Territory Beyond Terra, edited by Kimberley Peters, Philip Steinberg, and Elaine Stratford – forthcoming in December 2017

593b8b09f5ba741adc68db03Territory Beyond Terra, edited by Kimberley Peters, Philip Steinberg, and Elaine Stratford – forthcoming in December 2017.

At the root of our understanding of territory is the concept of terra—land—a surface of fixed points with stable features that can be calculated, categorised, and controlled. But what of the many spaces on Earth that defy this simplistic characterisation: Oceans in which ‘places’ are continuously re-formed? Air that can never be fully contained? Watercourses that obtain their value by transcending boundaries?

This book examines the politics of these spaces to shed light on the challenges of our increasingly dynamic world. Through a focus on the planet’s elements, environments, and edges, the contributors to Territory beyond Terra extend our understanding of territory to the dynamic, contentious spaces of contemporary politics.

Posted in Philip Steinberg, Politics, terrain, Territory, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

 Helen Sword, Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write reviewed at the LSE blog

9780674737709.jpgHelen Sword, Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write is reviewed at the LSE blog by Fawzia Haeri Mazanderani.

With Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write, Helen Sword explores how academics find the ‘air and light and time and space’ to write, drawing on interviews with 100 scholars seen as exemplary writers in their fields. In underscoring that there is no one ideal way to write, this is an elegantly crafted book for those who like to experiment with and think deeply about their writing practices, recommends Fawzia Haeri Mazanderani. 

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing | Leave a comment

The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers

I’ve shared several of these types of posts in the past, but not, I think, this one: The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing | 1 Comment

ICE-LAW session at the Nordic Geographers conference, Stockholm

Tomorrow I head to Stockholm for the Nordic Geographers conference and my last talk of this academic year. I’ll be presenting as part of this session as part of the ICE-LAW project:

ICE LAW Session

14:15 – 17:00, 19 June 2017, at the Nordic Geographers Meeting, Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University (Frescati Campus, Room Y22), Stockholm, Sweden

1. Stuart Elden, The Materiality of Territory
2. Justiina Dahl, The Material Moral Purpose of the State: International Epistemic Authority Structure and the Northwards Expansion of the European International Society
3. Philip Steinberg, Berit Kristoffersen and Kristen Shake, Edges and Flows: Exploring Legal Materialities and Biophysical Politics at the Sea Ice Edge
4. Johanne Bruun, Terrain, Mobility, and Cold War Military Logistics on the Greenland Ice Sheet
5. Claudio Aporta, Aldo Chircop, Kate Coddington, Stephanie C. Kane and Leah Beveridge, Mobilities and Migrations in Northern Chokepoints: Navigating Risks and Setting Priorities in Geographically Confined Areas
6. Aldo Chircop, Is There Need to Rethink the ‘Rules of the Road’? Challenges for the International Navigation Rules in Arctic Waters
While much of my brief talk will relate to the work I’ve been doing on terrain – I shared a recent lecture on this yesterday – I’m also going to say a bit about the ICE-LAW project’s sub theme meeting in Amsterdam, where several people presented their work; and I might find a moment to say a very little bit about Shakespeare.
Posted in Conferences, terrain, Territory, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Legal Terrain – video of my London Review of International Law lecture

lrilannuallecturelegalterraineldenIn February 2017 I gave the London Review of International Law annual lecture at SOAS under the title of ‘Legal Terrain: The Political Materiality of Territory’.

The plan is for the written article to appear in the journal later this year. I’ve previously shared a video of another version of the lecture, given in Oslo, but this one helpfully has the images integrated into the presentation.

The introduction to the lecture is by Matthew Craven.

Posted in Conferences, terrain, Territory, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Refugee movements visualised, 2000-16 [update: and its problems]

Now with a link to Phil Steinberg’s critical commentary.

stuartelden's avatarProgressive Geographies

Refugee movements visualised, 2000-16 – at mashable

An interactive visualisation – perhaps a good basis for class discussion.

mashableThanks to dmf for the link.

Update: Phil Steinberg has pointed me to a 2015 post in which he explored some of the problems with an earlier form of this visualisation.

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Refugee movements visualised, 2000-16 [update: and its problems]

Refugee movements visualised, 2000-16 – at mashable

An interactive visualisation – perhaps a good basis for class discussion.

mashableThanks to dmf for the link.

Update: Phil Steinberg has pointed me to a 2015 post in which he explored some of the problems with an earlier form of this visualisation.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Roman roads of Europe – subway-map

Roman roads of Europe reimagined as a subway-map.

Rome_III-01-1-1024x771.png

Thanks to Jean-François Thibault for the link. For an interactive Roman route planner, see OmnesViae.

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Books received – Merleau-Ponty, Lacan, Low, Amoore & Piotukh, de Bodt, TCS

Some recently received books, mainly in recompense for review work, along with Saskia de Bodt’s Children of Holland and the new issue of Theory, Culture and Society on ‘Geosocial Formations and the Anthropocene’.

IMG_2491 (002)

Posted in Jacques Lacan, Louise Amoore, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Setha Low, Theory, Culture and Society, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Interview with Wendy Brown in Theory, Culture & Society

logo95x95Interview with Wendy Brown in Theory, Culture & Society

Redoing the Demos? An Interview with Wendy Brown

Samuel Burgum, Sebastian Raza, & Jorge Vasquez

The following discussion with philosopher and political scientist Wendy Brown seeks to apply her provocative and indispensable ideas to recent political events and problems, in particular focusing on her work in Undoing the Demos (2015) and returning briefly to consider Politics Out of History (2001) in today’s context. The questions were collectively authored and the interview itself was conducted by Sebastian Raza via Skype on 23rd May 2017. We would like to thank Wendy Brown for the generous contribution of her time and for answering the questions so directly and clearly. This interview has also been published in Spanish with the journal Theorein.

Posted in Uncategorized, Wendy Brown | 2 Comments