March 18th, 2014

New Compass announces:

CALL FOR PAPERS

Ecological Challenges: Oslo 2014 Conference

Date: September 25–27, 2014

Location: The University of Oslo, Norway

Aims: The ecology movement engages with the greatest social and political challenges of our time. The questions this movement and its theorists raise will define the 21st century.

Our conference—Ecological Challenges—will help provide answers to these questions. This conference will highlight a series of ecological challenges, ranging from philosophy, ethics, and social theory, to practical political engagement and the building of broad ecological movements. We will gather scholars and activists to discuss these challenges from multiple perspectives, all with the view of providing new social and political solutions to the crises of our time.

We are seeking contributions from activists and scholars who will help us in our quest.

Conference structure and themes: Ecological Challenges will comprise lectures, workshops, panel discussions, as well as paper presentations. We encourage papers that highlight the interaction between theory and practice. Suitable paper topics include, but are not restricted to, the following:

     • Ethics for an Ecological Society
     • The Meaning of Participatory Democracy and its Significance for Ecology
     • The Philosophical Bases for an Ecological Outlook
     • Ecology and The Questions of Citizenship and Power
     • The Political Economy of Ecology
     • Institutional and Cultural Aspects of Ecological Transition
     • Developing a Programmatic Approach to Ecological Activism
     • Art, Activism, and Agency
     • Ecological Demands and Regional Strategies
     • The Future of Food and Farming
     • Energy, Infrastructure, and Transportation
     • Urban Challenges and Possibilities
     • Popular Education, Mobilization, and Empowerment
     • New Social Movements and New Political Opportunities

Conference format: Papers presented at the conference should be restricted to 25-30 minutes. All conference invitees will be encouraged to engage in critical discussions of the papers.

Conference language: English

Instructions for submitting proposals: All proposals should be presented in an abstract of 300 words, accompanied by a personal bio of 200 words. In addition, your email submission must contain: your name, your institutional or organizational affiliation, and full contact information, as well as the exact title of your proposed paper.

Proposals should be sent to: general@new-compass.net

Deadline for paper proposals: All paper proposals (in the form of abstract, bio and info) must be sent to us no later than May 15th, 2014.

We intend to make the conference papers and proceedings available on our website or in our printed publications. We will favor manuscripts that show the promise of development into full studies of their subject, to be further considered for publication in New Compass books or pamphlets.

Assessment: The New Compass editorial board will read and assess paper proposals. All submissions will receive a reply by May 20th, 2014.

It is important to note that all contributors will have to hand in written material well in advance of the conference. If the abstract is accepted, a full paper of minimum 3,000 words will be due on September 1st, 2014. (Although the oral presentation of the paper is strictly limited to 30 minutes, the written manuscript may exceed this limit up to a total of 6,000 words).

Conference sponsors: The conference is sponsored by Fritt Ord, Institutt for Sosiologi og Samfunnsgeografi at UiO, and New Compass.

Expenses: Participation in the conference is free of charge for presenters, and we will provide simple accommodation and food during the duration of the conference. Those presenting papers who require financial help can apply to the organizers for help to cover travel expenses.

We welcome inquiries at: general@new-compass.net