*Stadtkolloquium*-- Interdisciplinary Urban PhD Research Seminar
Annual Workshop 2012
Call for papers
The UCL Urban Laboratory is organizing its annual 2-day
workshop for PhD research students in urban-related
disciplines. The workshop will provide an open, informal
and intimate space to collaborate and discuss progress
amongst peers with regard to topical, theoretical,
practical or methodological concerns. We therefore
welcome contributions from students at all stages of the
dissertation process.
*Stadtkolloquium* aims to create a supportive environment for urban researchers
who to develop their work and meet PhD students from other departments and
universities. The workshop is unique in that all participants agree to both present
their work and support others in doing so in small group sessions. Organizers hope
to generate lively round-table discussions on diverse urban questions across various
academic disciplines including Geography, Architecture, History, Anthropology,
Literature, Cultural Studies, Development Studies, Fine Arts, Environmental Studies,
Gender Studies, Health Sciences, Planning, Engineering and beyond.
The four thematic tracks for the 2012 workshop are:
A. Experiencing the urban
This workshop track will attend to the experiential dimension of the urban: the
subjective, immaterial, in some cases fleeting and emotive multi-sensuous
engagements with urban space, past and present. It encourages papers that adopt
broadly humanist, phenomenological and ‘more-than-representational' (Lorimer
2005) perspectives; which emphasise practice, movement, perception, performance
and affect. This track welcomes but is not limited to contributions which emphasise
the auditory, somatic, visual, olfactory and gustatory nature of urban contexts and
apply notions of rhythm (Lefebvre 1992), dwelling (Ingold 1993), and memory (Tilley
1997).
Key Words: experience, subjectivity, emotion, senses, perception, practice
B. Urban Interventions
Drawing upon the theme of 'urban interventions this track will explore various forms
of acting into cities in ways that reconfigure, or seek to alter, existing social
arrangements. Such urban interventions might take the shape of political
mobilizations or contestations, technological innovations, emerging social practices
or the articulation of alternative visions for urban life. We welcome contributions from
a range of urban-related disciplines dealing with matters of urban policy and
planning, technology and engineering, political or social theory, or that are broadly
connected with the challenges or possibilities of urban life.
Keywords: social movements, urban politics, emerging trends, experiments,
changing practices, urban policy and planning
C. Society, Nature & Cities
This track will focus on the interrelatedness and interdependencies of the systems of
society, nature and cities. It welcomes contributions that shape and advance an
understanding of sustainable and resilient pathways of development and particularly
encourages papers that consider the networks that mediate the flows within and
between these systems. Interpretations of these systemic flows can include
environmental, financial, social and political exchanges, incorporating approaches
from a wide range of disciplines; from concepts of urban metabolism to institutional
theory, and political analysis to systems thinking and development studies.
Key words: urban metabolisms, socio-natures, infrastructure, networks of mediation,
sustainability, resilience
D. Transnational Urbanism
This track will explore the implications for urban areas of the mobility of people,
goods, capital and information across borders, in particular the transnational
networks and ties that both shape and evolve from these flows. As cities increasingly
find themselves competing on a global stage (Sassen 1998), the traffic of ideas,
people and models between cities has similarly increased (Roy and Ong 2011). This
track welcomes papers that discuss the relationships between urban spaces and
these transnational flows. In particular we welcome contributions that consider the
broad range of actors involved in transnational urban networks, from city leaders and
international consultants to grassroots movements and individuals.
Keywords: transnational, mobility, networks, migration, citizenship
* Workshop Dates - The workshop will take place on 26 & 27 March 2012 at
University College London. On the first day, each participant will be given 20 minutes
to present their work in small groups of 8 people, followed by 25 minutes of feedback
and discussion. The second day will be dedicated to a plenary discussion, two
keynote lectures and small group workshops based on accepted participant’s
suggestions.
Call for papers - If you are interested in discussing your work, please send us an
abstract (no more than 250 words) of the project you would like to present. Past
participants have presented work ranging from upgrade documents, PhD outlines,
sample dissertations chapters and journal papers in progress. Please note that while
the intimate nature of the workshop provides a uniquely engaging experience, it also
significantly limits the number of proposals we are able to accept. Competition for
spaces in years past has been very tight.
In submitting an abstract, please include the following:
-A title and 250 word abstract
-Your name, university, department, and
year of study.
-In the subject line of your email, please
indicate which workshop group (A, B,
C, D) you are applying for.
-Abstracts should be emailed to
stadkolloquium@gmail.com
* Deadline for proposals: 15th of January 2012.
* A small conference fee may apply (approx. 20 GBP).
* For more information on *Stadtkolloquium* activities, previous workshops and
feedback comments, please visit our website: www.stadtkolloquium.co.uk and find us
on Facebook.
*Contact - stadtkolloquium@gmail.com
UCL Urban Laboratory, www.ucl.ac.uk/urbanlab