Pakistan Workshop 2011: The Politics of Space
(Deadline for abstracts 31st Jan 2011)
The Lake District, 6th-8th May 2011
Although the use of space has been implicitly a part of many academic works, it is important to question how it is defined and reproduced. As a dynamic category, it is constantly divided, regulated and negotiated. In Pakistan, the division between the spaces of the private and the public, the visible and the invisible, between the rural and the urban, the legal and illegal, have in some places blurred and in others rigidified. The concept of space allows for an understanding of these and other categories on a concrete, literal and symbolic way. Some of the categories that emerge from within this realm include (but are not limited to):
- the increasing visibility of regional demands for greater autonomy
- the different and competing expressions of religiosity as well as of politics in space
- the sites at which gender is given meaning and reproduced
- the space of the home/domestic/private as opposed to the external / world /public
- changing and overlapping patterns of spatial segregation, communication and transport in the urban areas
- changing social realities and migration networks between urban and rural areas
- overlapping spheres of control occupied by the military, bureaucracy and elite groups
- spaces of resistance and protest
- diaspora
The Pakistan Workshop 2011 invites research on Pakistan, the Pakistani diaspora and the Muslims of South Asia on the broad theme of space. We would particularly like to include fresh, critical perspectives on understudied areas within Pakistan; on ethno-nationalist movements and regionalism in Pakistan. The theme and categories listed above are used as a guide and should not discourage those whose work does not directly coincide with them.
The Pakistan Workshop was originally intended to bring together anthropologists and sociologists working on Pakistan, Pakistani diaspora and Islam in South Asia. However, we regularly receive work from a broad range of concepts and disciplines. This workshop is a forum for younger and more experienced researchers, providing an opportunity for people working in common fields to get acquainted with each other.
It is therefore normally kept small and intimate with a group of 25 or less people. The venue, Rook How, is one of the oldest Quaker Meeting Houses in Britain and is an important location in the Quaker world. The Rook How offers dormitory style sleeping arrangements which are comfortable and affordable. For those who prefer B&B accommodation, there are several nice places around the area which can only be accessed if they have their own car. The total cost of the Workshop will be about £80 (including the registration, lunches and accommodation) for those staying at the Rook How.
The deadline for abstracts is 31st January 2011, after which the organisers will make a selection and inform the participants of their decision. The finished papers would be required two weeks before the workshop, so they can be pre circulated to all participants.
For further information, contact pakistanworkshop@gmail.com or become a fan of the facebook group ‘Pakistan Workshop’.
Anushay Malik, Marta Bolognani, Mwenza Blell
Pakistan Workshop 2011 Organisers
