CFP | Due 25 Oct 2024 | Historical Geographies of Childhood | AAG 2025
CFP: Historical Geographies of Childhood
American Association of Geographers
March 24-28, 2025 in Detroit, MI
CFP Due 25 Oct 2024
Submission Guidelines: Please submit a title, an abstract of no more than 250 words, and 5 keywords to both co-organizers by Friday, October 25. We will confirm accepted abstracts by October 29, prior to submitting the panel to AAG by October 31.
We invite submissions for a session at the upcoming meeting of the American Association of Geographers, to be held March 24-28, 2025 in Detroit, MI. Join us in recognizing the legacy of Gwendolyn Warren and William Bunge, who, over fifty years ago, recognized children as important agents of social geography in the Detroit Geographical Expeditions. We will explore the historical geographies of childhood, contributing to a deeper understanding of how the production of space and the construction of ‘childhood’ have been entwined historically. This session aims to explore the relationships between childhood and geography throughout history, examining spatial variations in the conditions of childhood; how spaces, places, and environments have shaped children’s experiences and identities across different cultures and time periods; and the ways in which children themselves have actively produced spaces through history.
Topics Could Include:
• Urban, suburban, and rural childhoods over time
• Spatial variations in past childhoods (e.g. health, housing, work, schooling)
• Notions of ‘ideal’ spaces of childhood
• Childhood in the context of migration and displacement
• The roles of play- and leisure-spaces in shaping childhood geographies
• Social constructions of ‘home’ and children’s roles in domestic life
• Institutional spaces: schools, care homes, and cultural centers
• (Re)production of racism and patriarchy through children’s spaces
• Material cultures of childhood experiences and environments
• Researching past childhoods: data, methods, analysis, visualizations
• Memory, nostalgia, and the representation of childhood geographies
• Historiographies of children’s geographies
We welcome contributions from scholars at all stages of their careers and encourage interdisciplinary approaches. If there is sufficient interest, we may plan on multiple paper sessions or adding a panel.
Papers may also be considered for a special issue of Children’s Geographies.
Co-organizers:
Ann Marie Murnaghan
Assistant Professor, Children, Childhood and Youth Program, Department of Humanities, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Meghan Cope
Professor, Dept. of Geography and Geosciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, US