UPDATE: Conference program attached bellow.

Working language: English

Recent world events have shown that borders are far from being fixed and uncontested in the 21st century. While the processes of globalization and traffic of commodities, services, persons and capital might deem borders less effective, they actually maintain acute relevance as a source of identification for citizens, or as territorial frameworks for action by national governments. As distinguished anthropologist Fredrik Barth pointed out, borders are not drawn to separate differences; it is because we have drawn the borders that we actively seek differences and become acutely aware of their presence.

Aims of the conference: In this conference, we propose to analyse processes of bordering and identification in the Americas and their complex conceptual, historical, cultural, political, and security implications.

Following thematic areas:

• Conceptualization of borders; 
• Nation-state, borders and citizenship in the Americas;  
• Human rights and national security along the borders in the Americas; 
• Culture, literature and art at the borders in the Americas; 
• Processes of identification: border communities and borderlands;  
• Borders and political and cultural power; 
• Impact of globalization and migratory practices on the borders. Reflecting the fact that the research on borders has become increasingly interdisciplinary, the contribution will combine various fields of expertise from political science and geopolitics to anthropology and cultural and literary studies. 

Formal requirements: Abstracts summarizing the conference presentation (15-20 minutes long) shall be sent no later than 8 September 2014 at: iac@mup.cz

These summaries (500-1000 words in English) shall be accompanied by a short author‘s bio and contact details. All applicants will be contacted by the conference organizers with notification of acceptance by 30 September 2014.

The conference is free of charge.