IGU Population Geography Commission Pre-Conference Event

    Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 10:15 to 14:00
    online

    Mark your calendars for an engaging online pre-conference event with the IGU Population Geography Commission on Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 10:15 AM to 2 PM. Dive into insightful keynote presentations by Dr. Suzanne Beech and AIRO (the All-Island Research Observatory) focusing on Ireland's demographic landscape. Plus, join an international panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities in population geography. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with experts and gain fresh perspectives on the field!
     

    Participation is free but online registration is required in advance. Register at https://bit.ly/3xERfFz
     
    Organisers: Mary Gilmartin, Maynooth University (Local Organiser) and Darren Smith, Loughborough University (Commission Chair)
      
    Programme

     

    10:15am Welcome
    10:30am Presentation from All-Ireland Research Observatory (AIRO), Maynooth University
     
    AIRO is a national leader in spatial analysis and socio-economic research in Ireland. The AIRO team collaborate with Government Departments, Regional Authorities and Local Authorities across Ireland to support policy and planning initiatives.
    11:30am Keynote: Young People in the New Irish Borderlands: Changing Perspectives on Identity and Citizenship
     
    Keynote speaker: Suzanne Beech, Ulster University
     
    Perhaps nowhere have the ramifications of Brexit been felt so keenly than on the Irish Border. Since the partition of Ireland in 1921 the Border has been a place of contestation, where change needs to handled sensitively. The Brexit process has, however, threatened to undo the progress made since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. On voting to leave the EU, for the first time questions of how to avoid a hard border within the Island of Ireland, whilst preserving the status of the North as part of the United Kingdom (and therefore outside of the EU), came into question. The 8 years following the vote have been tumultuous. It has arguably reinvigorated calls and discussion around the constitutional question in Northern Ireland and whether the state should remain with the UK or become part of a United Ireland. With all of this debate, however, certain voices have been notably absent. There continues to be little insight into how young people within the North feel about these potential changes (or challenges) to their citizenship and their identities as they navigate what some have termed a ‘New Ireland’. This paper will draw on research carried out as part of the Bordered Youth Project (funded by the AHRC) to assess young peoples’ perspectives on these changing frameworks. It analyses data collected from the Young Life and Times Survey, together with research conducted with young people throughout the North to reflect on their thoughts and perspectives on future directions for the State.
      Break
    1:00pm Panel discussion
                           
    Tony Champion (University of Newcastle, UK)
    Charlotta Hedberg (Umea University, Sweden)
    Francisco Rowe (University of Liverpool, UK)
    Alexis Alamel (Sciences Po Rennes, France)
    Yoann Doignon (UC Louvain, Belgium)
    Slawomir Kurek (Pedagogic University, Poland)
    2:00pm Concluding remarks