Interdisciplinary Workshop, 27-28 April 2017, York University, Toronto (CA)
Organized by the Ocean Frontiers Research-Working Group of Science for Peace (Canada) in collaboration with York Centre for Asian Research, Robarts Center for Canadian Studies, and the Department of Science & Technology Studies, York University, Canada.
Ocean frontier politics is part of the earthly politics of using science, technology and international law to construct maritime boundaries. This techno-politics includes ways and means of asserting a nation’s freedom of navigation, and making national claims of exploratory rights in the global commons. Such politics also involves marine and maritime infrastructural development, and is furthermore interrelated systematically to the science and technology of how space above and below the waterways are constructe, i.e. how national airspace is understood, bordered, and governed above maritime boundaries, how national land areas below the water is understood; and how the seabed resources below waterways are envisioned and exploited as national economic resources.
The Workshop’s Objectives are:
- to share comparative analyses of heterogeneous factors, geotechnical, techno-political and techno-legal issues influencing regional and international security
- discuss pragmatic resolutions; i.e. policies and strategies that could be the subject of further research and discussion on resolving peace and security issues; and
- establish a cross-sector network (engaging academic-corporate-government sectors) to explore inter-disciplinary curricular frameworks for teaching and researching our planetary frontiers, as ‚Frontier Studies‘ with ‚Peace‘-‚Collective Peace‘ as the central focus.
The workshop papers for sessions on Day 1 (April 27, 2017) are expected to address geotechnical issues, resource developmental ideals and problems, contested governance, policy challenges, and sec urity concerns of militarized and industrialized ocean frontiers in the Canadian North and in the Indio Pacific.
Topics and thematic analyses are not limited to the following:
- politics and policies of maritime boundary delineation
- geo-spatial mapping of competitive boundary claims
- techno-political systems of ocean frontiers surveillance and governance
- politics of Ocean Space Grabbing
- politics of air defense zones and how they are linked to maritime boundaries
- geotechnical aspects of militarized frontiers that threaten human security
- socio-political and historical claims over maritime boundaries
- the efficacy/inefficacy of international law in maritime peace-making/peace-building
- UNCLOS and the legitimization of maritime expansion
- environmental politics of geo-engineering/sand-dredging and artificial islands
- corporate actors in knlowledge production/aerial and satellite imagery production
- national and international organizations effective/ineffective in ocean governance
Workshop papers for the session on Day 2 (April 28, 2017) should focus on the following:
- interdisciplinary research frameworks and pedagogy for frontier studies; particularly on peace-making and peace-building in frontier conflict zones
- constructionist/constructivist apporaches to understanding and analyzing ‚peace‘ as part of exploratory studies on planetary frontiers
- analytica approaches to frontier imaginaries
- critical approaches to the constructions of spatiality
- analytical approaches to the governance of the global commons and national maritime zones
- analytical frameworks on knowledge production about the natural vs. architected planet
Since national maritime boundaries are the basis on which national airspace is constructed above waterways, and how the land below waters are understood, ocean frontiers and disputed sea boundaries are significant points of research and starting points for broader inquiry into planetary frontiers, and critical areas of inquiry within conflict and peace studies.
Participants of this 2-day workshop come from a range of disciplines including Science & Engineering disciplines, Environmental Studies, Law, Political Science, History and Geography, and will involve representatives from the government and corporate sectors.
Submission guidelines: Please email your abstracts to this email address no later than 1 February 2017 using „Abstract – Ocean Frontiers Workshop – York U“ in the subject line. The abstract should be no more than 350 words. Authors should include name, designation and workplace below the abstract title. Authours could also indicate preference for Day 1 or Day 2 of the workshop.
Notification of accepted abstracts will be send out by 7 February 2017.
Submission of completed papers: 7 April 2017. Papers accepted for this workshop will be published as part of an edited volume of essays.