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The Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research of the University of Salzburg is organising a workshop on "Recognition, Migration, and Critical Theory" on 3-4 March 2020. The aim of this workshop is to discuss to what extent the concept of recognition is suitable for the analysis and critique of current migration issues. David Ingram (Loyola University Chicago) will give the keynote talk at this workshop.
In recent years, the concept of recognition has found an astonishing resonance in social and political philosophy and ethics, but also in the social sciences. The claim is made that social relations and processes can be better understood through the reference to recognition and misrecognition, which opens up potentials for criticism and overcoming injustices and distortions in modern, capitalist societies. Critics, on the other hand, often argue that the focus on recognition is misguided and obscures the view of the actual social problems and their causes and is therefore not suited to pointing the way out. Central to many discussions is always the application of a critical theory of recognition and the extent to which it is able to understand and analyse emerging social phenomena and developments. Migration movements and the associated tensions are phenomena that have become the focus of scientific, political and public debate in recent years. Migration in all its forms and its causes is by no means a new phenomenon, but it has become more intense in some parts of the world and, especially in Europe, its perception by politics and the population has changed. So what contribution can a critical theory of recognition make here? Is the concept of recognition appropriate to answer the political, social, ethical and socio-theoretical questions posed by migration, flight and integration? To what extent can global migration movements and their causation through displacement, war, poverty, hunger or climate change be analyzed in terms of recognition theory, or is there a need for other conceptual approaches and theories? And finally, the question what distinguishes the perspective of recognition from the many other theories and normative concepts in social and political philosophy that deal with migration, and what additional insights or critique it has to offer. If you are interested in participating, please send an abstract of 300-500 words (ready for blind review, in WORD format) to Gottfried Schweiger at gottfried.schweiger@sbg.ac.at by 15 November 2019. The Centre is able to subsidise travel and accommodation expenses for speakers up to 250€. It is planned to publish the contributions in a peer reviewed volume with Springer and the speakers are asked to agree to a publication. The submitted contributions should therefore be unpublished. All presenters are asked to provide a Précis of 1500-2000 words two weeks before the workshop to be shared among all participants.  The book "Philosophy and Child Poverty. Reflections on the Ethics and Politics of Poor Children and their Families" was edited by Nicolás Brando and Gottfried Schweiger and published by Springer in the Book Series "Philosophy and Poverty". This book offers a broad and diverse reflection of the ways in which child poverty could be conceptualised, and the ways in which it is intertwined with childhood as a specific social condition. Furthermore, the responsibilities towards children and the possible mechanisms required for dealing with this condition will be analysed and clarified.
This is the first volume on philosophy and child poverty. Despite the increasing number of publications on poverty, the particular phenomenon of poverty during childhood has not received much philosophical attention. This is surprising, given the severity and depth of child poverty around the globe. This volume brings together various philosophical approaches and how they understand and tackle child poverty. This is an important addition to the philosophical literature, which is also of wider interest to scholars working in the social sciences and with an interest in child poverty. Please order a copy for your library @Springer.com Reviews: “Child poverty is both important and urgent. The book edited by Brando and Schweiger addresses key-questions: what child poverty is, what causes it, what is wrong with it, and who should do what in order to eradicate or mitigate it. This is pioneering work - indeed, the volume is one of the very few existing philosophical treatments of the problems raised by child poverty.” (Anca Gheaus, Ramon y Cajal researcher at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain) “Surprisingly this is the first book explicitly devoted to a topic that demands our urgent attention. Much of the literature on children’s rights has been rather abstract. Yet the problem of how poverty affects children in particular is a vitally important one and also of international scope. This book is thus most welcome and its international roster of contributing authors promises a rich, wide ranging and vitally relevant discussion.” (David Archard, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Queen’s University Belfast) “The philosophy of childhood is one of the most fertile areas of philosophical research at present, but little has been done on the pressing topical issue of poverty. By collecting a wide variety of theoretical approaches to this topic, this excellent anthology both sets the agenda for and kick starts philosophical research on child poverty.” (Lars Lindblom, Linköping University, Denmark) “The volume covers an immense variety of interesting topics from different societal and cultural contexts (such as Bangladesh, Ireland, Iran, UK, USA) and provides an excellent overview on contemporary philosophical debates on child poverty.” (Prof. Dr. Johannes Drerup, Free University of Amsterdam/University of Koblenz-Landau)  Book Launch Event: "Absolute Poverty in Europe: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on a Hidden Phenomenon" (Policy Press 2019)
20. September 2019, 14.30-15.40 Universty of Salzburg, Universtätsplatz 1, Room HS 122 This book launch is part of the conference "Migration and Poverty" This Round Table discusses the new publication „Absolute Poverty in Europe“ (Policy Press 2019). The discussants are Ides Nicaise, Patricia Kennedy and Rebecca O‘Connell, three of the authors of chapters in this book, and they will discuss issues of absolute poverty in Europe. About the book: Engaging systematically with severe forms of poverty in Europe, this important book stimulates academic, public and policy debate by shedding light on aspects of deprivation and exclusion of people in absolute poverty in affluent societies. It examines issues such as access to health care, housing and nutrition, poverty related shame, and violence. The book investigates different policy and civic responses to extreme poverty, ranging from food donations to penalisation and “social cleansing” of highly visible poor and how it is related to concerns of ethics, justice and human dignity. Conference website: https://www.poverty-conference.org/panel-program.html SPECIAL LAUNCH PRICE £20! Use the discount code POAPE19 on https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/absolute-poverty-in-europe Gottfried Schweiger published the article "Should states prioritize child refugees?" in the open access journal Ethics and Global Politics. The article can be accessed here: doi.org/10.1080/16544951.2019.1649958
Abstract: In this paper I am interested in the question of whether and why states should prioritize child refugees over adult refugees in cases where they are not able to grant refuge to all those who are entitled to it. In particular I discuss three grounds on which such a prioritization could be based: (a) vulnerability, (b) efficiency and (c) life phase and life span. As can be shown, these grounds also apply, to some extent, to particular groups of adults such as women, the elderly, or people with special needs. Based on this I conclude that states should invest significant resources into filtering out those who are the most needy and vulnerable although there are several limitations to doing that. Only if such a selection process were impossible, or so costly and time-consuming that it would result in significantly fewer refugees being admitted, would states have good moral reasons to prioritize children without further screening.  The book series Kindheit - Bildung - Erziehung: Philosophische Perspektiven [Childhood - Education - Upbringing. Philosophical Perspectives] is edited by Johannes Drerup (Amsterdam/Koblenz-Landau), Franziska Felder (Zurich/Koblenz-Landau), Veronika Magyar-Haas (Zurich/Frankfurt) and Gottfried Schweiger (Salzburg) and published by J.B. Metzler Verlag, part of Springer Nature. Proposals for monographs and carefully compiled anthologies are always welcome. Publications in the book series are mainly in German, but English publications are also possible and welcome.
The book series Kindheit - Bildung - Erziehung: Philosophische Perspektiven [Childhood - Education - Upbringing. Philosophical Perspectives] is devoted to the theory, conceptualisation, legitimisation and provision of education in (post-)modern societies as well as to current controversies about normatively relevant differences between children and adults, about specific goods of childhood and about the relationship between parental and child rights in and outside liberal democracies. The book series Kindheit - Bildung - Erziehung: Philosophische Perspektiven [Childhood - Education - Upbringing. Philosophical Perspectives] publishes monographs and carefully compiled anthologies dealing with philosophical debates on questions of education and childhood. The book series is aimed at those interested in educational philosophy, childhood studies, childhood philosophy and other philosophical disciplines (e.g. political philosophy) that deal with the above-mentioned topics and problem areas. Interested authors and editors please contact the series editors: gottfried.schweiger@sbg.ac.at Website: http://philosophie-der-kindheit.de/buchreihe/ (in German) Website at Springer: https://www.springer.com/series/16428 (in German)  Call for papers: Migration, Poverty and Inequality
(Thematic Paper Collection in "Palgrave Communications") Website: https://www.nature.com/palcomms/for-authors/call-for-papers#migration The open access journal "Palgrave Communications" (Springer Nature) will publish a thematic paper collection in collaboration with the conference "Migration and Poverty" (www.poverty-conference.org). All papers published in this collection will undergo external double-blind peer-review. This is a rolling article collection and as such submissions will be welcomed at any point up until 1 May 2020. To register interest prospective authors should submit a short article proposal (abstract summary) to the Editorial Office in the first instance. Throughout history, peoples have migrated from one place to another, prompted by different factors and using different means to reach their destinations. Migration has therefore long been a topic of academic and social enquiry, not to mention the focus of polarising political debate. In Europe the issue of migration was brought to significant prominence during 2015-2016, when an unprecedented influx of more than one million refugees and migrants arrived into the EU, most of them fleeing war in Syria and other countries. More broadly, it is estimated that globally more than 65 million people are now officially displaced from their homes – the highest figure recorded by the United Nations since the Second World War. People re-locate for various reasons, both legal and illegal, often risking their lives to escape from political oppression, persecution, war and poverty, as well as to be reunited with family and to benefit from entrepreneurship and education. Other factors, such as climate change, are increasingly becoming drivers too. This research collection aims to look specifically at the relationship between poverty and migration. Much migration, within and across borders, is driven by poverty and the hope for better well-being and a better quality of life. Yet migration itself is risky and can open up new social, economic, political and cultural vulnerabilities in the lives of migrants. The periods spent living in migrant camps, for example, are frequently marked by multiple deprivation. As soon as migrants have reached their destination — if they reach it at all and are not detained elsewhere — they are confronted with new difficulties and often end up belonging to the poorest and most disadvantaged groups within their new society. Migration can therefore be both an instrument for overcoming poverty — but it can also lead to poverty and social exclusion. These two very general trends are differentiated according to social and geographical space, as well as the backgrounds, socio-economic position, gender, race and age of migrants. After all, the wealthy scientist who moves with his family from Europe to the USA is just as much a migrant as the underage refugee from southern Africa who is stuck in a camp in Libya for several months or years and has almost no economic prospects of improving his situation. This research collection seeks to bring together research arising from different fields, within and outside of migration studies and allied areas of enquiry, which speak to the issue of migration and poverty. Papers are invited that consider, but are not limited to, the following themes:
The collection is open to essays examining intra- and transnational migration (in all its forms, e.g., voluntary, forced, crowded, seasonal, etc) in relation to (relative, absolute, monetary, multidimensional, etc.) poverty, inequality and social exclusion. Papers examining normative issues of (social and global) justice, human rights or ethics in relation to migration and poverty are encouraged. In addition to case studies and empirical social research, theoretical papers and those with a policy focus can are welcomed. This collection has no disciplinary focus and is open to contributions from a wide of discipline in the social sciences and humanities, including, among others, sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, development studies, migration studies, economics, literary studies, history, philosophy, theology and law and legal studies, cultural studies. A wider road to inclusive development? Differentiated impacts of infrastructural upgrade in rural Ethiopia
Maggi W.H. Leung (Utrecht) Date: 16. May 2019 Venue: HS 383, Rudolfskai, University of Salzburg The expansion of the rural road network in Africa is praised for reducing spatial isolation, lowering transport cost, increasing access to markets and bringing services closer to home. It seems that there can be no arguments against the implementation of such infrastructural projects as a way to inclusive development. However, different segments of society will benefit unevenly from the construction of a rural road. This difference may lead to dynamics that either exacerbate or reduce existing inequities. This lecture address this concern. It illustrates the differentiated impact of feeder road development on people’s livelihoods, mobility and work, drawing on a recent mixed-method, multi-stakeholder study in Tigray, Ethiopia. In particular, examples will be provided to illustrate the power of class, gender and place in shaping the geography of opportunities and risks. These real-life examples provide input in answering important questions such as: How inclusive are inclusive value chain development enabled by better connectivity the comes with a new road? How is the emergence of road-side business gendered? How do new road affect the accessibility of health services? The lecture ends with a discussion on the possible exclusive nature of inclusive development strategies. Maggi Leung ist Associate Professor, International Development Studies Research Group, at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, the Netherlands. This lecture is organized by the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research together with the Department for Sociology and the Working Group Social Geography.  Absolute Poverty in Europe. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on a Hidden Phenomenon
Policy Press 2019, edited by Helmut Gaisbauer, Gottfried Schweiger and Clemens Sedmak Engaging systematically with severe forms of poverty in Europe, this important book stimulates academic, public and policy debate by shedding light on aspects of deprivation and exclusion of people in absolute poverty in affluent societies. It examines issues such as access to health care, housing and nutrition, poverty related shame, and violence. The book investigates different policy and civic responses to extreme poverty, ranging from food donations to penalisation and “social cleansing” of highly visible poor and how it is related to concerns of ethics, justice and human dignity. “A landmark text. It will be vital reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the circumstances, extent and impacts of absolute poverty in contemporary Europe, and the urgency of tackling it.” Gideon Calder, Swansea University The book on the website of the publisher  The Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research (CEPR) invites the submission of abstracts to be considered for participation in a two day conference on “Justice, Inequality and Old Age”, to be held at the Centre’s premises in Salzburg on 27 and 28 November 2019. The conference is organized by Dan Halliday (Melbourne) and Gottfried Schweiger (Salzburg).
The aim of this conference is to bring together scholars in philosophy and proximate disciplines, with a view to discussing research on the relationship between aging and social/distributive justice. We are especially keen to receive submissions from early career scholars and from academics from groups under-represented in the profession. Confirmed speakers include: Anca Gheaus (Pompeu Fabra University) Daniel Halliday (University of Melbourne) Adam Swift (University College, London) Gry Wester (Kings College, London) Andrew Williams (Pompeu Fabra University) Submission instructions: We welcome papers on any topic relating to the conference theme, and anticipate accepting 4-5 papers in addition to those delivered by the confirmed speakers. Themes on which we would like to receive abstracts include (but are not exhausted by) the following:
Funding is available to cover 3x nights accommodation in Salzburg. Further funding for assistance with travel costs is currently being pursued. The organisers are considering organising a publication on the basis of the workshop. This is not yet fixed and will only be decided after the workshop. A willingness in principle to participate in a publication is nevertheless appreciated. Please submit abstracts in word format (300-500 words, prepared for blind review) to justiceaging@gmail.com before June 7th. Workshop Website |
