Call for Papers for Session on ‘Left Behind Places and Marginality in a Changing World’ at the IGU Regional Conference 2026

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This session asks: What local and regional responses emerge from left behind places and marginal regions amid shifting global dynamics?

See full session abstract here: https://www.irc2026.org/en/Marginalization-Localization-and-Regional-and-Local-Responses.html

Chair: Kim Andreas Kessler
Co-Chair: Etienne Nel

Conference dates:          17-21 August 2026

Conference venue:         Istanbul University

🟢Submit your abstract here: https://www.irc2026.org/en/ABSTRACT-SUBMISSION.html

Organisers: International Geographical Union (IGU), IGU Commission on Marginalization, Globalization, and Regional and Local Responses, Turkish Geographical Society, and Istanbul University.

Resilience, knowledge, and identity in the Pacific

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I thoroughly enjoyed chairing the engaging session on resilience, knowledge, and identities in the Pacific at the Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Studies (DevNet) conference. We concluded with reflections on the terminologies and identities a new generation of scholars seeks to embrace in guiding the future of Pacific development studies.

Resilience Knowledge and Identity in the Pacific - Chair Kim Andreas Kessler

Upcoming IGU thematic conference in Egypt

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📣 Come and join us at the International Geographical Union Egypt 2025 Thematic Conference!

Our IGU Commission ‘Geographical Marginality’ (C.32) is organizing a session on “Perspectives on Globalization and Marginality in Emerging Economies”.

Topics of the session are:
1. Inequality as a consequence of globalization
2. Health issues and vulnerability in marginal regions
3. Educational challenges of marginal societies
4. Informal settlements and lack of infrastructure in a globalized society
5. Perceptions of nature in rural and urban marginal societies
6. Discrimination of women and its cultural background
7. Marginalization in border areas

Submit your abstract by 15 January 2025 here.

Socio-economic inequalities and uneven geographical development in the Pacific

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It was a pleasure to chair the session on socio-economic inequalities and uneven development at the Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Studies (DevNet) conference at the University of Otago. 

💡 A key message from our session is the value of research exploring the nuanced lived experiences of diverse sociocultural groups across different localities for effective policy responses.

Socio-Economic Inequalities and Uneven Development in the Pacific - Chair Kim Andreas Kessler

Find out more about the DevNet 2024 conference.

Time to consider ‘multidimensional poverty’ and ‘inequality’ in Fiji and the wider Pacific

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In Fiji, income poverty and consumption poverty have been widely debated. Poverty research shows that there is a need to shift to a broader understanding of poverty as a multidimensional, beyond economic poverty. Furthermore, there is a need to consider relative poverty and inequalities in the wider Pacific Islands region.

Read more in my EADI blog: http://www.developmentresearch.eu/?p=1244.