CfP: Industrial Pollutions & Mediterranean Spaces

International Conference Industrial Pollutions & Mediterranean Spaces (XVIII-XXI centuries)

March 21st-22nd, 2013.
Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme (MMSH), Aix-en-Provence, France.

In the last fifteen years, the history of industrial pollutions has become in France a well-identified field of research. Different disciplines have contributed to its development, among which law, history, economics, sociology, geography, urban planning, and environmental sciences.
Mediterranean spaces are extensively concerned by the history of industrial pollutions, first of all because of the precocity, perpetuity and importance of highly polluting industrial sectors (textile, chemical and petrochemical, metallurgic, shipbuilding, mining, etc.) installed in these areas since the XVIII century. Moreover, industrial pollutions in the Mediterranean area, far from being urban phenomena, heavily affect rural and coastal regions. Very diverse environments and very fragile ecosystems (lagoons, ponds, seabed, etc.) are and have been affected by industrial activities settled in the Mediterranean.
The purpose of this Conference is to bring together researchers of different disciplines to discuss the problems of industrial pollutions in Mediterranean spaces, from historical, sociological and ecological perspectives, with the purpose to contribute to a better understanding of the environmental impacts of industrialization in the course of the last centuries on this specific region.
We particularly invite contributions dealing with the following questions:
1. Dynamics of conflict related to industrial pollution and their regulation
2. Measures, expertise and representations of industrial pollution
3. Strategies of the industry in dealing with industrial pollution and its negative impacts
4. Ecosystem alterations and environmental health problems: issues of definition, evaluation and reparation.

Contributions discussing industrial pollutions in the Southern and Eastern areas of the Mediterranean Sea are especially welcome.

Submission procedure:
Proposals (in English, French, Italian or Spanish) including a title, a 350-500 word abstract, author’s institutional affiliation and contact must be sent to one of the organisational committee member by the 20th of June 2012.

Members of the organisational committee:

–       Laurence Américi: laurence.Americi@univ-amu.fr
–       Laura Centemeri: centemeri@mmsh.univ-aix.fr
–       Xavier Daumalin: xavier.daumalin@free.fr
–       Daniel Faget: daniel.faget@univ-provence.fr
–       Pierre Fournier: pierre.fournier@univ-amu.fr
–       Olivier Raveux: raveux@mmsh.univ-aix.fr

Accepted proposals will be notified by the beginning of September 2012. Final contributions (30 000- 35 000 characters) must be sent no later than the 10th of February 2013. Oral presentations of 20 minutes each can be given in English, French, Italian, Spanish (with slides in English).