Conference Aims

Geographies of emotion are outsized in the present political climate of the USA. From the geographies of feeling generated by protests shared in the millions, to the ignited or reinvigorated passion for social justice, to the fear, anxiety, shame and doubt propagated and felt by too many, the need is great for compassionate and proactive scholarship that recognizes and thoughtfully develops the linkages between emotion, spaces and societies.

In this spirit, the 6th International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Emotional Geographies will go forward this June 2017 in the contested spaces of the USA. We will embed conference opportunities for linking with local social change movements, for example, via a proposed exhibition of actions currently taking place in this region, and via a local keynote speaker, to be announced. We stand in solidarity with any colleagues who choose not to attend, and we stand with those who can to demonstrate a refusal to silence analysis and action. We welcome input from conference attendees on any ways to further utilize the conference space for these aims.

We encourage sessions, papers, panels and posters that investigate the emotional intersections between people and places including examinations of feelings and affect in various spatial and social contexts, environments and landscapes. Questions of emotion are relevant to several different disciplines – we seek considerations of the multiplicity of spaces and places that produce and are produced by emotional and affective life, representing an inclusive range of theoretical and methodological engagements with emotion as a social, cultural and spatial phenomenon.

For more information please see the following statements:

Keynote Speakers

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Lauren Heidbrink will be presenting her visual exhibit Migration and Belonging: Narratives from a Highland Town. The exhibit traces the pervasive and enduring impacts of migration and deportation on a highland community of Guatemala. Known as the “breadbasket” of Central America, Almolonga enjoys a thriving agricultural economy and strong community leadership; yet poverty remains significant, social inequality pronounced, alcoholism pervasive, and livable wages scarce. Migration and Belonging is a visual exhibit featuring photography, digital stories, poems, and reflections from an interdisciplinary research team. The collection offers a rich, multifaceted account of a community impacted by colonialism, state violence, and the profound impacts—both historic and contemporary—of migration across intimate, community, and transnational levels.

We are pleased to announced that the CalArts Center for New Performance/Duende CalArts will present selections from Shelter, a movement based play about unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the United States. Shelter illuminates the lives of unaccompanied Central American youths who have made the hazardous journey to the United States and now must navigate the shelter and deportation systems. Issues of immigration, sanctuary and deportation will be explored, issues which take on a particular importance given the current political situation in the United States. Shelter is “based on extensive interviews that tell the stories of undocumented youth and those of their teachers, lawyers and caseworkers -giving voice to the multiple perspectives of those involved. Their stories convey the human consequences, not simply the facts.” Shelter premiered April 2016 in Lincoln Park, Los Angeles to enthusiastic crowds and later in June 2016 was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Members of the cast and writer, Marissa Chibas, will be lead in a post presentation discussion by Stuart Aitken.

Organizing Committee

Dr. Deborah Thien, CSULB, and Dr. Stuart Aitken, SDSU, with support from Emotion, Space and Society.

The committee gratefully acknowledges the following CSULB partners:

David Wallace, Dean, College of Liberal Arts

Department of Geography

Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Resource Center

49er Shops

Join Us!

Conference registration fees and deadlines:

Registration & Abstracts

Earlybird : $150, register between February 15th, 2017 and April 27th, 2017

Regular: $175, register between April 28th, 2017 and May 11th, 2017

Late: $200, register on or after May 12th, 2017

Day Rate: $70

Student Conference Rates: $50 (Earlybird), $60 (Regular), $70 (Late)

Abstracts will be accepted during Earlybird and Regular registration periods

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Interested in childcare options? Please write to emogeo@csulb.edu.