[ecrea] EastBordNet conference 2011 - remaking borders

EastBordNet conference = 2011
Catania, Sicily

Remaking= = Borders
20-22 January 2011

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: = Deadline: 30th July 2010

Individual = Paper Proposal Form 
Panel = Proposal Form
Call = for Proposals PDF

Borders, it seems, are n= ever = what they used to be: every period and
place generates a sense that this is= the = moment when the borders
changed. Commentary on today’s contemporary m= oment in = the European
region is no exception, and there is plenty of material to dis= cuss: =
the end of the Cold War; the violent break-up of Former Yugoslavia; the =
expansion of the European Union; the European integration process; the
poli= tical = aftermath of September 11th 2001; the development of
digital technologies; = the = rise of undocumented migration and
people-trafficking; intense debates abou= t = gender, sexuality and
religious faith; the multiple moral and material shif= ts = implied by
what many call “the neoliberal turn,” including the = recent financial =
meltdown. The list could go on; once again then, borders are not what
they = used = to be.

A question here is whether this incessant shifting of borders= is a =
characteristic of borders as such (what could be called the ‘border-n=
ess’ of = borders), or alternatively, whether borders are the outcome of
something el= se: = the idea that borders are a symptom – that they
appear, disappear and= change = shape, location and meaning in line with
activities, relations, conflicts, = = ideas, and regulations that come
together, leaving their particular mark as= = borders until something
else comes along. So, how to think about the making= and = remaking of
borders, both literally and metaphorically, is as important to = =
explore as the idea that borders are never what they used to be.

Thi= s = conference aims to draw together researchers working on these
issues in bot= h = conceptual and empirical terms. There will be a focus,
though not exclusive= ly, = on the eastern peripheries of Europe, loosely
defined: given that the locat= ion = of these borders is currently
undergoing revision, part of the aim of the = conference is to understand
where the eastern peripheries are heading, rath= er = than assuming their
location. There will also be a focus on exploring peopl= e’s = everyday
experiences of the separations, movements, connections and relocat= ions
= that involve borders – which can be both formal and informal, and loc=
ated at the = centre as well as at the edges of places, and in the mind,
on maps or in = paperwork as much as in the landscape. This focus on the
everyday helps to = = explore the cumulative effect of thousands of
individually insignificant de= tails = that add up to something
important, but are often neglected in favour of = accounts of big events
that appear to change everything in a moment. Some p= anels = will be
devoted to particular themes: money and finance, time, gender and =
sexuality, movement and travel, documents and technologies, visibility
and = = invisibility, amongst others. These themes are intended to draw
out differe= nt = aspects of the social, moral, and material aspects of
remaking borders; the= y = have already formed a focus of attention for
researchers in EastBordNet, th= rough = a series of workshops and work
groups.

In conceptual terms, the = conference aims to explore the diversity of
approaches towards thinking abo= ut = border, whether this concerns
geo-political borders or more abstract notion= s of = border and related
concepts, such as difference, travel, exchange, = translation.

Proposals for both individual papers and panels, from a= ny =
disciplinary perspective, that address these issues are invited. There
are = some = panels which will follow the themes of the EastBordNet
workshops and work = groups; other topics can be suggested by
applicants.

Please return y= our = proposals by 30 July 2010 to:
costconference@manchester.a= c.uk


Josine = Opmeer
Centre = Administrator
ESRC = Centre for Research on Socio-cultural Change
University of Manchester
178 = Waterloo Place, Oxford Road
Manchester, M13 9PL
Tel: = +44 (0)161 2758990 / Fax: +44 (0)161 2758886
Josine.= (opmeer /at/ manchester.ac.uk)
www.cresc.ac.uk