PRE-CONFERENCE

37th Annual Preconference to the 2025 AAG Annual Meeting

(Detroit, MI — March 22-23)

We’re excited to invite you to the 2025 Detroit Pre-Conference to the AAG annual meeting! This year, we’re hosting a special, two-day collaborative event that centers the city of Detroit and the people who call it home.

Preconference program now available!

Conference program: 2025 PGSG Preconference Program 2_17 (1)

Conference program abstracts: Abstracts_Detroit_2025

Dates

  • Saturday, March 22: Paper sessions (8am-5pm, with optional dinner to follow)
  • Sunday, March 23: D-tour (9:00am-1:00pm) with Detroit organizers 

Location

  • Saturday: UM – Detroit Center 3663 Woodward Ave #150

Local Institutional Hosts

  • Dept. of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University (Katie Brown, Mehmet Eroğlu, Dr. Kyle Evered) 
  • School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan (Dr. Bilal Butt)

Funding Sponsors

  • Black Ecologies Lab (Rutgers; Drs. J.T. Roane and Teona Williams)
  • Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space (Journal)
  • Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy (UCLA; Dr. Ananya Roy)
  • Political Geography Specialty Group (AAG)
  • School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), University of Michigan (via Dr. Bilal Butt)

Events  

March 22
  • Paper Sessions: throughout the day
  • Lunch: small groups, near pre-conference location (self-pay)
  • Dinner: restaurant near pre-conference location; space is limited (self-pay)
March 23
  • D-tour (morning) with Jamon Jordan, Detroit’s first official historian; space is limited
  • Lunch: the D-tour will stop at a location (self-pay)

Possible Paper Themes (not exhaustive/exclusive)

  • Black Ecologies and Geographies
  • Borders and Migration
  • Indigenous Geographies
  • Inequality and Democracy
  • Latinx Geographies
  • Political Geographies
  • Problematizing ‘Eurasia’

Deadlines and Registration

  • Registration (non-presenters): February 20, 2025
    • Complete this form. 
    • For events with limited space (March 22 dinner; March 23 D-tour), space will be allocated on a rolling basis. There is currently a waitlist for both events.
      • You will be notified regarding your participation status in these events as soon as possible, but no later than late-February.
    • If your plans change prior to the event, please re-submit or edit your form.

Costs and Payment

Costs
  • Paper Sessions on Saturday, March 22
    • Tenure-Track and Permanent Faculty: $25
    • Students, Contingent Faculty, and Public: Free 
  • D-tour on Sunday, March 23
    • All participants: ~$40-50 (exact cost to be confirmed)
    • Please wait to pay until you have been notified regarding your participation.
Payment
  • We will use electronic payment via the AAG’s central infrastructure. Payments can be made via credit card or PayPal. 
  • Submit your payment via the AAG’s Political Geography Specialty Group site here. 
    • Click “Donate.” 
    • Ensure that “Political Geography Specialty Group” is listed under “Fund.”
    • Please write “Preconference” in the “In Honor/Memory Of” section.
    • Include your full name and contact information. 
    • You will receive a receipt via email. 
  • Please maintain a printed or digital copy of your receipt (or screenshot). You will be asked to confirm your payment at event check-in.

Lodging and Transport

  • We recommend using the same lodging that you will use for the main AAG conference.
  • The pre-conference location is an easy commute from the main conference location using public transportation (QLINE or Bus Route 4) or rideshare.    

Participant Funding Opportunities

  • Graduate students are encouraged to apply for a $225 PGSG Student Travel Grant to attend the preconference. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2024. We expect to award 7-10 grants. Preference is given to individuals presenting a paper at the preconference.
  • The PGSG will fund a $300 Morrill Engagement Travel Award to support the attendance of an individual who has used their political geographic work to affect change. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2024.

Questions?

Updates will be posted to the PGSG website. Please direct any questions to the Preconference Co-Organizers as follows:

Past Preconferences