Call for Workshops

Nowadays, there is a growing interest among anthropologists to do urban research that looks at both the government of the city and the dwellers’ representations of the city (Lefebvre). Many ethnographies have thus focused, on the one hand, on urban policies and, on the other hand, on social practices. The Urban Anthropology Series – published by Ashgate – and the works published in the Journal Urbanities are good examples of this growing trend among anthropologists, which is consistent with the major transformation of cities around the world : gentrification, competition between cities, urban sprawl, mobility, heritagization, etc.. Urbanity is paradoxically claimed as one of the main attributes of Modernity at a time when cities are diluting and disseminating.

The aim of this conference is to understand both the dreamed/planned cities and the experienced cities. However, we do not want to oppose those who think the city to those who inhabit and practice it. Everyone is entitled to have personal thoughts about the place where one lives.

The panels/workshops will address the urban actors in this process, from urban planners and authorities, to artists, tourists, shopkeepers, ordinary inhabitants, and so on. The panels are expected to explore different kinds of features and situations which document how the imagined city is present in the practiced city and how everyday life influences the city that we imagine.

Organisation

We propose the following organisation for the conference : 5 thematic workshops, which will be led by 1 or 2 convenors. Each workshop will include an introduction by the convenors, a 10-minutes presentation from the selected participants and about one hour round-table discussion among panellists and from the floor.

The present Call concerns the organisation of the workshops.

A second Call for Paper Presentations will be issued in March in collaboration with the convenors of the approved thematic workshops.

Proposals for Workshops must include a title, the name/s of the convenor/s with academic affiliation and electronic address, and a 200 words summary, and should be sent to the following addresses by 1st March 2014 :
michel.rautenberg@orange.fr
corine.vedrine@gmail.com

General Convenors

– Michel Rautenberg, Centre Max Weber, Université Jean Monnet, St Etienne, France
– Corine Védrine, Centre Max Weber, Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture de Lyon, France

Scientific committee of the conference
– Ahmed Boubeker, University of St Etienne (France)
– Bella Dicks, University of Cardiff (UK)
– Ivaylo Ditchev, University of Sofia (Bulgaria)
– Jerry Krase, Brooklyn College (USA)
– Italo Pardo, University of Kent (UK)
– Giuliana Prato, University of Kent (UK)
– Manos Spyridakis, University of Peloponnese (Greece)

Timetable
– Call for Workshops opens : 16 January 2014
– Call for Workshops closes : 1 March 2014
– Notification of approved Workshops : 15 March 2014
– Call for Paper Presentations opens (by the workshop convenors, the CUA and the general convenors) : 30 March 2014
– Call for Paper Presentations closes : 1 May 2014
– Notification of approved Paper Presentations : 15 May 2014
– Conference : 8-11 July 2014