NKG XVI Eichstätt (english)

In recent years, the social sciences and humanities developed research approaches which question the prevalent dualisms between mind and matter, human beings and nature as well as subject and object. In part, German-speaking geography took up these approaches. Nevertheless, most of the terms in use are simply taken over from their English origin and still lack a German translation which shows that these topics are mainly discussed within the Anglo-Saxon (and in part also in the French) scientific community.

Many of the currently debated academic and socio-political questions in those discussions only arise as a consequence of an ontological reconceptualization of our world: How does agency arise between human and non-human actors? Which kind of ethical and political implications do post-dualistic, “more than human” (or post-human as preferred by some authors) approaches have? How can the concept of society be (re-)conceived in a world which is understood as a co-production of human and non-human subjects? Which kind of consequences does this ontological re-ordering of the world have for the conceptualization of power relations and for knowledge production? In which way can “more than human” geographies be investigated empirically?

Those questions exemplify what is currently debated and pursued in different research fields via different research approaches, built on a wide range of meta-theoretical, epistemological and methodological considerations. Phenomenology, pragmatism, science and technology studies, actor-network theory, more-than-representational theory, assemblage theory, human-animal studies, political ecology as well as different practice-theoretical, performative and visceral approaches can be named as relevant in this context.

We are very much looking forward to receiving papers dealing with these post-dualist, “more-than-human” approaches and questions. We also highly appreciate papers that look for connecting points between these approaches and critical-materialist, feminist or post-structuralist approaches that try to overcome dualist thinking.

As usual at the conference series of the “Neue Kulturgeographie” (“New cultural geographies”), we are also looking forward to receiving theoretical and empirical papers from the broad spectrum of the “Neue Kulturgeographie” which do not fit into this topical frame.

Registration is now open. Abstracts of 300-400 words can be handed in until November 30th, 2018. You will be informed about the acceptance of your paper by the beginning of December. Apart from papers, we are also looking forward to receiving proposals for sessions, workshops, discussion rounds, panel discussions and other formats in English or German.

The conference starts on Thursday, January 31st at 5 PM and ends on Saturday, February 2nd at 3 PM. The conference will be held at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Eichstätt.

For further information, please refer to the conference websites:

https://kulturgeographie.org/ or www.ku.de/mgf/geographie/humangeographie/nkg

Contact: tagung-nkg@ku.de

Organizers:

  • Cornelia Bading
  • Anke Breitung
  • Simon Dudek
  • Andrea Käsbohrer
  • Gerhard Rainer
  • Verena Schröder
  • Christian Steiner
  • Frank Zirkl