Macau, China
3.-5.
August 2007 (Fri.-Sun.)
Conference
themes:
- Cities at the front line of
political conflicts
- Borders and identities
- Border communities
- Border economies
- Border tourism
- Cross-border planning and
co-operation
- Boundary-drawing as a tool for
urban governance
- Inclusion and exclusion at urban
boundaries
Keynote speakers:
- David
Newman, Ben Gurion University (Israel)
- James
Sidaway, University of Plymouth (United
Kingdom)
- Doris
Wastl-Walter, University of Bern
(Switzerland)
Institutional
sponsors:
- International
Geographical Union (IGU)
Commission on Monitoring Cities of Tomorrow
Commission on Political Geography
- Sun
Yat-sen University (SYSU)
School of Geography and Planning
School of Tourism Management
- Macau
Government
Cultural Affairs Bureau (ICM)
- University
of Macau (UMAC)
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
Main
organiser:
- Werner
Breitung, Sun
Yat-sen University, Guangzhou
Objectives:
On 6-12 August 2007
the Urban Commission of the International Geographical
Union (IGU) will hold their Annual Meeting at Sun
Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. The participants will
visit the Pearl River Delta, a strongly urbanised
region, which is divided by political, social and
cultural boundaries of various sorts. This seems to be
the right setting and time to draw the attention of
urban geographers to the complex character and high
impact of boundaries on urban development. It also
seems to be the right setting and time to bring
together urban and political geographers, as well as
scholars from neighbouring disciplines, to exchange
their views and create connections between them – in
order to conceptualise borders and bounding processes
and their impact on cities and the people in them.
Therefore, there will be this pre-conference on the
topic “Cities and Borders” before the main conference.
Everyone can participate separately just in this
three-day conference, or book it as a package with the
IGU conference and a fieldtrip through the Pearl River
Delta Region.
The pre-conference
on “Cities and Borders” will take place in Macau, the
former Portuguese settlement in South China (one hour
boat trip from Hong Kong). Macau has recently been
awarded the title of World Heritage Site. It is a
fascinating place, characterised by a distinct
cultural mix and by contrasts and boundaries between
tradition and modernity and between a post-colonial
ambience and a growing Chinese influence. Besides,
Macau is a very striking example of a border-city –
with one of the busiest border checkpoints in the
world. The conference in Macau will include a guided
excursion in Macau and a public forum with members of
the Macau public.
We are grateful to
the Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau for sponsoring some
internationally renowned experts on borders to
complement the base of urban geography experts
expected to join in connection with the Guangzhou IGU
Meeting. This will not only bring in experiences and
conceptual ideas from elsewhere, but also widen the
view of a largely western-dominated research
community. We invite everyone with an interest in
cities and borders to join the conference and to
submit a conference paper, which should focus on one
of the conference themes. We will select the best
papers for subsequent publication in an edited volume.
Programme
structure:
Friday, 3.8.2007:
- Morning: Keynote speeches, Introduction of
Border Cities
- Afternoon: Paper sessions Border Cities
- Evening: Dinner reception
Saturday, 4.8.2007:
- Morning: Excursion to Historical Macau
- Afternoon: Paper sessions Borders in Cities
- Evening: Public Forum on Cities and Borders
Sunday, 5.8.2007:
- Morning: Paper sessions and
academic round table
- Afternoon: Excursion to
Macau-China Border
- Evening: Trip to Guangzhou
Preliminary schedule
Venue:
- The University of Macau,
International Library
Language:
- The conference language is
English.
Registration:
- Extended regular registration:
31.5.2007
- Late
registration subject to availability and
surcharge
Registration form (download)
NEW: On-campus accommodation and discount for
students
How to reach Macau:
Conference
secretariat:
- Joyce Huang
- Ines Rückhardt
- Jiang
Jing-yi
Contact:
Date of the
last update: 17.7.2007, Wednesday.
