Sept: Globalization and the Env'tal Justice Movement:

the geographic focus of this event is on the US/MX border areas... ~d

Globalization and the Environmental Justice Movement:
An ASLE/UAS Symposium
September 23-25, 2004, Tucson, AZ (Call for Papers by May 31)

The 2004 Symposium on Globalization and the Environmental Justice
Movement invites academics, activists, artists, scientists, graduate
students, and government and industry representatives to submit
proposals for papers, panels, posters, performances, workshops,
roundtables, and readings. The symposium, sponsored by the Association
for the Study of Literature and the Environment (ASLE) and the
University of Arizona South (UAS), will focus on environmental justice,
urban nature, native lands, and grassroots activism that is raising
questions about the effects of globalism, corporate capitalism, and the
selective/disproportionate distribution of toxic sites at native sacred
sites and in the environments of low-income and people of color
communities. The goal of the symposium will be specifically to push our
conversations about environmental challenges beyond a focus on
environmental racism and toxics and towards the proactive partnerships,
successful community activism, and emerging conversations between
government, industry, science, the academy, activist organizations, and
local communities that are giving a new generation ideas for sustainable
alternatives and hope for the future.

Scheduled keynote/plenary speakers include literary critic Annette
Kolodny (The Lay of the Land, The Land Before Her, Failing the Future),
writer and activist Demetria Martinez (Breathing Between the Lines,
Mother Tongue, The Devil's Workshop, and Three Times a Woman), and
environmental historian Angus Wright (To Inherit the Earth, The Death of
Ramon Gonzalez).

Tucson is an ideal place to hold the symposium because it is so
centrally located to a number of grassroots actions and environmental
justice groups, including Comadres, a binational, multicultural group of
women which is fighting the toxic effects that have resulted from the
location of over 80 maquilas (transnational corporations located on the
Mexican side of the U.S./Mexico border since 1965). One of the prominent
features of the symposium will be a field trip, popularly dubbed the
'Colonia Tour', which will be guided by Teresa Leal, founder of Comadres
and Codirector of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic
Justice (SNEEJ, an umbrella group for over 80 indigenous, labor, and
environmental groups, which is active along the border in the Southwest
and Mexico). Those electing to take the trip will travel by bus to
Nogales, Sonora, just one hour and fifteen minutes south of Tucson.
There, we will tour one or more of the 'colonias' (small squatter
villages built to house maquila workers) as well as one or more of the
more progressive maquilas which are attempting to address environmental
problems. Leal will discuss the struggle of environmental groups who
face the complicated high tech issues caused by globalization and
international trade agreements which ignore the social, cultural and
environmental impacts on local communities on the U.S./Mexico border.
The field trip will also include a demonstration of a partnership
between community members and scholars from the University of Arizona's
Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) who are working to
re-vegetate hillsides.

The symposium format will stress the importance of interaction among the
artists, activists, academics, scientists, and government and industry
representatives who attend, and will therefore integrate dynamic,
experiential-based presentations with more traditional panel
formats and readings by creative writers. Activists and graduate
students are encouraged to send proposals. Proposals may be submitted
for entire sessions, presentations, performances, films, roundtables,
workshops, conversations, or individual papers. The symposium invites
discussion on a diversity of topics from a variety of disciplines,
including:

- Interdisciplinary approaches to environmental justice, activism,
literature, history, anthropology, political ecology, and ecocriticism
- The political ecology of free trade
- The impact of globalization and transnational capitalism on the
environment
- How to bring writing and teaching to bear on public policy and
educational initiatives, public outreach, publishing, and environmental
stewardship
- How to facilitate collaboration between the various sectors of the
environmental movement, government, academia, and the arts
- How to teach courses in environmental literature, history,
anthropology, etc. which address the environmental justice and toxics
movements, political ecology, globalization, corporate capitalism, etc.
- How to move discussions of environmental justice beyond a focus on
environmental racism and towards practical solutions for solving
problems and promoting sustainable alternatives (such as organic
farming, community co-ops, etc.)

Send inquiries and one-page proposals by May 31, 2004 (email preferred;
no attachments please) to BOTH Joni Adamson and Tina Gianquitto. (Be
sure to indicate whether or not you or your panel members will need
multimedia equipment, and specifically what equipment you will need).

Joni Adamson, Associate Professor and Head
English Program
University of Arizona, South
1140 N. Colombo
Sierra Vista, AZ 85650
520.458.8278 x.2136
jadamson [at] u.arizona.edu

Tina Gianquitto, Assistant Professor
Colorado School of Mines
1005 14th Street
Stratton Hall, Suite 305
Golden, CO 80401
tinagian [at] mines.edu

*Note: Conference organizers will make every effort to keep housing
costs low and/or potentially free for activists and graduate students.
Spanish translation will also be provided. Activists and graduate
students should note their individual housing and/or language needs on
their proposal submissions.

Dr Simon Batterbury
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Geography and Regional Development
The University of Arizona
409 Harvill Building, Box #2
Tucson, AZ 85721-0076, USA
Phone: (520) 626-8054
Fax: (520) 621-2889
http://geog.arizona.edu/~web/faculty.htm