Thinking Mountains 2012: An Interdisciplinary Mountain Studies Conference

THINKING MOUNTAINS 2012
Interdisciplinary Mountain Studies Conference
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
December 11-14, 2012

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Thinking Mountains is the first event of its kind: an interdisciplinary conference that aims to promote dialogue about how mountains are understood physically, as ecosystems, in human history, and as part of world cultures. Mountain areas comprise about one-fifth of the world’s land surface area and provide direct life support for about 10 per cent of humankind. They act as indirect life support for another three billion people, and inspire recreational, artistic, and religious experiences. Thinking Mountains will be the meeting place for the best scholarship about mountains in the sciences, fine arts, social sciences and humanities to better understand mountain peoples, places, and activities. An optional field trip to Jasper will follow the conference.

Keynotes: Robert Bateman (artist, environmentalist, activist); Dr. Julie Cruikshank (anthropologist, University of British Columbia); Sharon Wood, Helen Sovdat, Nancy Hansen, Thirza Carpenter, and Dr. Dianne Chisholm (special moderated conversation on Canadian women and climbing); and Dr. David Schindler (Killam Professor of Biology, University of Alberta – TBC).

Abstract Submission Guidelines

1. Sessions: Sessions will be 1.5 hours long and can take the form of a panel presentation or a roundtable discussion. No single presentation on a panel should exceed 20 minutes, and each roundtable presentation should be less than 10 minutes since roundtables are designed to maximize discussion. To propose a session, please send your session title, a brief description (150 words), the names and contact information of presenters (minimum three; maximum five), the titles of their papers, along with your contact information and a brief biographical note about yourself to mountains@ualberta.ca.

2. Papers: Individual papers will be organized into 1.5-hour sessions by the program committee. Paper presentations should not exceed 20 minutes. To propose a paper, please send a title, an abstract of 150 words, contact information, and a brief biographical note about yourself to mountains@ualberta.ca.

3. Posters: To propose a poster, please send a title, an abstract of 150 words, contact information, and a brief biographical note about yourself to mountains@ualberta.ca.

Deadline for Abstract Submissions: April 30, 2012

Potential Themes for sessions, open papers, and/or posters include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Regional focus on mountain geomorphology, glaciology, and/or atmospheric science approaches (The Himalaya, the Rockies, the Andes, etc.)
· Mountain environments, peoples, and/or activities in the past
· Cultural studies approaches to mountain-based issues (issues concerning development, mobility, tourism, gender, class, sexuality, “race,” globalization, etc.)
· Mountains in literature and the aesthetic arts
· Experiential education and pedagogy in mountain environments
· Mountain parks and protected areas: management, challenges, issues
· Mountains and issues related to water
· The science and medicine of altitude (physiology, human performance, clinical, etc.)
· Issues related to mountain ecologies, biological diversity, flora and fauna
· Mountain ecographies (narratives interrelating humans, wildlife, landscapes and geographies)
· The Third Pole: An Earth System approach for studying the cold places of our planet

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For conference announcements and further information, please visit www.mountains.ualberta.ca.
Canadian Mountain Studies Initiative, University of Alberta