CFP AAG 2018
Moving Beyond the War on Drugs: Race, Space, and Power
AAG Annual Meeting, New Orleans, April 10-14 2017
Session Organizer: Jurgen von Mahs, The New School
It is estimated that over half of all Americans 12 years and older have consumed illicit drugs at some point in their lives, that some 24 million suffer from active addiction, and that nearly 100.000 people die each year as a direct result of alcohol or drug abuse. We know that the (ab)use of such mind altering substances does not discriminate by race, gender, or age. Yet the public response – through the war on drugs – has largely targeted ethnic minorities living in urban areas and disproportionate numbers of African American and Hispanic males end up in the criminal justice and prison system.
The proposed paper session examines the causes and consequences of current approaches by looking at the social, economic, and political dimensions of urban drug use and public policy responses alongside solutions to overcome the institutional racism that undergirds current policy.
Potential topics and case studies may include but are not limited to:
- Nature, extent, and history of the War on Drugs
- Impacts of the War on Drugs on cities and their residents
- Interconnections between space and race in the War on Drugs
- Racialized public discourses around drug use and drug policy
- Carceral geographies and prison systems
- Economic dimensions of the War on Drugs
- Policy reforms beyond punishment and racism
If you are interested in participating in this session please send a 250-word abstract to Jurgen von Mahs (freiherr@newschool.edu) no later than Saturday, Oct. 21. Please make sure to also include (1) paper title; (2) author(s); (3) institutional affiliation(s); (4) email address; and (5) five key words with your abstract. Decisions will be made by Monday, 10/23. The abstract due date is 10/25 and we will request PIN numbers upon registration to affiliate papers with this session.
Organizer: Jurgen von Mahs, Associate Professor in Urban Studies, The New School, New York