansea area can be found at www.visitswanseabay.com

We look forward to welcoming you to Swansea.