American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, March 17-21, 2026
Paper session organized by Olivier J. Walther and David G. Russell, University of Florida
Abstract
The goal of this paper session is to examine how space shapes civil wars. We are particularly interested in understanding which local determinants explain the onset of political violence, how armed conflicts spread geographically, and how spatial features such as cities, borders and roads can facilitate or constrain irregular warfare. We encourage the submission of conceptual papers that examine the spatial and temporal evolution of armed conflicts, from the moment they emerge in specific regions, until they eventually end. We also welcome empirical papers that leverage spatially disaggregated conflict data. The session is also open to policy-oriented papers that examine which civilian and military responses are the most adapted to prevent or counter political violence.
Interested?
Please send proposed titles and abstracts (250 words or less) and/or expressions of interest to both Dr. Olivier Walther (owalther@ufl.edu) and Mr. David Russell (david.russell@ufl.edu) no later than October 15, 2025.
We will notify contributors of acceptance by October 20, 2025. All accepted contributors will then need to register for the conference through the AAG website and should then send the registration code (PIN) they receive to us.
Please note that you must submit your abstract AND pay the registration fees in order for your PIN to be activated. The deadline to submit an abstract on the AAG portal is October 30, 2025.
Photo by Mahmoud Sulaiman on Unsplash.