The 29th Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research: Call for session proposals is now open

Call for session proposals for the 29th Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research

22-24 September 2020 – University of Akureyri, Iceland

Symposium theme: Shaping mobile futures: Challenges and possibilities in precarious times

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We live in a precarious time. Global climate change is increasingly disturbing species and habitats, and leaving humans searching for alternative ways to create liveable futures. Awareness is growing that the usual order of things does not hold for the future. Everyday discourse directs attention towards global risks and crisis, such as climate change and mass migration. At the same time hopes regarding economic growth and competitiveness hinge on technological innovations and smart solutions. - This raises questions about the competences and skills necessary for building decent conditions for life.

The concept of the Anthropocene underlines that humans have become geo-social force, which eliminates the traditional divide between nature and culture as usually defined forcing us to recognize ourselves as humble inhabitants of the Earth. The Earth can no longer be framed as a passive resource for human exploitation. Rather it needs to be acknowledged as an agent in its own right that we live with, not on or above. This demands new political and organisational configurations.

In this context, tourism mobilities hold a somewhat contradictory position. They can be seen as iconic for ever more intensified and unsustainable consumption while at the same time proclaimed to be a driver for sustainable growth. Tourism is blamed for depletion of resources, environmental degradation, CO2 emissions, cultural commodification, and labour and social inequality. Simultaneously it is seen as a tool for replacing resource-depleting economies, not least in peripheral areas in the North.

• Is there a way out of the vicious circle of irresponsible production and consumption towards more sustainable futures for tourism?
• Can tourism live up to its expectations and become something other than part of the problem and, if so, how?
• What sort of tools and methods are needed to plan for and manage tourism sustainably in a changing world?

Shaping mobile futures provides opportunities to engage with these and other related questions. We especially invite proposals for sessions and papers that critically deal with the challenges and possibilities for responsible tourism mobilities from diverse disciplinary approaches.

The symposium organisers invite proposals for organising sessions during the symposium programme. Sessions could be organised in a traditional manner with paper presentations or as interactive workshops.

Please submit session proposals as abstracts, make sure to include the following information:

• Name and contact details of session organiser and any co-organisers
• Type of session being proposed (session, workshop, etc.)
• Proposed session title
• Session description of 250-300 words

Session proposers will be in charge of their sessions as chairs. The chair's primary responsibility is to solicit high quality abstracts for the session, oversee abstract review/organizing workshop, collaborate with the symposium organizers in determining which paper abstracts are to be accepted and structure the final program for the session.

Deadline for proposing sessions is 1st of February 2020

Please submit abstracts for sessions and workshops proposals to Eyrún Jenný Bjarnadóttir

On behalf of the organizing committee,
Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir, Icelandic Tourism Research Centre

Symposium‘s website: http://www.rmf.is/en/research/conferences/29th-nordic-symposium-2020