Carleton Inaugural Conference 2014

Ottawa, Canada | September 25-26, 2014

The Borders in Globalization (BIG) inaugural conference was held at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa from September 25-26, 2014. This was the first event that all the partners of the project were invited to. The purpose was to launch research activities for the next six years, and to showcase and evaluate the initial research efforts on our regions and themes: culture, flows (market and migration), governance, history, security and sustainability.  Panels included academics, students, and practitioners.

The BIG Conference brought together international border experts, government leaders, and private sector partners to strengthen our collaboration on the management of borders. By working with government partners, we can not only strengthen relationships, but also find solutions to common border challenges, and ensure that the BIG partnership fulfills its potential to conduct meaningful and policy-relevant research. Furthermore, the conference provided a platform to facilitate dialogue between the various stakeholders engaged on border management in Canada.

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The Borders in Globalization inaugural conference included breakout sessions on our six themes, seven regions, feature presentations from leading border scholars, and included guest lectures from Professors Michael Dear (UC Berkeley), William Walters (Carleton University), and Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani (Goldsmiths, University of London); Keynotes were delivered by Sarah Green (University of Helsinki) and Reece Jones (University of Hawaii).

The involvement of non-academic partners in this conference was important to engage feedback on the conceptual reflections and case studies that are being developed. In the longer term, partnerships with public/private sector groups will be the measure of our success: the results of the conference helped to facilitate the interregional and international exchange of expertise, and organize debates on border policy, security, management and governance. The initial conference also provided opportunities for border professionals to enhance their understanding of border issues outside their immediate realms of expertise and engage with academics and each other.

Follow these links for CBC coverage of BIG in 2014, of the redefinition of the border, and of the border in the 21st century.

Carleton Inaugural Conference 2014