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Call for Articles: Contested airport land in the Global South

Contested airport land in the Global South

Call for contributions to book edition “Contested airport land in the Global South” (working title), initial editors: Sneha Sharma & Irit Eguavoen, AG Geographische Entwicklungsforschung, Universität Bonn

Airport lands and those foreseen for future airport construction/ expansion are emerging as contested resources in cities, peri-urban and rural areas of the Global South and the Global North. Countries, such as Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives, Jamaica, or Mexico are witnessing land struggles, displacement of local communities and ethnic clashes. Airport and airport city projects result in so-called ́aviation-related conflicts ́ and raise critical questions about sustainability, environmental justice, citizenship and human rights. In some of these cases, a strong civil disagreement and political mobilisation has resulted in powerful protest movements – some of which were successful in preventing or delaying projects or leading to there vision of implementation schemes. Many other cases have received little public attention despite severe negative social and environmental impact. Evidence from case studies presents a complex interplay of land use planning, infrastructural development, governance, local livelihoods, as well as national economic and climate policies. This interplay calls for a critical examination of land-related contestations around airports. Lobby organisations are actively collecting evidence, building international networks and discourse coalitions across the Global North and the Global South in order to strengthen their protest against avian infrastructure, injustice and displacement, as well as against pollution, destruction of habitats and non-ecofriendly mobility.

Through this book edition, we would like to initiate a wider thematic debate on political discourses and economic drivers, local conditions and responses, as well as establish an arena to discuss and compare a diversity of case studies and views on the issue. We invite you to contact us if you would like to participate in the book project as author or join us as an editor. In our understanding, the journey towards the book/ journal edition is as important as the final product because it generates shared spaces for networking and exchange, allowing us to learn from each other about the conditions and contestations around airports.

For more information, please contact: eguavoen[at]uni-bonn.de or visit the website here.