Space and Inequality in Colonial and Post-Colonial Settings. Power, Territory, and Identity (PAMLA 2023, Portland, Oregon, USA)
Colonialism has had profound impacts on the spatial organization of various societies, shaping patterns of settlement, migration, and resource distribution; consequently, colonialism has further influenced the construction and perception of spatial relationships within post-colonial environments. Space, in these contexts, has been a site of struggle and negotiation, where different groups contest for control over land, resources, and cultural symbols.
This call for papers seeks to explore the intersections of space and inequality in colonial and post-colonial settings, examining how spatial practices reflect and reinforce power relations, as well as how they may also be used to resist or subvert colonial hierarchies.
We welcome papers from a range of disciplines, including literature and cinema, history, geography, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies, preferably within a French or Francophone contexts. However, comparative, cross-cultural studies are encouraged as well.
Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:
The spatial organization of colonial / post-colonial societies and the distribution of power and resources
Spatial practices of resistance, subversion, and appropriation in colonial settings
The role of space in shaping identities and cultural expression in colonial / post-colonial contexts
The impact of colonialism on land tenure and resource use
The spatial dimensions of colonial violence and dispossession
The negotiation of borders, frontiers, and liminal spaces in colonial / post-colonial settings
The relationship between colonialism and urbanization
The legacy of colonial spatial practices in contemporary societies
Please submit a 200-250 words abstract directly on the conference's website, by May 31st, 2023. Papers should be in English only.