Call for Papers: The Environment in the Middle East and North Africa

Special Issue of the International Journal of Middle East Studies: The Environment in the Middle East and North Africa

Guests editors: Tessa Farmer and Jessica Barnes with IJMES editors Akram Khater and Jeffrey Culang

From arid cities to irrigated fields, hot deserts to Mediterranean mountains, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) encompasses a range of environments for thinking through the relationships between nature and society, people and animals, human and nonhuman worlds. Yet, while research on various aspects of the material world has a long history in the scholarship of the MENA, research on the environment as such has been relatively limited. Reflecting growing interest in the environment as a topic of concern, this special issue of IJMES will bring together scholarship from anthropology, geography, sociology, Science and Technology Studies (STS), and related disciplines on current environment-related themes in the region.

Deadline: November 15, 2016

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Position Available: Assistant or Associate Professor of Human Geography at Syracuse

The Department of Geography, the Maxwell School, Syracuse University seeks to hire a human geographer at the rank of assistant or associate professor. This is a tenure-track appointment. Ph.D. required at time of appointment.

They seek a human geographer whose research and teaching focus on some combination of the following: political geography, urban geography, or cultural geography, with special attention to questions of social justice and citizenship. Continue reading →

Urban Transitions Global Summit Final Programme Now Available

CITI2016_800x320_REGUrban Transitions Global Summit 2016
5-9 September 2016 | Shanghai, China

Follow the conference on Twitter: #UTSummit2016

The full programme for Urban Transitions Global Summit 2016 is now available for download at http://www.urbantransitionsconference.com

At the Summit expert keynote speakers and panelists will lead discussion on a range of interdisciplinary topics influencing our built environment including: Energy in cities and decarbonisation; Urban ecology and climate; Data capture and representation; Urbanisation studies and modelling; Transport; Infrastructure and resilience; Policy, governance and finance; Ecosystem services, resilience and adaptation; Economy, culture and tourism; Socio-technical transitions and transition studies; Health and well being; Participation and equality.

High-level keynote talks and panel sessions will be supplemented by workshops, contributed presentations and extensive poster sessions covering a variety of cross-discipline research topics.

Download the full programme and register at: http://www.urbantransitionsconference.com

 

Call for applications: Future Earth Engagement and Science Committees

FEFuture Earth is now accepting applications for six new members to join its Science Committee. The Engagement Committee will also add six new members.

Deadline for applications: September 11, 2016.

New members will be appointed on December 1, 2016, and should be present at the next Engagement/Science Committee meeting in Montreal, Canada during the week of March 20, 2017.

Click the links below for more information:

Engagement Committee Call for Applications
Science Committee Call for Applications

New Book by Harini Nagendra on Bengaluru, India

Nature in the City - Harini

 

Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present, and Future
by Harini Nagendra, Azim Premji University

“Nature in the City” describes changes in nature in the landscape of Bengaluru using a deep historical dive from the 6th century CE to now, looking at trends in the way people perceive nature, charting a trend towards simplification of biodiversity and ecosystem services over time, and looking at pockets of resilience where multifunctional nature still thrives in the midst of urban chaos.

Available now in the UK and on September 7 in the United States.

Remembering Dr. Alexander Aylett

alex aylettIt is with great sadness that we share with you news that our colleague, Dr. Alexander Aylett, passed away last Saturday, July 23rd after a long battle with cancer.

Alex was Professor of Urban Sustainability Governance and Innovation at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Montreal, and co-founder of ecoHackMTL.  He was also a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT, where he worked under long-time UGEC associate JoAnn Carmin on the Urban Climate Change Governance Survey.  Alex participated in the UGEC Workshop, “Transitions to a Low Carbon Urban Future in an Era of Extreme Events” in July 2014, and wrote one of the most popular articles on the UGEC Viewpoints Blog: Green cities and smart cities: The potential and pitfalls of digitally-enabled green urbanism.

He was a kind, intelligent, generous man, and a pleasure to work with.  The UGEC International Project Office and Scientific Steering Committee wish to express our deepest condolences to all of his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.

Obituary: Dr. Alexander C.E. Aylett

Vacancy: Communications Officer, Urban Health and Wellbeing Programme

Urban health and wellbeing logoThe Urban Health and Wellbeing programme‘s International Programme Office is recruiting a Communications Officer, based in Xiamen, China.

The UHWB programme is a 10 year, global interdisciplinary science programme to promote research on urban health in changing urban environments.

Deadline for Applications: August 26, 2016

Click here for more information

 

Registration Open for 2016 Conference on Earth System Governance

Dates: December 7-9, 2016
Location: University of Nairobi’s College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences on the Upper Kabete Campus
Conference Website: http://earthsystemgovernance.net/nairobi2016/

Registration is now open for the 2016 Nairobi Conference on Earth System Governance.  Early bird registration ends on July 31!

Click here to register