Rural areas are often viewed as isolated and stagnating areas and urban areas as their opposites. Against such a backdrop, this book seeks to unveil a set of dynamics that view rural areas as ‘translocal’ in the sense that they are ‘changing’ and ‘inter­connected’. Social transformations take place in rural areas as the result of intense exchanges between different people, settings and geographies. Accordingly, rural-urban but also rural-rural interrelations on international and national scales are strongly contributing to rural change. Translocal ruralism is exemplified through the analysis of local and global migratory flows, the activities of rural firms in national and glo­bal arenas, the spread of different forms of transportation and dislocation, and the growing information society, which enables rural spaces to be connected to the world and improves new ways of interconnection and sociability practices.

The book is structured into two parts, which intertwine the dynamics of rural spaces. The first part, ‘Linking nodes: people and networks connecting places’, is concerned with mobilities such as migration and commuting, and the establishment of national and global networks. The second part, ‘International mobilities: a tension between scales’, analyses the dynamics of international migration and mobilities in rural areas.

For more details and to order the book, visit the Springer Website - http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/population+studies/book/978-94-007-2314-6

“New Frontiers Groups (NFG)” (Austrian Academy of Sciences)

The NFG programme aims at investigator driven innovative research in order to promote promising academic careers. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree which was conferred no more than 7 years prior  to the submission deadline (15thJuly) and have the ability to lead an independent research group. Candidates with interdisciplinary interests and experience are particularly welcome. Each group will be granted 1.2 – 4 million Euros for 5 years.

More information: http://www.oeaw.ac.at/nfg/

How to apply: http://www.fwf.ac.at/en/new-frontiers-groups/index.html

Mathematics & …“ (Vienna Science Fund)

This call addresses Vienna-based research institutions that intend to hire an excellent young researcher from abroad for the set-up and management of an independent research group. WWTF takes unconventional research careers into consideration. Vienna Research Group Leaders are usually 2-8 years after PhD. Deadline is the 5thJuly. Each group will be granted 1.5 million Euros for 6 to 8 years.

More information and how to apply:

http://www.wwtf.at/programmes/ma/index.php?lang=EN

(please refresh the page if it is shown in German at first)

All those interested in applying are invited to send their CV together with a 5-liner describing their project idea to Dr. Heike Barakat (heike.barakat@wu.ac.at) until 25. May 2012. After assessing all CVs and project ideas the Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU) will decide which once to endorse for further consideration. We will get back to the interested parties as soon as possible.

A conference held under the auspices of the ESRC Centre for Population Change (CPC) and the RGS-IBG Population Geography Research Group (PGRG)

2^nd-3^rd July 2012, University of St Andrews

We are pleased to announce that participant registration for this conference is now open. The meeting is timed to finish at lunchtime on Tuesday 3^rd July to allow delegates to travel to the RGS-IBG Annual Conference in Edinburgh. Conference costs are as follows:

a) Registration £71. This includes refreshments throughout both days; as well as a finger buffet lunch and the conference dinner on Monday 2^nd July.

b) Accommodation is also available in New Hall on 1^st and 2^nd July 2012 at the cost of £43 per night. This rate covers single occupancy bed & breakfast accommodation.

Participants wishing to register should proceed directly to the University of St Andrews online shop at: http://onlineshop.st-andrews.ac.uk/. From here, click ‘Conferences and Events’, ‘Conferences’ and then ‘Geography and Geosciences’. Please select the CPC/PGRG meeting and click ‘Book Event’. After registering with the online shop you will then be able to select and pay for your chosen registration and accommodation package. Participants are asked to register by Tuesday May 15th.

If you would like to receive a conference programme or have any further queries, please contact Rory Coulter at rcc28@st-andrews.ac.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you to St Andrews in July for what promises to be a very stimulating series of discussions.

After six successful and pleasant previous International Conferences on Population Geographies in St Andrews (twice), Liverpool, Hong Kong, Dartmouth and Umea, the Population Research Centre of the University of Groningen is proud to present:

The 7th International Conference on Population Geographies, Groningen, 25-28 June 2013

Note the dates in your agenda!

Call for abstracts expected September 2012

Deadline for abstracts expected January 2013

Conference website (under construction): www.rug.nl/frw/icpg2013

Conference e-mail address: icpg2013@rug.nl

The organising team: Clara Mulder, Ori Rubin, Hans Elshof, Daniel Herbers, Eva Kibele, Kim van Dam

The following courses will be offered by the University of Leeds as part of the TALISMAN project, a node of the National Centre for Research Methods. These training sessions are open to any interested parties; if you have any questions, please contact Amy O’Neill, TALISMAN Project Assistant @ School of Geography, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT - A.ONeill@leeds.ac.uk, Tel: 0113 343 7992

• June 27-28 – Introduction to Geographical Information Systems – Using MapInfo

http://store.leeds.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&catid=47&modid=2&prodid=186&deptid=9&prodvarid=0

• July 9 – Measures of Deprivation and Area Type

http://store.leeds.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&catid=47&modid=2&prodid=185&deptid=9&prodvarid=0

• July 26-27 – Introduction to Geographical Information Systems – Using ArcGIS (Raster Applications)

http://store.leeds.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&catid=47&modid=2&prodid=196&deptid=9&prodvarid=0

BSPS Annual Conference 2012 

Monday 10 – Wednesday 12 September 2012, The University of Nottingham

 SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS: DEADLINE 11th May 2012.

The 2012 BSPS Conference will be held at the University of Nottingham from 10-12 September. All Conference sessions will be held on site, where Conference catering and accommodation will also be available at very reasonable rates. Booking forms will be available from early June, together with a provisional timetable. Registration is expected to cost in the region of £75 (members) to £100 (non-members) and accommodation packages will be about £165. To be confirmed in early June.

There will be a full programme of simultaneous strand sessions of submitted papers. Proposals or abstracts for papers and posters are invited across the entire demographic and population studies spectrum. Presenters are requested to submit ongoing work with incomplete analyses and findings as posters rather than papers.  Oral presentations should include results. For organizational purposes, strand organizers have been allocated to specific themes: email queries may be addressed to the strand or session organizer shown. There is a strand for ‘other papers’ which do not appear to fit the strands announced. Submissions of quantitative and qualitative papers are welcome.

Some sessions within strands have been suggested and these will be organised by the person named as session organiser, within an overall strand. Sessions within strands are shown beneath the overall strand title.

Training sessions: Proposals for training or ‘how to’ sessions are welcome, using the Conference online submissions system or by direct contact with BSPS at pic@lse.ac.uk. One such session will be organised by Piers Elias as part of the local authority stream.

There will be two plenary sessions.

*             Professor Peter McDonald (Australian National University & President of the IUSSP), provisionally entitled A century of population studies, society and Population Studies’ Societies.

*             A  double plenary, 90 minute session on the 2011 Census and its quality with two speakers and 30 minutes for questions and discussion:

Professor Danny Dorling (University of Sheffield), on Can we trust the 2011 one number?

Glen Watson (ONS Census Director)

Fringe sessions: Proposals for debates or other sessions on demographic matters/history that do not fit into the usual framework of contributed papers can also be positively considered. These should be submitted as soon as possible, using the online submissions system, or by direct contact with BSPS at pic@lse.ac.uk.

Information updates on the Conference will be posted to the BSPS website as available. See:

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/socialPolicy/BSPS/annualConference/Home.aspx

Presenters of posters will be expected to attend the scheduled poster session on the first evening of the Conference, but posters will remain on display for the duration of the Conference.

Submissions for oral presentations and posters should be made online by Friday 11 May 2012.  Presenters are asked to submit a short abstract of up to 250 words, plus an extended abstract of up to 2000 words. Please note that extended abstracts should be emailed directly to pic@lse.ac.uk, preferably in PDF format. If you are unable to provide an extended abstract at the time of submission, please note the research question, methods, data sources, and any preliminary results in the space provided on the online form, plus a note on the nature of any potential applications of the results. Strand organisers may request further details of a potential presentation or an extended abstract before decisions are made on acceptance. Short abstracts of all papers will appear in the printed Conference programme. Extended abstracts will be posted to the Conference website.

Choose an appropriate strand and submit online at:

https://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/lsewebsite/bsps2012| 

If you are unable to submit online, please contact pic@lse.ac.uk, for alternative arrangements.

Posts available from 1^st September 2012; closing date 27 April 2012; salary range £32,900 to £44,165. 

The Department of Geography, which sits within the School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences, seeks to appoint two lecturers in human geography from 1st September 2012.  These posts are offered on standard open-ended contracts; they are not fixed-term posts.

Applicants with research and teaching specialisms within human geography are welcomed.  You will be expected to enhance the Department’s existing reputation for world-class, innovative scholarship and to contribute to the REF profile through individual and collaborative initiatives within the Centre for Research in Identity, Governance, Society. This Centre furthers British and international research agendas with two distinct strands focusing on ‘Geographies of Education and Learning’ and ‘Cities and States’.

Curriculum Vitae will only be accepted if accompanied by a completed University application form.

Further details and information on how to apply for the post can be found at: http://jobs.lboro.ac.uk/index.php?page=Details&id=1877

Informal enquiries: Professor Helen Rendell, Head of Department: H.M.Rendell@lboro.ac.uk; 01509 223729.  In addition, please feel free to contact any of our human geography staff.  We are a friendly and enthusiastic group at Loughborough, and any of us would be willing to tell you a little more about the Department.

Sarah Holloway

Prof. Human Geography,

Loughborough University,

Loughborough,

Leicestershire,

LE11 3TU

The 2011 UK Census is estimated to cost in excess of £500m. This, together with concerns about timeliness, has led to the government investigating alternative approaches to acquiring information on the population. However, the census also provides a framework for considerable social analysis. It is thus vital that the impact of any replacement to the census on the scope of social research is fully taken into account.

This conference seeks to contribute to this conversation by examining:

• the use of administrative data and the research based on it in Scandinavia
• the existing use of administrative data in the British Isles
• the potential use of survey data.

It is anticipated that the audience would be comprised of academics involved in social science research, government statisticians and policy makers currently involved in the census or using its results; politicians and those working in the voluntary sector concerned with social needs.

Costs: £50 per head. A light lunch will be provided, together with tea and coffee at the other breaks. A buffet will be served after the panel discussion that will give an opportunity for informal discussion.
Booking: For any further information and booking please email: life_after_the_census@ulster.ac.uk

PopFest is an annual population studies conference for postgraduate students organised by fellow postgraduates. PopFest has been organised by various universities with the support of sponsors for nineteen years. The twentieth PopFest is to be held at Loughborough University from the 21st – 23rd June and will reflect on the past 20 years of population studies and look forward to the challenges facing population studies in the next 20 years.

Professor John Stillwell from the University of Leeds will be the keynote speaker for the event reflecting on increasing ethnic diversity of the UK population over the last 20 years. Professor John Stillwell’s research interests include internal and international population migration, geographical information systems (GIS), and regional development and planning.

Sir Jonathon Porritt, founder director of “Forum for the Future” and former chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission will deliver a plenary exploring the “next 20 years”, considering future challenges to populations. Sir Jonathon is an environmentalist and writer, dedicating his time to advising, campaigning, broadcasting and lecturing.

The call for papers is now open – deadline for presentation abstracts and proposals for poster presentations is 20^th March 2012 – these should be submitted to Popfest2012@lboro.ac.uk

More details about the event including details on registration, travel and accommodation can be found on the PopFest website: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/gy/popfest/index.html