CrossArea e.V. Annual Conference: Extractivism in Comparison

Conference November 24 / 25, 2022

The growing demand for commodities suggests that extractivism as a social model will continue to shape the political, social, economic, and cultural developments of many societies in the Global South. Sustainability strategies in the Global North continue to deepen extractivism in the Global South, as already underscored by the emergence of new "greener" commodities such as lithium and copper. Extractivism affects international relations and provokes international conflict, as underscored not least by the war on Ukraine. Within weeks, many countries, not only in Europe, began preparing for supply shortages, reviewing some of their partnerships, and stimulating debates about resource dependence, energy transition, and national security. In short, extractivism is a global phenomenon, and understanding and explaining extractivism remains a challenge for (cross-)area studies, in part because explanatory approaches to extractivism vary widely from region to region, both academically and politically. This finding is further reinforced by the recent examples of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates once again that the world is globally interconnected, and events in one place inevitably affect the places that connect them. However, reactions to the pandemic diverged, as did the actual consequences for individuals, social groups, and entire societies. The Russian invasion of Ukraine also underscored these global linkages.

These events pose challenges to current theoretical and methodological approaches in (Cross-)Area Studies to relate global processes and local particularities. The annual conference of CrossArea e.V. aims to discuss the current state of (Cross-)Area Studies, its methodological tools and its future academic role in the research landscape. Based on this discussion, the conference turns to the topic of extractivism in order to evaluate the significance of supposedly similar patterns of social change in different world regions.

The conference will take place in hybrid mode in German and English. 

Hybrid mode

The conference will take place in hybrid mode (presence and online). In any case, we ask for prior registration.

Online participation: Please register HERE.

Attendance: Please register HERE.

The meeting will be held according to the current Covid-19 regulations.

We hope to see many participants on site!

Further information and program
https://extractivism.de/crossarea22/