Critical political geographies of Europe and the EU (1/2)

Fachsitzung
Sitzungs-ID
FS-452
Sitzungsreihe
Gehe zu: Teil (2/2)
Termin
Freitag (22. September 2023), 09:00–10:30
Raum
SH 0.101
Sitzungsleitung
Veit Bachmann (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)
Antoine Laporte (École Normale Supérieure de Lyon)
Kurz­be­schreib­ung
The session covers a broad range of political geographic topics related to Europe. Specifically, it invites contributions that deconstruct mechanisms of European power projection, discourses on Europe as a region as well as possible thought experiments of the future of Europe and the EU.
Schlag­wörter
English-language session, Politische Geographie, EU
Veit Bachmann (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)
Antoine Laporte (École Normale Supérieure de Lyon)
Introduction: Geographic European Studies?
Mégane Fernandez (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Horizon 2020’s Europe: Deconstructing European domination in scientific production
Etienne Toureille (Université de Rouen-Normandie)
Sophie de Ruffray (Université de Rouen-Normandie)
Clarisse Didelon-Loiseau (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Camille Dabestani (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Elina Marveaux (CNRS FR 2007 CIST)
Hugues Pecout (CNRS UMR8406 Géographie Cités)
The influence of EU normative discourses on students' representations of Europe's semantic and spatial borders

Abstract der Sitzung

In his monograph “L’invention des continents” French geographer Christian Grataloup (2009) has artfully laid out how not only nations and states but also continents are social constructs. The difficulty in defining where and what Europe is, is only one testimony to this observation and the ambiguity of Europe as social and historical construct.

Political geography has a long history in endeavouring in such attempts of definition – at its darkest times in shameful liaison with violent regimes in power and in form of purported scientific “legitimation” for imperialism, colonialism, racism and other oppressive ideologies of power. Nonetheless, political geography has also contributed to important anti-authoritarian and power-sensitive deconstructions of precisely such ideologies, discourses and structures of power and oppression. This includes critical scrutiny towards the system(s) of political organisation that govern European space – whereby such “European” space always entails a global dimension, since Europe is comprised of (formerly) imperial actors.

This session seeks to cover two broad fields related to Critical Political Geographies of Europe. First, it invites submissions that critically deconstruct the mechanism of unequal power projection that entail a “European dimension” – both within Europe as well as regards European power projections beyond “Europe” (however it is defined). The relation between “Europe” and “the EU” is particularly important here. While the latter is merely one amongst many political entities on the European continent, it is nevertheless a unique experiment of the political organisation of European space and, often, semantically synonymised with Europe.

Second, in line with the overarching theme of the DKG 2023, “Planetary Futures”, the session further invites contributions that are mindful of both Europe’s and Political Geography’s imperial pasts (and presents), but still venture into possible thought experiments of what the future for Europe, the EU or their respective positions and roles in the world might bring. If continents are indeed inventions, they are subject to be changed and influenced towards normatively “better”, less oppressive and more sustainable futures.

The list below offers a first indication of possible topics to be covered. Nevertheless, the session remains open and we welcome submissions covering a broad range of contributions roughly related to “Critical Political Geographies of Europe”. Possible topics of the session include but are not limited to: