Graduate Seminar: Abolition Geographies

COGR 262

Next Up, Spring 2026

Abolition Geographies

This seminar is an opportunity to think together about the theory and practice of abolition geographies. We’ll begin with foundational texts on the abolition of racial slavery, colonialism, and prisons; with emphasis on the ways abolitionist practice is seeks to build up institutions for liberation as it tears down structures of interlocking oppressions. After establishing a genealogical foundation, we’ll move towards critical invitations to consider the ways that feminist-of-color disability studies, immigrant justice, and abolition ecologies invite scholars and organizers to build solidarities across academia, movements, and species.

Draft Syllabus

Image: “Water Writes Phoenix, Arizona” photo by Andrew Curley. See https://www.estria.org/project/phoenix-arizona/

Curley, A., & Smith, S. (2024). The cene scene: Who gets to theorize global time and how do we center indigenous and black futurities? Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 7(1), 166-188. https://doi.org/10.1177/25148486231173865