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Dear list-members,

The below call for papers for a themed issue of the Cambridge Journal of 
Regions, Economy and Society on ‘Critical Geographies of the Circular Economy’, 
may be of interest to some of you.

If you are interested in publishing an article in the themed issue, then please 
email an Abstract proposal of about 400 words to the CJRES Editorial Office 
(cjreseditor...@gmail.com<mailto:cjreseditor...@gmail.com>) by 31 January 2023.

The themed issue is scheduled for July 2024.

Full Papers invited from among those submissions will need to be received by 1 
June 2023 for review and possible publication in the themed issue. Details of 
Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society’s publication process, 
evaluation criteria and house style are available at 
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Facademic.oup.com%2Fcjres%2Fpages%2FGeneral_Instructions&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605562057%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=QgLVzIGNLXQ3Q6IZ2f5tdESgAYQBVG9HP8Ex8sCX5qc%3D&amp;reserved=0.

(Apologies for cross-posting)


With best wishes!

Emil Evenhuis


(https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Facademic.oup.com%2Fcjres%2Fpages%2Fcall-for-papers-critical-geographies-of-the-circular-economy&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605562057%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Pd8HeQQ7%2BKfZbiG0FrfIrqZAGLM7mqKuCtYEyo6bohM%3D&amp;reserved=0)
Call for Papers for CJRES themed issue
Critical Geographies of the Circular Economy
Editors: Emma Avoyan, Anna Davies, Emil Evenhuis, Pete Tyler
Deadline for submitting abstracts: 31st January, 2023

The core idea of a ‘circular economy’ is to decouple economic activity from the 
consumption of finite resources. According to influential advocates, such a 
decoupling requires  a transition to an economy in which waste is avoided, the 
use of products is prolonged and made more economical (through sharing, reuse 
and repair), existing materials are circulated at the highest value (through 
recycling), and the resource-use in the production of new goods shifts to 
renewable (bio-based) resources (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2019[1]). The 
transition to a circular economy is commonly considered to be a key part of 
greening the economy, which will also contribute to meeting another great 
societal challenge: the reduction of carbon emissions. Achieving a truly 
sustainable circular economy will however have major implications for the ways 
societies engage in practices of production and consumption, and how those 
practices are governed at various scales from individual operations to global 
economies.

Critics identify a lack of clarity in the concept. Coverellec et al (2021), are 
concerned about the diffuse nature of its limits, the lack of a clear 
theoretical basis, and significant structural barriers to its implementation. 
Others critique the ecological modernisation framing of much circular economy 
rhetoric; a framing that focuses on win-wins for the economy and the 
environment while skirting over the highly political nature of a comprehensive 
economic transformation (Gregson, 2015; Kirchherr et al., 2017; Siderius & 
Zink, 2022). The majority of policies and initiatives emerging to date focus on 
revalorising waste streams of existing processes; rather than radically 
transforming systems. Efforts to enshrine ‘right to repair’ legislation in 
Europe and North America do mark a new vocabulary and trajectory for circular 
economy implementation, not least in relation to the deliberate articulation of 
‘rights’ and by implication matters of justice around transitions to a more 
circular economy. Nonetheless matters of consumption, care and culture remain 
underplayed in current debates about circularising the global economy (Hobson 
et al., 2021) and the issue of perpetual growth remains the elephant in the 
circular economy room.

There are, thus, good reasons to apply a critical lens to the debates and 
current practices about the circular economy. So far, however, such a critical 
lens has insufficiently been combined with a spatial perspective. There are 
essential geographical issues to explore, which would considerably add to and 
deepen the critical interrogation of the conceptualisation of the circular 
economy, and the ways it is being actualised. And vice versa, the incipient 
literature on the spatial and territorial dimensions of the circular economy, 
will benefit from a more critical view of its promises and pitfalls (e.g. Tapia 
et al, 2019; Bourdin et al., 2022). Furthermore, the geography of knowledge 
production concerning the study of the circular economy has been highly uneven, 
with the bulk of research emanating from – and being set in – Europe and North 
America; so there is space to further explore perspectives beyond the Global 
North, and what circular economies might mean in other settings (Schroder, 
2019).

Hence, the debate on the circular economy would benefit from contributions that 
combine a critical examination of discourses surrounding it and of its 
materialisation, with the application of a geographical perspective. This 
themed issue of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economies and Society journal 
seeks to address this gap. We invite empirical, conceptual and/or 
methodological papers that can take the debate forward along these lines. Below 
we have listed some of the issues that may be taken up:

What are spatial aspects of circular economy policies, initiatives and 
practices as these are materialising (e.g. Williams, 2022)? What are the key 
differences between places, countries, and parts of the world in how circular 
economies are taking shape? How are policies, initiatives, and practices at 
different places and different scales interacting with each other?

  *   How are these policies, initiatives and practices to be assessed in terms 
of offering a more sustainable alternative to business as usual? How could the 
transition towards a circular and sustainable economy be understood in 
geographical terms?
  *   How can the dynamics and spatiality of the circular economy be theorised? 
How do these relate/compare to existing theorisations of the dynamics of the 
spatial economy (neoclassical, Marxist, degrowth, diverse economies)? What 
might social theories —focussed on the relationship between life as lived and 
the materials, cultures, and discourses these lives are embedded in— bring to 
the analysis of the geographies of circularity (Holmes, 2018)?
  *   How can the circular economy fit in with various visions of local and 
regional development? Does the circular economy offer opportunities for new 
path development in some regions? What is the scope for creating new social 
enterprises in cities that enable the sharing, reuse, and repair required 
within a circular economy framework? How does the transition to a circular 
economy relate to visions of development where empowerment and social justice 
are prioritised rather than economic growth, such as the foundational economy, 
community wealth building / Preston model, or the well-being economy?
  *   What kinds of business models and systems of value creation and exchange 
are required, and what new ‘ecosystems’ of businesses and organisations might 
appear as part of a circular economy?
  *   What are the geopolitical and geo-economic aspects that may emerge as we 
move to a circular economy? There will be consequences for international supply 
chains and for the extraction of resources across the globe. Perhaps old 
dependencies and vulnerabilities may lessen, but as likely new dependencies and 
vulnerabilities will emerge. How can this affect how value is distributed 
across the global economy? How will relations develop between actors in 
different parts of the world, given existing inequalities in wealth and power? 
(e.g., land grabbing and impacts on food supply, as bio-based alternatives will 
more and more replace finite resources as part of the circular economy).

Submissions
Authors interested in publishing in the Themed Issue should email an Abstract 
proposal of about 400 words to the CJRES Editorial Office 
(cjreseditor...@gmail.com) by 31 January 2023, and full Papers invited from 
among those submissions will need to be received by 1 June 2023 for review and 
possible publication in the July 2024 issue. Submissions will be subject to the 
journal’s normal peer review process. Details of Cambridge Journal of Regions, 
Economy and Society’s publication process, evaluation criteria and house style 
are available at 
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Facademic.oup.com%2Fcjres%2Fpages%2FGeneral_Instructions&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605562057%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=QgLVzIGNLXQ3Q6IZ2f5tdESgAYQBVG9HP8Ex8sCX5qc%3D&amp;reserved=0.

References
Bourdin, S., Galliano, D., and Gonçalves, A. (2022) ‘Circularities in 
territories: Opportunities & challenges’, European Planning Studies, 30,(7): 
1183-1191.

Corvellec, H., Stowell, A.F., and Johansson, N. (2021) ‘Critiques of the 
circular economy’. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 26, (2): 421-432.

Gregson, N., Crang, M., Fuller, S., and Holmes, H. (2015) ‘Interrogating the 
circular economy: the moral economy of resource recovery in the EU’. Economy 
and Society, 44,(2): 218-243

Hobson, K., Holmes, H., Welch, D., Wheeler, K., and Wieser, H. (2021) 
‘Consumption Work in the circular economy: A research agenda’. Journal of 
Cleaner Production,321: 128969

Holmes, H. (2018) ‘New spaces, ordinary practices: circulating and sharing in 
diverse economies of provisioning’. Geoforum, 88: 138-147

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D. and Hekkert, M. (2017), ‘Conceptualising the circular 
economy: An analysis of 114 definitions’, Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 
127: 221-232.

Schröder, P., Anantharaman, M., Anggraeni, K., and Foxon, T.J. (2019) The 
Circular Economy and the Global South: Sustainable Lifestyles and Green 
Industrial Development. Routledge, London.

Siderius, T., and Zink, T. (2022) ‘Markets and the future of the Circular 
Economy’. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1007%2Fs43615-022-00196-4&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605718299%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=mHNX3wrObGW%2FwcMEHX%2B%2BxMQXS%2FpbJV2xqc9xRE5w2EE%3D&amp;reserved=0

Tapia, C., Bianchi, M., Zaldua, M., Courtois, M, Naudet, P.M., Bassi, A., 
Pallaske, G., Kramer, J.-P., Birnstengel, B., Buck, M., Simpson, R., Cruz, A., 
Zhechkov, R., Doranova, A., Kably, N., Wilts, H., Steger, S., O’Brien, M., 
Koop, C., and Wischott, V. (2019) CIRCTER – Circular Economy and Territorial 
Consequences. ESPON EGTC: Luxembourg. 
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espon.eu%2Fcircular-economy&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605718299%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=JCBRyrvSQOOKraULRZeizNs5xO8zQWjQ4X4BrP2l3GY%3D&amp;reserved=0

Willams, J. (2022) ‘Circular cities: Planning for circular development in 
European cities’, European Planning Studies, Latest articles, 
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1080%2F09654313.2022.2060707&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605718299%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ZdJvN%2BQWmiKiYXQyAFgj5IXJM238WsrI8LUUVHhApP4%3D&amp;reserved=0

[1] 
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fellenmacarthurfoundation.org%2Fcircular-economy-diagram&amp;data=05%7C01%7C%7C948f7b0eea4546c1ee1d08dad939961f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638061138605718299%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=CyiK5YKdf61vIGpWCF1IjjIfgyAWyTMUXZFTQtOaEnY%3D&amp;reserved=0

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