Looking beyond one's nose - Russia

[i]Planning, policies and Institutions for integration 2nd Aesop Young Academics Meeting[/i] St. Peterspurg, Russia February 6-8, 2008 In an age where economic ‘globalization’ is often synonymous with the increased mobility of human and financial capital, it also reflects a re-organization and emergence of global production centres as well as an increasing concentration of wealth and development. In this dynamic and complex process, national borders seemingly have become more permeable just as well as impervious. Thus national borders remain both ‘spaces’ and ‘places’ for integration and discontent. In other words, the phenomenological affects of ‘globalization’ on ‘spaces’ of cross-border relations are often compounded by the effects of past and ongoing events such as the end of the former Soviet bloc and European enlargement. They also are politicized and policed ‘places’ of management and control of national interests over issues such as security and immigration. Therefore, borders are far from a forgotten dimension of geopolitical space. Rather the ‘spaces’ and ‘places’ of borders are increasingly multidimensional and ever-changing, signifying the limits of socio-cultural identity and exchange as they alternate between differing conceptualizations such as ‘fences’, ‘hinges’, ‘barriers’ and ‘opportunities’ to many forms of development among others. The 2nd YA Meeting – ‘Looking Beyond One’s Nose: Planning, Policies and Institutions for Integration’ – aims to gather young researchers and students from a variety of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. It also wants to discuss and encourage the exchange of ideas and research on evolving perceptions of the ‘border’, not only for what concerns its territorial implications but also its institutional, social and cultural dimensions. ‘Borders’ constitute both ‘spaces’ and ‘places’ for integration and discontent. They are historically embedded and context-specific. In other words, whilst these ‘spaces’ and ‘places’ can be perceived as the beginning or end of particular territorial and socio-cultural understanding, they also can emerge as a link or a means of integration between different realities. With this view in mind the 2nd YA Meeting will concentrate on the notion of the ’border’ as a multidimensional concept, exploring how its differing conceptualizations are incorporated in the ‘spaces’ and ‘places’ of planning and development. The conference discussion and debate will begin by identifying four specific dimensions of this multidimensional concept: 1. Territorial borders and the way in which it has implications for planning and development; 2. Operational borders and the way in which differences in institutional and operational arrangements characterise different contexts and affect the transfer of good practice; 3. Cultural and Social borders and the way in which they can contribute to social exclusion phenomena as well as integration; 4. Disciplinary borders and the way in which the limits and challenges of planning at the border are addressed in the incorporation of differing knowledge sources. Each conference participant will contribute to the event with a short paper of 5,000 – 6,000 words (8-12 pp. maximum). [b]Abstracts must be submitted by October 25, 2007[/b], addressing one of the above four ‘border’ concepts. [b]Deadline for papers is January 10, 2007[/b]. For more information vistit the official site: http: //www.aesop-youngacademics.net