The recent political upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa, and the rise of indigenous politics in Latin America bear witness to the complexities of today's global predicament, which is marked with rapid structural transformations. Popular uprisings make evident how fragile the governments - and polities - may be beyond their public appearance, and indicate the multiplex forms of agencies by the people living "under the threshold". In addition, the coinciding processes of economic crises, increasing effects of climate change, accelerating urbanization, and shifts in the global matrix of financial and political power represent challenges that need coordinated responses.

At the same time, the flows of people, capital, ideas and technologies open new spaces and possibilities. However, they play out often unequally, effecting new differences among people based on, for instance, social position, gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location and cosmopolitan connections. Importantly, today's globalization implies lasting effects on the ways in which people - both individually and collectively - relate to the social world, including the public authorities and the state. In this sense, the notion of citizenship as a form of social belonging and membership is currently challenged and reconstructed in a myriad of ways.

What relevance do the changing forms and senses of social membership and authority have for the study of development processes? Does development practice and policy promote certain normative registers for how people should act with, and making sense of, their relation with public authorities? What kind of citizenship constructions does the development complex take for granted? How do are these constructs formed - and acted upon - in the development policy and practice and what exactly happens when these collide with the realities on the ground?

This conference examines the notion of "citizenship transformations" (in transitive and intransitive senses) and focuses on the interconnected processes of citizenship, social membership and development in today's globalizing world. The organizers invite both working groups and papers from a broad range of approaches and academic disciplines.

CONFERENCE WORKING GROUPS

The working groups represent the main bulk of academic debates during the conference. They are organized thematically and open to all registered participants in the conference, including those who do not present a paper. We welcome papers from a wide range of research disciplines to contribute to the working groups. You are also welcome to propose an additional working group, including a chair and coordinator, to FSDR chair Tiina Kontinen (tiina.kontinen@helsinki.fi).

IMPORTANT DATES

1 December 2011: Deadline for abstract submission (max. 200 words)
15 December 2011: Acceptance of abstracts confirmed
31 January 2012: Conference registration due
1 February 2012: Deadline for full papers (max. 8000 words)

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

The conference takes place in the House of Sciences and Letters. It is located next to the University of Helsinki at the centre of Finland's capital with an excellent range of hotels, restaurants and touristic sights nearby. While the conference organizers are unable to provide for the travel and accommoation costs of conference participants, please do check a few tips for mapping the different options for a pleasant stay in Helsinki.