[Kaupunkitutkimus] CFP Legal geographies mini-symposium III in Turku

[Virve Repo]

Dear colleagues,
Please see below the cfp for the Legal Geographies Mini-Symposium III 
Looking forward to your abstracts!

LEGAL GEOGRAPHIES MINI-SYMPOSIUM III University of Turku, Finland April 18–19, 2018 

The third Legal Geographies Mini-Symposium continues the discussion on space/law relations from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The theme of the symposium is “property”, but the presentations can concern legal geography also more widely. 

Property is one of the key topics in legal geography. The concept of property has been used to discuss law/space relations, including the ones related to privacy, publicity, housing, planning, exclusion and violence. The studies have raised questions about how propertyrelated rights are used to exclude people or to restrict the uses of public spaces; how changes in ownership may lead to privatization; how the conflicting conceptions of the property rights may complicate the land use of minorities or alternative communities; or how land use struggles may lead to carceralities. 

The keynote speaker of the symposium is Professor Nicholas Blomley (Simon Fraser University, Canada), one of the leading scholars of legal geography. Blomley’s research includes the work of property in conflicts and social relations, including gentrification, urban gardening, the regulation of panhandling and indigenous-state treaties. Blomley has authored, co-authored, edited and co-edited dozens of articles and books, including The Expanding Spaces of Law (2014), Rights of Passage (2011), Unsettling the City (2004), The Legal Geographies Reader (2001), and Law, Space, and the Geographies of Power (1994). 

In addition to presentations concerning property, we welcome abstracts dealing more widely with legal geographical thinking and its future prospects. The event is multidisciplinary, and we invite scholars from all fields of study such as geography, urban studies, planning, architecture, legal studies, history, philosophy and media studies. The symposium is free of charge, but the number of partakers is limited. The forms of participation include short presentations concerning the finished research or ‘work in progress’ (20 min), and posters. 
To enroll in the symposium, please send your abstract proposal (max 200 words) to Päivi Rannila (paivi.rannila at utu.fi) by April 5, 2018. 

Funding: Academy of Finland (project Nomospheres of Publicity)


Virve Repo
Division of Geography
FI-20014 University of Turku, Finland
vtrepo at utu.fi