Athens, 7-10 September 2017

Conference Theme: Borders and Technology

The 8^th Tensions of Europe Conference will have as its main theme the history of borders and technology. We invite papers studying the history of the relationship between national borders and transnational infrastructures, hidden technological linking and delinking that reinforced or challenged border delineations and demarcations, the relationship between borders and technologically-induced environmental crises and disasters, the virtualization of borders and the territories that they contain through the use of electronic and related technologies, geopolitics and technology, the redefinition of borders due to the use of technology (and vice versa), all the way from the production to the circulation and use of goods and commodities. One central aim is to cross-fertilize between disciplines and we therefore invite contributions from a wide variety of historical disciplines as well as from fields like Migration and Border Studies, Migration History, Mobility History, etc, especially in connection to borders and migrations from, to and within Europe.

Themes that fall under the general agenda of the Tensions of Europe network are very welcomed (e.g. transnational histories of technology, history of European infrastructures and networks, environment and technology, the democracy-technology relationship, conflicting interests and technology, technology and hidden integration, technology and culture, gender and technology, technology and ethnicity, technology and disability).

Tensions of Europe has a long tradition of fostering alternative meeting formats. We encourage proposals for non-traditional sessions with different formats and new ideas (e.g. round tables, agenda-building sessions, brainstorm sessions, break-out groups with assignments, poster discussion, film discussion, event-based sessions). As long as quality can be demonstrated, the program committee will not prioritize between formats. By quality we mean suggestions that promise constructive, stimulating and engaging discussion.