We are looking forward to welcoming rural researchers to Newcastle for our 50th anniversary. If you would like to attend, please REGISTER HERE by Friday 19th August 2022.

The conference will take place in Room 2.20, The Old Library, Newcastle University (city and campus maps available HERE).

We are pleased to announce the following programme:

Monday 29th August:

1.30-2.00 Arrival – refreshments will be served.

2.00-2.10 Welcome and Introduction to Conference (Hybrid)

Session 1: Changing Rural Geographies (Hybrid)

2.10-2.40 Neil Ward – ‘Reclaiming Rurality: The Making and Re-Making of Rural Geography amid the Chaos of Disciplines’

2.40-3.10 Damian Maye – ‘Lines of flight: agri-food geography and the rural’

3.10-3.30 Guy Robinson – ‘Rural reflections’

3.30-4.00 Tea, coffee and cake

Session 2: Textual and Personal Engagements with Rural Geography (Hybrid)

4.00-4.15 Natasha Coleman and Hannah Budge – ’50 years of the RGRG Book Club’

4.15-4.30 Aimee Morse – ‘From the archives: highlights from 50 years of RGRG minutes, newsletters and more’

4.30-5.00 Keith Halfacree – ‘From Youth to Maturity? A Tribute to Paul Cloke’s Entanglement in My Academic Rural Journey’

5.00-5.30 Wine reception/Reflective Posters

5.30-6.30 Looking Back/Looking Forward – Panel Discussion (Hybrid)
Darren Smith, Mike Woods, Bethany Robertson and Carol Morris provide their thoughts on the past, present and future of rural geography.

7.30 Visit to Newcastle Tap for food and drink

Tuesday 30th August:

9.00-9.15 Arrival – refreshments will be served.

Session 3: Conceptualising and Practicing Rural Geographies (Hybrid)

9.15-9.45 Martin Phillips – ‘What place for the rural in an era of planetary urbanisation?’

9.45-10.15 Felipe da Silva Machado – ‘Approaching a relational rural geographies perspective in Brazil: theoretical and methodological contributions of the doctoral research in the United Kingdom (2015-19)’

10.15-10.45 Natasha Maru – “What time is the rural?”

10-45-11.10 Tea, coffee

11.10-12.50 Session 4: Reflective discussions (Hybrid – to include insights from UK-based rural research centres)

Lunch break

2.40 – 4.20 For emancipatory rural futures in the metropolitan countryside(s) (Scheduled RGS Conference Session)

2.40 – 6.30 For emancipatory rural futures in the metropolitan countryside(s) (Scheduled RGS Conference Session)