Organisation: Anna-Lisa Müller
Guest: Dr. Catharina Thörn, University of Gothenburg (keynote speaker)
This workshop aims at bringing the social scientist’s perspective on contemporary urban transformations and structures into focus. What are the specific challenges for inhabitants, city planners, but also for us as researchers? What is life like in (post)modern cities, how can these cities be characterized? What kind of relation exists between cities and the societies they are embedded in?
The workshop thus focuses on urban transformations and urban structures. Several questions then come up: What are recent developments and transformations of cities? How can we adequately analyze and analytically formulate contemporary urban phenomena? In what respect do cities possess features that are specific for the late 20th and beginning 21st century, i.e. what are typical structures? What kind of social transformations influence the character of cities and in how far do cities in turn influence social developments? In what respect can cities be understood as specific physical-spatial structures resulting of (social) developments?
Therewith, we will work on adequate theoretical frameworks for urban transformations and structures and their thorough empirical analysis. Additionally, the workshop asks for methodological reflections on adequate forms of researching these developments.
Further Information
The workshop will take place at the University of Bielefeld, Germany, and is funded by the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology. Working language will be English, and the workshop will be opened by a keynote lecture on March 9th 2012. Participation is free, but please send a short note to Anna-Lisa Müller at cities@uni-bielefeld.de if you plan to participate. Inquiries can be sent to the same address.