International Political Science Association

Research Committee 41 – Geopolitics

Sixth International Workshop on

THE WORLD “SHATTERING”:

WHAT`S IN STORE FOR THE GEOPOLITICAL SYSTEM TO COME?

Friday, 6^th October – Sunday, 8^th October 2023

Call for Papers

The 2023 Belgrade Workshop on “The World ‘Shattering’: What`s In Stored for the Geopolitical System to Come?” represents the Sixth International IPSA`s Research Committees 41 – Geopolitics and 15 – Political and Cultural Geography Workshop, organized by the Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade. Following the previous workshops in Moscow (2010), Jerusalem (2013), Austin (2019), Yerevan (2021) and Moscow (2022), the 2023 Belgrade Workshop will follow in the similar framework to limit participation to a smaller group of scholars to discuss contemporary theoretical and empirical puzzles of geopolitics and political geography. The workshop is designated to bring together leading scholars on geopolitics and political geography to discuss the changing nature of the current geopolitical system, regional implications of those changes, state`s responses to the changing geopolitical system as well as possible outcomes of such changes.

Accordingly, the Belgrade Workshop will be conducted in an open discussion format, with scholarly presentations divided into three panel sessions, with 3-5 panelists for each session. The presentation (10-15 minutes) will be followed by a brief set of oral comments by the designated discussant, upon which the floor will be open to questions and comments from the audience (45 to 60 minutes).

In line with the main topic of the Belgrade Workshop, the three panel themes will revolve around different scales of observation of the changes of the contemporary geopolitical system. Concretely, the three panel themes are devoted to:

1. Changing nature of the geopolitical system – the session will focus on the global scale and aim to give insight on the questions issues: geopolitical structure of the global system; main drivers of systemic change; geopolitical transition and its consequences; characteristics of the coming geopolitical order; the nature of the coming global geopolitical discourse; global power competition; and similar.

2. Regional implications of changing geopolitical system – the session will focus on the regional scale and aim to give insight on the: contemporary political and security processes in various geopolitical regions; changes in characteristics of different regions; “shattering” of regions in light of superpower tensions; and similar.

3. States` response to the changing geopolitical system – the session will focus on the individual states` scale and aim to give insight on: ways states adapt (with varying degrees of success) to global changes; contemporary geopolitical codes and sense of space of states; practical geopolitical reasoning of political elites; grand strategies of states; and similar. Contributions are welcome for great and regional powers as well as small states.

January 15^th, 2023 – Announcement & Call for Papers

April 1^st, 2023 – Submission of Proposals/Abstracts

April 15^th, 2023 – Notice of Acceptance

June 15^th, 2023 – Full Paper Submission

Call for Papers

Charles University’s Geopolitical Research Centre, in cooperation with IPSA RC 41, announces a call for papers for the panel to be held at IPSA World Congress 2023 named:

Post-Westphalian Approach to Sovereignty: Political Space through New Lenses?

Chair:  Martin Riegl, PhD

Discussants:  Bohumil Doboš, PhD

The panel’s theme aims to re-consider how political space and sovereignty interact in the modern world. It intends to present and discuss novel approaches to the empirical analysis of anomalous and classical political entities. States and their borders still arguably play the primary role in any relevant analysis of the geopolitical state of play. It seems that neither doing away with states as units of analysis nor expanding their fundamental conceptual structure to new areas or their disaggregation produces a better understanding of emerging entities gaining power worldwide. Is Twitter a geopolitical actor? Was the Islamic State’s territorial control in Iraq and Syria a case of sovereignty? Both these questions, far apart as they may be, require a return to the fundamental nature of the political community, its relationship with the territory and the modelling of sovereignty. A better understanding of how political life in its most essential aspects plays out in a particular physical space and how it,
if required, is appropriated for core political purposes, would allow for a more thorough comprehension of the entities existing at the margins of the state system. Therefore, submitted papers should provide new impetus
to developing and repurposing various theoretical perspectives on the nature of the political and how it manifests in geographical reality through the rigorous empirical application of these perspectives.  

In this regard, we propose submissions on the following topics:

• Can the Foucaultian notions of observability and truth regimes play a role in locating political entities in physical space?
• Are there yet unconsidered alternatives to the Westphalian state prism for understanding the political organisation of space?
• Can the neo-medievalist theoretical model be expanded to offer new perspectives into the current political space?
• Are multinational corporations behaving as political actors outside of their home countries?
• How do the violent non-state actors’ organisations incorporate the notions of the political into their management of the controlled territory?
• Or any other topic in line with the panel’s aim and

Paper proposal requirements: The proposals should be uploaded
to the IPSA website after 15 Nov 2022 as an abstract using the following link.
In case of any questions, please reach out to us at: branislav.micko@fsv.cuni.cz

Call for papers timeline:

15 Nov 2022 – Paper proposal/abstract submission opens

18 Jan 2023 – Submission deadline

1 July 2023 – Full paper submission deadline

The Kozmetsky Center of Excellence at St. Edward's University and the Center for European Studies and Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin will co-sponsor our seventh annual “Transatlantic Security Forum” entitled "NATO, Russia, China:  World Order and 21st Century Global Security Challenges” on November 15-17, 2021 with support of the United States Department of Education Title VI National Resource Program. We are delighted to hold this seventh annual session in cooperation with the Public Diplomacy Engagement Division of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO, Research Committee on Geopolitics of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and World Affairs Council Austin.

The forum will provide expert perspectives on implications of shifting global relationships and world order for transatlantic and broader global security. Among major topics, speakers will assess the impact of COVID19 to include discussion of political systems, values and responsiveness to the pandemic, lessons of the withdrawal from the twenty-year war in Afghanistan, consequences of climate change, weapons proliferation and terrorism, regional clashes and conflicts, cyber and information security, competing visions of world order, geopolitical and security implications of shifting relationships among major powers and other topics of critical relevance to transatlantic and global security.  We are especially interested in facilitating dialogue among a diversity of national and regional experts exploring the most pressing security challenges facing the global community at this critical juncture contributing to deepening understanding of opportunities and obstacles to advancing security cooperation among nations.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021 / 9:30 AM-12:00 PM CT

9:30 AM (CT) SESSION ONE:  TRANSATLANTIC AND GLOBAL SECURITY CHALLENGES

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Andrew A. Michta, Dean, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

Dr. Hao Su, Distinguished Professor, Department of Diplomacy and founding Director of Center for Strategic and Peace Studies, China Foreign Affairs University

Dr. Igor A.  Zevelev, Professor, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and Global Policy Scholar, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Dr. Jamie Shea, Professor of Strategy and Security, Strategy and Security Institute, University of Exeter and former Assistant Secretary General NATO, Emerging Security Challenges

Dr. Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021/ 9:00 AM-12:00 PM CT

9:00 AM Perspective on NATO’s Strategic Concept and Security Priorities

Ambassador Baiba Braže, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy

9:30 AM (CT) SESSION TWO:  PERSPECTIVES ON WORLD ORDER

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Mark N. Katz, Professor of Government and Politics, George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government

Dr. Minghao Zhao, Senior Fellow, Institute of International Studies/Center for American Studies, Fudan University

Dr. Julian Lindley French, Senior Fellow, Institute for Statecraft in London, Director of Europa Analytica, Netherlands, Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, founder of The Alphen Group, Strategic Advisor to Chiefs of the British Defence Staff, NATO, EU and UN

Dr. Tatyana Shakleina, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Applied Research of International Problems of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Dr./Ambassador (Ret.) Daniel B. Smith, former U.S. Ambassador to Greece and Director Foreign Affairs Institute, Washington DC

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021/ 9:00 AM-12:00 PM CT

9:00 AM (CT) SESSION THREE:   REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES:  EUROPE AND ASIA

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Celin Pajon, Director, Japan Research at the Center for Asian Studies of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and International Research Fellow, Canon Institute of Global Studies (Tokyo)

Ms.  Hayley Channer, Senior Policy Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre, The University of Western Australia

Dr. Nivedita Das Kundu, Senior Foreign Policy Research Analyst, United Service Institution of New Delhi and Research Fellow Ministry of External Affairs Indian Council for World Affairs

Dr. Henrik Stalhane Hiim, Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Dr. Savo Kentera, President, Atlantic Council of Montenegro

Dr. Barbora Maronkova, Communications Advisor on Strategic Concept, Policy Planning Unit, Office of the Secretary General, former Director of NATO Information Office in Kiev, Ukraine and former Acting Director of NATO Information Office in Moscow, Russia

Dr. Sharyl Cross, Director, Kozmetsky Center of Excellence, Conference Moderator

In addition, academics of the Geopolitics section of the International Political Science Association representing North America, Europe, Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific (Dr. Igor Okunev, Professor and Director, Center for Spatial Analysis in International Relations, Moscow State Institute of International Relations MGIMO; Dr. Heidi Lane, Associate Professor, Strategy and Policy Department, US Naval War College; Dr. Teodor Moga, Lecturer EU Foreign Affairs, Center for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University; Dr. Alan Henrikson, Lee E. Dirks Professor of Diplomatic History Emeritus, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Dr. Deepika Saraswat, Research Fellow, India Council of World Affairs and Dr. Rouben Elamiryan, Chair of World Politics and International Relations, Russia-Armenian University) will participate in the sessions as discussants

ZOOM Registration:  https://stedwards.zoom.us/s/95675138741

IPSA RC 41 Fourth International Workshop on

GEOPOLITICS OF SMALL STATES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Monday, 18 October – Tuesday, 19 October 2021

Yerevan, Armenia

Russian-Armenian University

Chair of World Politics and International Relations

UPDATED ANNOUNCEMENT / CALL FOR PAPERS

DEADLINE – March 1, 2021

On July 15, 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation, the IPSA RC41 on Geopolitics, made the difficult decision to postpone the IPSA RC 41 Fourth International Workshop on Geopolitics to October 18-19, 2021.

The Workshop venue, Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan, Armenia will remain the same. The main theme of the Workshop, "Geopolitics of Small States in the 21st century", will not change and all accepted papers will be maintained.

Additionally, to give the opportunity to new participants to attend the Workshop, we open an additional call for submissions.

The deadline for submissions is  April 15, 2021.

UPDATED CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

The intended Workshop: "Fourth International Workshop on Geopolitics of Small States in the 21st Century" in Yerevan, Armenia represents the fourth international conference organized by IPSA’s Research Committee (RC 41) on Geopolitics following those convened in Moscow (2010), Jerusalem (2013), and Austin, Texas (2019).

The two-day workshop is designed to bring together up to fifteen leading scholars on small states to discuss political, security, economic, geopolitical, and technological issues in the world which impact small states in terms of sustainable development and chances for international maneuver. This will allow: (a) discussing the main challenges and threats to the global and regional security architecture and (b) exploring possibilities for small states to transform these challenges and threats into opportunities for prosperity, peace, and cooperation.

Accordingly, the Yerevan Workshop will be conducted in an open discussion format, with scholarly presentations divided into 3 panel sessions, with 3 – 4 papers at each session, followed by additional discussion among the academic participants, representatives of the government/policy and private sector professional communities and the Russian-Armenian University student and faculty campus audience. Once the panelists have concluded their presentations, a designated discussant will then respond with a brief set of oral comments (10-15 minutes), after which each panel chair will open the floor to questions and comments (45-60 minutes) from the audience.

The 3 panel themes are devoted to:

The future of small states in the changing world order: The art of maneuver in the face of rising great power competition

The session will collect contributions on the changing international security environment, the new face of global and regional power competition, as well as its impact on formation and transformation of foreign policy agendas in different parts of the world. This session will also attract contributions on the role of international organizations in fostering interests of small states.

Technology, innovation, and small states in a changing international environment

This session brings together scholars to discuss the impact of technological developments (4th Industrial Revolution, AI, robotics, cyber security, etc.) upon the international relations of small states.

Small states, big nations: The power of Diasporas and other networks in traditional power relations

The third session will focus on non-traditional means of national power, such as Diaspora and other networks of cooperation, to enhance the role and influence of small states in the international arena.

Anyone wishing to participate in the 2021 RC-41 Yerevan Workshop and to contribute by addressing any of the above topics is invited to submit an initial paper proposal.

The Proposal and/or Abstract (limited to 750 words or less) should be sent to Ruben Elamiryan rub.elamiryan@gmail.com and to Igor Okunev okunev_igor@yahoo.com

Final date for submission 15 April 2021

Notice of Acceptance 31 May 2021

No Registration fee is required.

Acceptance is conditioned, however, upon the participant’s commitment to full, active attendance at all panel sessions and discussions throughout the two days of the Workshop, in addition to one paper presentation.

Participants in the 2021 Yerevan International Workshop are expected to cover all personal transportation arrangements and expenses. Limited IPSA conference travel grants may be available upon special request to help defray partial air fare costs for junior scholars or in exceptional cases.

Hotel accommodations (three nights from October 17 to October 20) during the Workshop will be provided for direct participants courtesy of Russian-Armenian University.

All Workshop sessions will be held on the campus of Russian-Armenian University.

Timeline:

15 December 2019                  Announcement & Call for Papers

15 April 2021                          Submission of Proposals / Abstracts

31 May 2021                         Notice of Acceptance

30 September 2021               Full Paper Submission

10 October 2021                     Final Program

List of RC-41 panels

Panel Proposal (1)

U.S. Disengagement and the Problem of International Order

To what extent does a stable international order depend on continued active engagement and leadership by the United States?

For nearly seven decades the United States has created and sustained key international institutions, encouraged regional stability, provided deterrence and reassurance for allies, opposed nuclear weapons proliferation, underpinned the global economy, promoted trade liberalization and economic development, and often – but not always – encouraged human rights and democratization. However, following upon the cautious, reactive policies of the Obama administration, the “America First” rhetoric of the Trump presidency now signals the possibility of an historic reorientation of U.S. foreign relations.

An America no longer confidently acting as the “indispensable nation” would pose, in turn, a fundamental challenge to the existing international system, testing its ability to contain rising revisionist powers and geopolitical contests in East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, thereby assuring basic global order and stability.  

Panel organizers invite submission of proposals addressing the above leading question in either of its two parts: on the one hand, U.S. capacity and purpose; on the other hand, the range of compensatory mechanisms: institutional, procedural, alliances, conflict resolution, etc. 

Convenor:         Aharon Klieman

Co-Chairs:         Robert Lieber and Aharon Klieman

Discussant:

Panel Proposal (2)

Eurasian Geopolitical Contests and Realignments

The balance of power in and across Eurasia is changing dramatically as the shifting interests of the U.S., Russia, China and EU conspire to redefine the structure of geopolitics on the continent. So, too, is Eurasian equilibrium increasingly influenced by social, political and economic turbulence in the adjacent regions of the east European, Middle East, central Asian, northeast Asian and Caucasus rimlands.

These changes pose serious policy challenges as well theoretical questions for students of geopolitics:

• Are we on the threshold of a bipolar-, tripolar-, or multi-polar “moment” in Eurasia?

• What factors are likely to determine the hierarchy of influence and power on the continent?

• Who are the actors best positioned to lead in the rebalancing of power?

• Where are the most readily identifiable trouble spots?

Lastly, which of these flashpoints has the greatest potential for tipping the delicately-poised scales between Eurasian peace and prosperity, on the one hand, and renewed instability and turmoil?

The Panel is sponsored by the International Political Science Association’s Research Committee on Geopolitics (RC-41). Proposals are encouraged from historical and other perspectives and disciplines as well as from area specialists on Eurasian affairs.

Convenor:      Aharon Klieman

Chair:             Igor Okunev

Discussant:

Panel Proposal (3)

The Geopolitics of China’s “One Belt, One Road” Initiative

Launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) proposal formally aims to improve connectivity and cooperation among Asian, African and European countries by linking multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects across land and maritime routes from China to Europe.

Critics of the initiative dismiss it as primarily a geopolitical undertaking, whereby China deploys economic instruments on behalf of its two principal strategic goals: sustaining investment and growth in the Chinese economy while asserting a confident leadership role in Asia and beyond. Clearly driven by China’s ambitious national domestic and foreign policies, the OBOR initiative is nevertheless of such historically unprecedented scale and scope that it must inevitably have long-term geopolitical implications for the study and conduct of world politics.

Taking the debate over China’s motivation as a starting point, this RC-41 (Geopolitics) panel will address the geopolitical underpinnings, dynamics and likely consequences of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.  Papers addressing any of the following and related questions are welcome: What does China aim to achieve by OBOR? How could the initiative re-shape the Eurasian regional balance of power?  What impact will it have on global politics? Not least, what theoretical insights might the initiative offer students of international relations, and of Integration Theory in particular?

Convenor:         Aharon Klieman

Co-Chairs:        Tolga Demiryol, Aharon Klieman

Discussant:

Panel Proposal (4)

Energy and Economic Interdependence

Because energy supplies have always been vital for industrialization, and natural energy resources non-renewable, countries must therefore be constantly on the alert for fresh sources of supply. In today’s world, revenue from petroleum deposits and gas fields alone can suffice to make suppliers like those in the Persian Gulf independently wealthy, just as sophisticated technologies enable the excavation of previously inaccessible sources in remote areas such as the Arctic Circle. This combination of the relentless, competitive search for additional unexploited sources plus the wealth they generate connects the energy industry to the dominant geopolitical struggles of our time.

Conversely, the energy theme directly relates to economic cooperation and interdependence. The argument being that scarcity of energy resources compels exporters and importers alike into a relationship of mutual dependency. On the one hand, countries may view this economic interdependence positively, and in line with their political interests, as when energy collaboration paves the way and opens markets for broader trade. On the other hand, as frequently happens, the close link between energy and economic interdependence can prove negative, when, for instance, countries are reluctant to become overly dependent on foreign partners either because of security considerations or the suspected loss of sovereign control.

The Research Committee on Geopolitics (RC-41) invites papers addressing the strong and growing connection between geopolitics, energy and economic interdependence. Global or regional perspectives are welcome, as well as case studies of specific countries, their national energy policies and approaches to functional cooperation and interdependence.

Convenor:         Aharon Klieman

Co-Chairs:         Ziv  Rubinovitz, Aharon Klieman

Discussant:

The ECPR’s Joint Sessions of Workshops have a unique format that makes them a leading forum for substantive discussion and collaboration between scholars of political science. They are now recognised as one of the major highlights of the world's political science calendar. In 2018, the Joint Sessions will take place at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus.

Workshops are closed gatherings of 15-20 participants, which last for about five days, bringing together scholars from across the world and all career stages. Topics of discussion are precisely defined, and only scholars currently working in the Workshop's field, and with a Paper or research document for discussion, are invited to participate.  Participants may attend only one Workshop, and must stay for the duration of the event.  This format ensures intensive collaboration which often results not only in thorough critiques of the new research being presented, but in new research groups being formed to take that work forward.

The Joint Sessions of Workshops have been held in a different European city, at an ECPR Full-Member university, each spring since 1973. 

For further information please contact Marcia Taylor jointsessions@ecpr.eu / +44 (0) 1206 630045.

#ecprjs18

Call for Session Proposals for the IGU Commission on Political Geography

IGU Regional Conference in Moscow, Russia 17-22 August 2015 http://www.igu2015.ru/

Conference theme: Geography, Culture and Society for Our Future Earth

The Regional Conference of the International Geographer's Union (IGU) will take place in Moscow next summer for the third time since the international Geographical Congress of 1976, when over 2,000 participants from around the world gathered in the Soviet capital for lectures, discussions, workshops and excursions. The pace of global change has since accelerated in directions that once seemed unimaginable. The 2015 Regional Conference will be an opportunity to reflect upon these changes as well as the future course of human civilisation in relation to pressing socio-environmental challenges.

IGU Moscow 2015 will focus on five main themes: Urban Environment, Polar Studies, Climate Change, Global Conflict and Regional Sustainability.

The organising committee for the International Geographical Union Regional Conference in Moscow is accepting proposals for sessions until 15 October 2014. Sessions can take the following forms: 1) plenary sessions, 2) commission and task force sessions, 3) thematic sessions.

Thematic sessions may be organized by conference participants to gather experts specialized in a particular research topic in order to discuss selected research issues. You may also organize workshops and special sessions for young scholars and university teachers, school geography teachers and students. When submitting a session proposal, please include the session type, name of the proposed chairperson, and a brief paragraph to outline the topic.

If you are interested in organizing a thematic (or other) session, you will need to complete a session proposal form (see attached or click on this link: http://www.igu2015.ru/index.php?r=36) and submit it to the organisers by 15 October 2014.

The IGU Commission on Political Geography would like to invite you to submit a proposal under the Commission, or jointly with another Commission. As the proposals for Commission sessions are to be ultimately vetted by the relevant Commission, please contact the Commission to coordinate efforts. Discuss your proposal with and/or submit your form to Virginie Mamadouh at v.d.mamadouh@uva.nl and/or Takashi Yamazaki at yamataka@lit.osaka-cu.ac.jp , as early as possible and no later than Friday 10 October.

For more information about the IGU 2015 Regional Conference, please refer to the conference website: http://www.igu2015.ru

IGU-CPG also sponsors a post-conference in Kaliningrad. Details will follow soon.

Hosted by Temple University’s Department of Geography and Urban Studies, the 21st Annual Critical Geography Conference hopes to include a wide array of scholars and activists doing work in critical geography. This year’s overarching theme connotes an exploration of how we understand, follow, imagine, feel, utilize, yield to and alter the workings of power. Power has been theorized from the top down and the bottom up, as structure and as capillary, as productive and destructive, and as both immaterial and material. We hope to use geography’s diverse engagements with power as an entry point for generating discussions across the ‘divides’ of critical geography – specifically divides between approaches attending to structural forces, focusing on knowledge production and meaning making, and/or tracing power into bodies and matter/materiality. As our logo <tucriticalgeography.org> seeks to make clear, the conference locates the question of “how power happens?” at the core of these three areas of inquiry, and calls upon critical geographers to create fruitful conversation and debate within the apparent areas of overlap.

The conference will begin on Friday, November 7th, 2014. The opening evening will feature a keynote address by Dr. Mona Domosh from the Department of Geography at Dartmouth College.

The program on Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9th will consist of paper sessions, panels, round table discussions, and sessions with alternative formats.

We invite you to submit abstracts or proposals for sessions, by the deadline of August 10, 2014. Abstracts or proposals should be 250 words in length, and we ask that you include contact information and any titles or affiliations you would like placed in the program. Sessions may include papers, panels, roundtables, workshops, performances, or sessions with alternative formats. We are especially interested in participants organizing their own sessions, and we also want to encourage perspectives and styles of communication from beyond the academy. If you would like to organize a session, please let us know in advance and you can then issue a CFP through the appropriate mailing lists. Papers submitted individually will be reviewed by the program committee after August 20, and will be accepted for committee-organized sessions as space allows. Please send your abstract or proposal to Sarah Stinard-Kiel at sarah.sk@temple.edu

Further information on the conference, including accommodations, program, and conference events will be updated on the conference web site as the information becomes available, www.tucriticalgeography.org. You can also find updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tucriticalgeography. Please feel free to email any further questions to the conference planning committee via Sarah Stinard-Kiel at sarah.sk@temple.edu or Allison Hayes-Conroy at anhc@temple.edu. The conference will be a caregiver and child friendly space.

BRIT (Border Regions in Transition) is an international network of researchers and practitioners dealing with issues on borders. More details on BRIT and BRITXIV is given here.

The objective of this conference is, with a transdisciplinary approach (geography, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, history), to contribute to a collective reflection on innovations related to border and cross-border dynamics.

The decision to set BRIT next to the Franco-Belgian border in 2014 falls within the symbol. A century after the declaration of the Great War, the aim is to trace the evolution of the border between France and Belgium, which started from “front” border to end with « sewing » border. If it once represented a split between two territories, the border has now come to represent an element of welding these two territories. The field day will offer a contact with these concrete realities.

More information about BRIT XIV is to be found http://www.brit2014.org/index.php/about-britxiv/.

Call for abstracts and papers

The list of sessions is given in call for papers - http://www.brit2014.org/index.php/call/.

Abstracts will be sent until March 15, 2014.

Agenda and places

November 4, 2014 : Arras (France)

November 5, 2014 : field day from France to Belgium

November 6, 2014 : Lille (France)

November 7, 2014 : Mons (Belgium)

Contact : contact@brit2014.org

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the 2014 IGU Regional Conference which will be held in Kraków, Poland, 18-22 August, 2014. It will also be an excellent opportunity to discover the beauty and variety of the environment and the culture of Central and Eastern Europe. The main theme of the conference is Changes, Challenges, Responsibility. Modern geography faces significant challenges focusing on the recognition of and response to contemporary changes in the environment, society and economy. All this calls for our responsibility. The conference aims to create a forum at which these issues can be addressed. It is open to all geographers across the spectrum who specialize in all fields of the discipline. The conference is going to be an event contributing to efforts undertaken, for example, by ICSU/ISSC Future Earth, and aimed at defining pathways towards sustainability and responding effectively to the risks and opportunities of global environmental change. Kraków, the former capital of Poland, is the seat of the second oldest university in Central Europe, established in 1364. The Jagiellonian University is the seat of the first ever Chair of Geography in Poland, established in 1849. We believe that the 2014 IGU Regional Conference will be an important and meaningful event, bringing together geographers from all over the world and contributing to a better understanding of the changes and challenges faced by the world and our discipline as well as the responsibility we all share.

Please find here the sessions organised by the Commission on Political Geography:

http://www.igu-cpg.unimib.it/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/IGUCPGCALLS.pdf

More information on the Conference Website: http://www.igu2014.org/

The travel grant application process for attendance at the next IGU Regional Conference in Krakow, Poland 18 th to 22 nd August 2014 is now open. Details, together with an application form, are here.