News Archive August - September 2008
25/09/2008
Forced migration and climate change - new research resources
Increasingly, there is widespread recognition that the environment, people's lives and livelihoods are being transformed as a result of climate change. This has been linked to increased levels of environmental and weather-related disasters and higher levels of displacement. The Refugee Studies Centre has produced a set of resources which debate the issues - including numbers, definitions and modalities - and the tension between the need for research and the need to act. Prepared to complement Forced Migration Review 31 (http://www.fmreview.org/climatechange.htm) and the Forced Migration Online (FMO) Research Guide on Climate Change and Displacement (http://www.forcedmigration.org/guides/fmo046/), FMO also hosts a new Resource Summary (http://www.forcedmigration.org/browse/thematic/climate-change/) on the topic which provides links to many key resources, websites and documents related to climate change, environmental change, disasters and forced migration.
24/09/2008
New study highlights future maritime traffic flows in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is amongst the world’s busiest waterways accounting for 15 per cent of global shipping activity by number of calls and 10 per cent by vessel deadweight tonnes (DWT), says new study. Overall vessel activity within the Mediterranean has been rising steadily over the past 10 years and is projected to increase by a further 18 per cent over the next 10 years. Transits through the Mediterranean are expected to rise by 23 percent. Increases in vessel activity will be coupled with the deployment of ever larger vessels. Chemical tanker and container vessels will show the highest rates of growth in respect of port callings within the Mediterranean over the next ten years whilst increases in transits will be most pronounced in the product and crude tanker sector. REMPEC commissioned Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit (LLOYD’S MIU). To read the study, click: http://www.unepmap.org/index.php?module=news&action=detail&id=39
Source: SMAP
21/09/2008
Progress toward achieving the objectives of the Energy Road Map
On 1-2 October, experts from the INOGATE project will meet in Brussels to prepare the forthcoming 3rd Ministerial Conference to be held at the end of November. Specifically, the two main tasks to be carried out during the meeting are: 1) to review and agree upon the Monitoring Report on the progress made by the EU and the INOGATE Partner Countries toward achieving the objectives of the Energy Road Map adopted at the 2nd Ministerial Conference in November 2006; and 2) to discuss the draft Declaration of the forthcoming Ministerial Conference.
INOGATE is an international co-operation programme aiming at promoting the regional integration of the pipeline systems and facilitating the transport of oil and gas, while at the same time acting as a catalyst for attracting private investors and international financial institutions to these pipeline projects.
http://www.inogate.org/en/
21/09/2008
Experts meet to discuss infrastructure projects in the Black Sea-Caspian Basin region
The First meeting of the Black Sea-Caspian Basin Experts Working Group on Infrastructure will be hold in Brussels on 8 October. The session will be dedicated to the identification of priority infrastructure projects and to their financing. TRACECA is an interstate programme aimed at supporting the political and economic development in Black Sea Region, Caucasus and Central Asia by means of improvement of this international transport corridor.
http://www.traceca-org.org/default.php
20/09/2008
New Book – Politics at the Airport
Mark B. Salter, editor
University of Minnesota Press | 208 pages | 2008
ISBN 978-0-8166-5014-9 | hardcover | $60.00
ISBN 978-0-8166-5015-6 | paperback | $20.00
Politics at the Airport brings together leading scholars to examine how airports both shape and are shaped by current political, social, and economic conditions. It broadens our understanding of the connections among power, space, and migration and establishes the airport as critical to the study of politics and global life.
Contributors: Peter Adey, Colin J. Bennett, Gillian Fuller, Francisco R. Klauser, Gallya Lahav, David Lyon, Benjamin J. Muller, Valérie November, Jean Ruegg.
"Airport books tend to be general in tone and overly glamorize the airport as a global node and site of transnationalism -- Politics at the Airport tempers such optimistic readings with a much needed discussion on the politics of mobility, surveillance, and control."-Tim Cresswell
For more information, including the table of contents, visit the book's webpage:
http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/S/salter_politics.html
20/08/2008
Heritage in Asia: Converging Forces and Conflicting Values
An International Conference, 08-10th January 2009 | Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.
Abstract Deadline: 01 September 2008
Rapid economic and social change across Asia today means the region’s heritage is at once under threat and undergoing a revival as never before. Expanding infrastructures, increasing incomes, liberalizing economies and the lowering of borders, both physical and political, are all converging as powerful forces transforming Asia’s social, cultural and physical landscapes. But as the region’s societies look forward, there are competing forces that ensure they re-visit the past and the inherited. In recent years the idea of ‘heritage’ – both natural and cultural – has come to the fore across Asia, driven by a language of identity, tradition, revival, and sustainability. For some, heritage has become an effective means for protecting those landscapes, rituals, artifacts or traditional values endangered by rapid socio-economic change. For others, it has emerged as a valuable resource for achieving wider goals such as poverty alleviation, the legitimization of narratives of place and past, nation building or the cultural profiling of citizens. And yet for others, heritage protection is an obstacle inhibiting progress, national unification, or the shedding of unwanted memories.
In a region of immensely uneven change - such that the pre-/industrial and post-industrial all co-exist to create simultaneous presents – major analytical challenges arise from the need to preserve, safeguard and restore in contexts where aspirations for modernization and development are powerful and legitimate forces. To date however, much of the analysis of heritage in Asia has relied upon inherited or borrowed conceptions, and assumptions about what should be valued and privileged. The legacies of colonialism, state-centric agendas, social inequality, and the uneasy management of pluralist populations all conspire to stifle open and innovative discussion. There is little doubt that over the coming decade the contestations surrounding heritage in Asia will continue to intensify, whereby converging forces and conflicting values are the norm.
Hosted in Singapore, Heritage in Asia: Converging Forces and Conflicting Values examines heritage in relation to the broader social, environmental and economic changes occurring across Asia today. Moving beyond sector specific analyses, we define heritage in holistic terms and include the natural and cultural, the tangible and intangible. We strongly welcome contributions which consider the validity of current heritage theory for understanding contemporary Asia, and where appropriate, offer new conceptual and analytical directions. We also encourage submissions from researchers who offer insights into the connections between heritage and social development, urban studies, post-conflict reconstruction, migration/diaspora, trans-national capitalism, human rights, or popular culture. The conference provides the interdisciplinary platform necessary for making sense of the broader contexts and forces surrounding heritage in Asia today; and, in so doing, offers an innovative look at the rapid and complex socio-cultural changes now occurring across the region.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Dr Nobuko Inaba, Professor of World Heritage Studies Program, University of Tsukuba | Dr Richard Engelhardt, UNESCO Senior Advisor for Culture | Prof. William Logan, UNESCO Chair and Director of Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia-Pacific, Deakin University | Dr Johannes Widodo, Professor of Architecture, National University of Singapore.
Proposed Themes:
Heritage in Cosmopolitan Urban Spaces
Across Asia cities continue to expand at unprecedented rates. Migrating populations, urban development and real estate speculation are placing severe pressure on fragile heritage resources. Simultaneously though, as cities compete for attention in today’s
‘new economies’ they increasingly draw on heritage resources to brand themselves as sites of cultural or historical interest. What strategies successfully protect historic sites from the real estate developer? What role should the residues of colonialism play in new
urban blueprints? How can the social pluralism of today’s urban landscapes be reflected and equitably represented in the built environment? Potential themes include: Heritage and Performing The Global City | Industrial, 20th Century And Independence Heritage | Rural, Urban Transitions: Landscapes of the Vernacular and Everyday Heritage.
Heritage, Reconstruction and Reconciliation
In recent years devastating disasters - whether it be from earthquakes, cyclones and tsunamis, or from the manmade violence of civil wars and conflict - have led to the destruction of irreplaceable architectural and archaeological sites across Asia. But should reconstruction and revival merely be about the heritage resources themselves, or can heritage play a wider role in the re-constitution of traumatized communities and the reconstruction of livelihoods? Does the language of ‘commemoration’, so favored by the international community, merely result in the retention of localized hostilities or can memorials be used as a tool for reconciliation? Potential themes include: Heritage And Post-Conflict/Post Disaster Livelihoods | Trauma, Memory And Forgetting | Post-Disaster Governance: Capacity Building, Geopolitics And Cultural Diplomacy.
Economies of Heritage
Heritage is now widely employed as a ‘resource’ for socio-economic development. The use of cultural and natural heritage by governments, non-governmental agencies and institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank within a framework of
development has yet to receive the critical attention it deserves. Is heritage merely being exploited as an economic resource by wealthy elites or can it contribute to programs of ‘sustainable development’ that foster more equitable economic growth? Can poverty
reduction help curb the illicit trafficking of cultural antiquities? In what circumstances do initiatives to promote intangible heritage create gender specific economies? Potential themes include: Heritage, Tourism And Development | Theorizing the ‘Values’ of Heritage | Sustainability, Community, Participation: Concepts or Buzzwords?
Heritage and Diversity. In recent years cultural heritage has emerged as an effective tool for promoting a benign language of difference within and across communities. But how successfully do current heritage policies reflect the cultural, ethnic and religious diversities of Asia? Do UNESCO conventions on ‘intangible heritage’ promote pluralism or are they enabling states to further their agendas of culturally profiling their citizens? How will the consumption of the Other or the exotic by a fast growing Asian tourism market influence the socio-cultural topography of the region? Potential themes include: Ethnicity, Culture And Plurality | Heritage, Human Rights, And Indigenity | Empowering The ‘Bearers Of Culture’ | Heritage and Modernity. Modernity across Asia has destabilized previously accepted assumptions about ‘authenticity’ and the aesthetics of nature and culture. Do heritage frameworks conceived within the cultural traditions of ‘Western’ modernity remain valid for Asia today? In a region undergoing rapid industrialization, is industrial heritage a relevant category of social commemoration? Does a concern for the preservation of cultural heritage inhibit the shedding of the ‘post-colonial’? How should natural landscapes best be protected from ‘modern’ intrusions? What rights should communities living inside historic landscapes have towards development and ‘modernization’? Do new media technologies present new opportunities for interpreting the past? Potential themes include: The Modern/Postmodern: Towards Asian Centric Theories of Heritage | Simultaneous Presents And The Multiple Temporalities Of Place | Media, Popular Culture And Heritage.
Submission Details. 250-word abstracts and a 5-line biography should be submitted by 1st September 2008. Successful applicants will be advised by 15th September and will be required to send in a completed paper by 15th December 2008. Some funding will be available for those in the Asian Region, post-graduate students, and others unable to fund themselves. Selected papers will be put forward for publication in a refereed edited volume.
Please submit enquiries and/or Abstracts to Dr Patrick Daly (aripd@nus.edu.sg) or Dr Tim Winter (tim.winter@usyd.edu.au).
Further Details and Submission Form Available at: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/events_categorydetails.asp?categoryid=6&eventid=814
19/08/2008
Texts and Tours: Developing the Potential of Literary Tourism - Conference
5th December 2008 | Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds | Organised by Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change www.tourism-culture.com LitHouses: The Literary Homes and Museums Group www.lithouses.org
Given the privileged global role of the English language and the undoubted popularity of English literature throughout the world, it would seem that the United Kingdom has much to offer the world in terms of its literary heritage. However, despite some national, regional and local initiatives over the years, there is still substantial potential for the development of literary tourism. Literary tourism can be focused on the locations featured in texts, upon the lives and homes of authors, or both. It can involve specific organised tours and trails, or form part of a wider cultural tour. It draws in many different stakeholders from museum curators, literary societies, the owners / managers of heritage sites and historic houses and, many involved in the development and promotion of tourism. Our literary heritage has an important role to play in ‘place-making’ and is an important dimension in the marketing of the UK as an international destination.
This one day conference is organised between the Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change, a leading international centre for research and development in cultural tourism and, the LitHouses Group, which represents the UK’s leading literary homes and museums. The event is also the 5th Annual Conference of the LitHouses Group, which was founded in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2003. Drawing upon national and international cases and examples, the event will examine: Literary tourism in the wider context of ‘cultural tourism’; Practical issues relating to developing literary tours and trails; The role of the literary home/literary museum; Partnerships and networks; Meeting the needs of the literary tourist; Effective marketing of literary tourism; Developing literary events.
Conference Audience. The conference will be of interest to: Destination managers at local and regional level; Tourism development organisations and promotional agencies; Owners and managers of literary heritage sites and landscapes; Owners / managers of historic houses and museums with literary associations; Literary societies.
Conference Registration. A registration form can be downloaded at: http://www.tourism-culture.com/pop_up/forthcoming_conferences.html?PAGE=1
The conference rate is £70. The conditions and cancellation policy are deatiled on the registration form. For any enquiries or further information about the conference or registration, please contact Daniela Carl at ctcc@leedsmet.ac.uk or in writing to: Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change. Faculty of Arts & Society. Leeds Metropolitan University. Old School Board. Calverley Street. Leeds LS1 3ED, UK. phone +44 (0)113- 283 8541 | fax +44 (0)113- 283 8544 | www.tourism-culture.com
18/08/2008
13th International Metropolis Conference: Mobility, Integration and Development in a Globalised World
27-31 October 2008, Bonn, Germany
This year's conference highlights the links between mobility, integration, and development. The conference will bring to the foreground issues that are often lost when these general topics are discussed in isolation from one another, in hopes of uncovering new aspects of Metropolis' traditional areas of interest, new avenues for research, and areas for policy development that have been neglected in he past. For more information: http://www.metropolis2008.org/.
18/08/2008
‘Educating the cosmopolitan national: Negotiating memory and conflict in making democratic citizens’ – Call for papers
Session at the American Association of Geographers’ Conference 2009. If you are interested in presenting a paper, please contact Dan Hammett (D.Hammett@ed.ac.uk) or Lynn Staeheli (Lynn.staeheli@ed.ac.uk)
The negotiation of belonging, the designation of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’, and the manipulation of citizenship and nationhood refract conflict and political struggles within states around the world. These practices emphasize the need to develop citizens who uphold ideals of democracy and nationhood, particularly in states that are negotiating histories of inequality, oppression and conflict. Education programs and policies provide one avenue through which government can directly affect citizenship formation and the evelopment of values, skills and dispositions associated with the ‘good’ citizen. However, the pedagogy of post-conflict nations is
difficult, as governments try to present narratives of national histories and character without inflaming (sometimes quite recent) conflicts. One strategy has been to promote a version of citizenship that negotiates cosmopolitan ideals and national histories.
This session will examine the ways in which states seek to negotiate tensions between cosmopolitan citizenship and national histories in citizenship education programs. It asks: How do governments and elites attempt to overcome histories of conflict in re-building nations? How are policies of nation-building and citizenship-making negotiated and transformed in their implementation? What happens when these policies seem to limit the possibilities for reconciliation by glossing over historical “truths”? What happens when national policies are deemed inappropriate to the local context in which they are implemented?
18/08/2008
Iraqis in Egypt site goes live today!
Since the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003, almost 2.5 million Iraqis have fled their homes to seek asylum in neighbouring countries. Now Iraqis in Egypt brings you the first ever in-depth online resource into one of these refugee populations. Close to 150,000 refugees from Iraq are now trapped in Egypt. They have little hope of integration and no home to return to.
We are an association of journalists, filmmakers, artists and researchers working together with the Iraqi community of Egypt to bring world attention to this unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Visit iraqisinegypt.org now for the latest media releases, films, podcasts and more.
http://www.iraqisinegypt.org/
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