Conference Meeting of the Geographischer Arbeitskreis *Entwicklungs*theorien (GA*E)
20–21 November 2025 | Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Reflecting Difference: Engaging with Ethics, Values, and Responsibilities in Planetary Times
The Geographischer Arbeitskreis *Entwicklungs*theorien (GA*E) – the longest-running working group within the VGDH – invites and calls for contributions to its upcoming annual workshop. This will take place from 20–21 November 2025 at the Institute of Geography at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The workshop will focus on reflecting our epistemic practices with a particular emphasis on differentiation as a core principle for highlighting uneven geographies as a heuristic tool in our research.
We recognise the GA*E’s respectable tradition as a platform for critical and sceptical engagement with the inherent normativity, ethical frameworks, implicit values, and responsibilities in our scholarly practice. We also recognise the need to address global asymmetries in order to uncover the power imbalances that shape our field of research. We extend a particular invitation to interdisciplinary (early-career) researchers who are themselves sceptical of the working group’s current name. Our aim is to foster open and inclusive debate on the future of our research area in a disorderly world shaped by planetary crises and systemic injustices.
Call for Participation and Contributions
We particularly encourage early-career researchers, especially PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, to present critical interventions regarding differentiation or other focused reflections on their current research projects in lightning sessions (maximum 10 minutes), which will stimulate broader collective discussions during in our distinctive workshop activities. Contributions may address one or more of the following themes:
- Epistemic challenges and the role of “differentiation”
- Ethical dilemmas within our research
- Values and responsibilities after the planetary turn
As a critical and transdisciplinary forum, the workshop welcomes contributions that challenge established perspectives (and critique) and explore fresh approaches to geographic scholarship. We particularly encourage submissions that consider the possibility of renaming and reimagining the GA*E itself.
The workshop will feature interdisciplinary keynote speakers, alongside ample space for discussion, exchange, and networking. Our aim is to foster a constructive and inclusive environment that encourages the critical rethinking of the future of the GA*E and its place in the wider research landscape.
Organization
Human Geography in Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University
Veronika Cummings (cummings@geo.uni-mainz.de)
Julia Verne (julia.verne@uni-mainz.de)
Toni Adscheid (tadscheid@uni-mainz.de)