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15th Berlin Roundtables on Transnationality, March 28–31, 2012Borders and Borderlands: Contested SpacesSubmission deadline is November 30, 2011.Based on an international essay competition, we will invite approximately 45 applicants to discuss their research, concerns and agendas with peers and prominent scholars in Berlin. The competition is open to students and scholars (max. up to 5 years after Ph.D.), journalists and professionalsworking on borderlands (e.g. government agencies and NGOs). The Irmgard Coninx Foundation will cover travel to and accommodation in Berlin.In the tradition of previous Berlin Roundtables the 15th Berlin Roundtables will focus on borders and borderlands as contested spaces. Conference papers can address but are not limited to the following topics:- social and cultural life in borderlands- border cities- constructing and undercutting borderland identities- borders in art, literature, and film- historical making and shifting of borders- cultural, political, and economic blending and challenges- legal, political and military border control systems- creation of illegality and legality- changing political, economic and social functions of borders- historical contingency of border regimes- struggle and cooperation over natural resources- borders as a refuge for biodiversity and environmental protection- conflicts over environmental pollutionDiscussions will take place in three workshops chaired by Julie Chu (University of Chicago) and Tatiana Zhurzhenko (University of Vienna), Mattias Kumm (Humboldt-Universität Berlin, WZB and New  York University) and Eric Tagliacozzo (Cornell University), and Michael Redclift (King’sCollege London) and Maria Tysiachniuk (Center for Independent Research St. Petersburg).Conference participants are eligible to apply for one of up to three three-month fellowships to be used for research at in Berlin at the WZB.For further information on the conference and the background paper:www.irmgard-coninx-stiftung.deIrmgard Coninx Stiftungc/o Wissenschaftszentrum Berlinfür SozialforschungReichpietschufer 50D-10785 BerlinPhone: +49 30 25491-411Fax: +49 30 25491-684Email: info@irmgard-coninx-stiftung.de