Borders are perhaps the most contested geographical area in contemporary politics, drawing historically disputed and often arbitrary distinctions between nation states, voting districts, and, ultimately, who is welcomed as a worthy citizen and who is deemed an unwanted other. Border studies is thus becoming an emerging and increasingly relevant field of inquiry; geographers maintain that borders are a source of violence rather than a response to it, while artists have repeatedly drawn attention to the refugee crisis, reconceptualized borders through ecological features, and even suggested preserving current border wall prototypes as works of land art.
As the effects of global climate change continue to threaten disparate populations and compound civil unrest, how might such conditions present new routes for us to navigate the nature of borders in an ethical way that centers social justice, questioning the necessity of the very existence of borders in the process? How are borders being literally redrawn due to sinking islands and rising seas, and how are current border policies acting as preemptive climate policy, restricting the global movement of people at the very same time increased mobility is and will continue to be necessary? How have Indigenous studies and queer and critical race theory analyzed the borders between who is considered human, as well as our collective relationship to the more-than-human world? And how have these theories informed environmental and climate justice movements? This conference will examine borders in both their physical and conceptual realms through such multitudes of possibilities.
Suggested topics and fields of research include, but are not limited to:
*art history and visual culture
*documentary media
*security studies
*queer ecology
*historical borders
*international climate agreements
*border architecture
*photojournalism
*climate refugees
*geographical/topographical boundaries
*speculative futures
*transnational social movements
We welcome proposals for 15 minute presentations from scholars, artists, and activists of all backgrounds, disciplines, and career stages. Please send an abstract no longer than 300 words with contact information and a short bio to climatefuturescollective@gmail.com under the subject line “Fluid Borders CFP” by February 20, 2020.