The 11th ANNUAL CONFERENCE for the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF ENVIRONMENT, SPACE, AND PLACE Christopher Newport University

Our conference theme, Tidal Spaces, is taken from the rich natural and cultural meaning rising from the interzone between land and sea. Tidal spaces constitute a milieu of interplaying natural phenomena: oceans, seas, rivers, phases of the moon, weather, seasons, geography and proximity to the Equator, the Arctic or Antarctic. Many creatures thrive as they themselves move through the plastic tidal spaces, taking advantage of the unique ecology. Others attempt to colonize these spaces but are often thwarted by this environment of continual rhythmic change. Humans have colonized some tidal spaces in places such as Holland. However, colonization is tenuous and natural disaster sometimes accompanies such attempts. A look at the fossil record just up the James River from Christopher Newport University indicates that tidal spaces themselves have moved as sea levels fluctuate with time. In addition to natural spaces, tidal spaces may symbolize shifting political, religious, and economic boundaries, constituted by their own cultural milieux. This conference will explore both natural and symbolic tidal spaces. Abstracts are welcome from all disciplines and from those who are not associated with the academy. If there is sufficient interest, IASESP will also include up to two panels of presentations via Skype.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Archipelagos
  • Islands, flats and spits
  • Breakwaters and seawalls
  • Bioluminescence
  • Sedimentation
  • Sea level change
  • Littorals/Littoral zone
  • Muck/Brackish/Flotsam
  • Ports/Harbors/Anchorages
  • Piracy
  • Migration cycles (natural and human)
  • Weather cycles (El Niño/La Niña, Monsoons/Hurricanes/Tornados)
  • Extinction cycles
  • Tides of War
  • Economic Tides (i.e., boom/bust)
  • Ebb and Flow of Style (clothes, body alteration, tattooing, architecture, etc.),
  • Ebb and Flow of Biorhythms
  • Seasons of: Travel, Fashion, Farming, Fishing
  • Musical Rhythms/Beats
  • Tidelands litigation
  • Coastal real estate
  • Global shipping networks
  • Floating architecture
  • Middens
  • Aquaculture
  • Soft infrastructure
  • Cycles of Development
  • Global Tide of Development
  • Elevated Development
  • Feminist Flows and Spaces 

Send proposals to Troy Paddock paddockt1 at southernct.edu