Pre-conference August 2024: Celebrating a World of Political Difference

IGU Commission on Political Geography pre-conference ahead of the IGC 2024 in Dublin

Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland 22-24 August 2024

Keynote Speaker: Anna Secor (Durham University)

Organising Committee: Jonathan Harris, Merav Amir, Oliver Dunnett, Tristan Sturm

Scientific Committee: Virginie Mamadouh (co-chair), Adriana Dorfman (co-chair), Anne-Laure Amilhat-Szary, Alun Jones, Fiona McConnell, Julien Mercille, June Wang, Chih Yuan Woon

Call for Contributions:

Difference is geography; geography is difference. As political geographers, we recognize that perceptions of similarities and differences define and determine social and political settings. To understand the political building blocks and forces which shape our world, difference, be it perceived or real, must be accounted for. We further recognise that our scholarship is also situated within different linguistic and cultural spheres. Difference has not always been celebrated, and indeed is often given as an explanation for geopolitical conflict, tension, and violence. In Belfast, a city which has been shaped by political and socio-religious divisions and which recently marked 25 years since the Good Friday Peace Agreement, the pre-conference gathering will celebrate diversity, embrace it, and explore its implications for political geography both historically and in our political present.

Against the backdrop of social and political changes, and the emergence of new forms of nationalism and populism, we invite scholars and practitioners to submit abstracts that reflect on issues related to the diversity of political difference across scales. Papers are welcome on themes or topics including, but not limited to:

• Political and cultural boundaries and their effects on political processes
• The politics of identity and difference
• Geographies of peace and peace-making
• Geopolitics of migration and mobility
• Political ecology and more-than-human geographies
• Gender, sexuality and the politics of representation
• Decolonizing methods, theories, and practices
• The role of scholar-activism in political geography

The pre-conference will be an excellent opportunity for academic exchange. Attendance of the pre-conference will be free of charge, but a contribution may be required for social activities and local field trips. Attendance of the main IGC2024 in Dublin is strongly encouraged, but not a requirement for attendance of the CPG pre-conference.

We invite you to submit an abstract of 300 words or less, in English, by 1st March 2024 using the link below:

We also welcome themed special sessions. Organisers should ensure they have three paper proposals ready for their session before submitting. Proposals should submitted by email, with a title and short description of the theme (100 words). When submitting the individual abstracts, presenters can indicate the special session their paper is part of. A list of themed special sessions seeking further contributions can be found at this page.

Abstracts will be evaluated by the scientific committee. We will aim to notify authors of their acceptance by 1st April 2024, and publish the conference programme in May 2024.

The main IGC2024 will be held in Dublin. We are hosting our event in Belfast, which is also on the island of Ireland, but please note that Belfast is within the United Kingdom, and you may require an additional visa to attend. Check visa arrangements with your local embassy and be aware that these may change.