Oct 21, 2025
Conference of the Working Group Population Geography 2026
Call for Abstracts:
Population, social/socio-spatial inequalities and injustices
Conference of the working group Population Geography on 16/17. 03. 2026 in Chemnitz
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on the content:
Demographics are social. Demographic processes and developments are mutually linked to social inequalities in a variety of ways. Each of these two areas of phenomena can have an influencing or moderating effect on the other: Social differences are reflected in the manifestations of demographically relevant behaviors, demographic processes in turn have social effects and implications. Spatial relationships between structurally determined inequalities and disadvantages on the one hand and population-related processes and phenomena on the other also correspond with each other. Examples of this are the different rates of demographic ageing processes in cities and rural regions, or the debate on peripheralization with regard to economically weak regions, but also aspects of socio-spatial inequality at neighbourhood level, which result in different individual development perspectives. In the context of an immigration society, (population) geography must also address structural inequalities along the lines of nationality and right of residence and its connection to socio-spatial inequalities.
While the recourse of population sciences to social inequalities is a matter of course, the thematization of social injustices (and the demand for social justice) has so far tended to take place in niches in this disciplinary field. Against the background of social conflicts, which are also nourished by phenomena such as demographic change and immigration from abroad, and in an effort to incorporate perspectives into population geography that now have a firm place in social geography, we would like to address issues of social inequalities and injustices in population-related discussions in the working group session.
We welcome contributions that address relevant questions empirically, theoretically and conceptually, or in professional practice at various scales, focusing, for example, on
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which dimensions of social inequalities and/or
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which aspects of social injustice should be given more attention in the context of demographic processes and developments,
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how population developments and spatial (in)justice are interwoven,
- how demographic processes or developments, perceptions of injustice and processes of social polarization are interconnected,
- how (in)justice in population-related contexts can be theoretically conceptualized and/or empirically captured,
- what possibilities and approaches are seen for overcoming identified or suspected injustices.
Target group:
The call is primarily aimed at academics, master's and doctoral students as well as practitioners, e.g. in urban and spatial planning.
The conference is open to all interested parties.
Submissions:
We request submissions by 15.12.2025 to
Submissions should include the name and position of the presenter, the title of the presentation, an abstract of approximately half a page to one page, as well as information on the background of the contribution (e.g. doctorate, research project, ...).
About the conference:
- Venue: University of Chemnitz
- Date: Monday, March 16 & Tuesday, March 17, 2026, Lunch-to-Lunch
- Costs: There is no conference fee, but we ask for a small donation on site to cover the costs for coffee, pastries, etc.
- Costs for individual arrival and departure, overnight stay(s) and meals are to be borne by the participants themselves.
- Organizing team: Birgit Glorius, Bernhard Köppen, Mathias Siedhoff