CONF ACUMEN: Assembly for Comparative Urbanisation and the Material Environment Digital methodologies for social research on processes of urban landscape development, Leeds, UK, 12.-13.12.2012.

ACUMEN: Assembly for Comparative Urbanisation and the Material Environment
Digital methodologies for social research on processes of urban landscape development

Leeds, UK, December 12-13, 2012.

The deadline for application forms is Friday the 2nd of November.
Registration for ACUMEN costs 25GBP

Link: http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/research/events/conferences/acumen-assembly-for-comparative-urbanisation-and-the-material-environment/

The number of participants is limited, but we do still actively encourage researchers to apply. We are looking for participants from various disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, incl. sociology, urban studies, archaeology, history, anthropology, architecture/planning, geography, etc., and especially those with an active interest in comparative social and material studies of urbanisation processes through time.

ACUMEN will be hosted by the Centre for Spatial Analysis and Policy (CSAP), School of Geography, University of Leeds. It is funded by Digital Social Research Community Activities Funding Scheme of the NSDeSS, with the support of TALISMAN: Geospatial Data Analysis and Simulation.

ACUMEN will be an intensive meeting of minds focused on identifying the opportunities and challenges involved in enabling an emergent interdisciplinary research field. Its aim is to advance comparative methodologies for the social study of urbanisation processes through time and across cultures (i.e. prehistoric to contemporary) with particular connection to the material and/or built environment, aided by the use of digital technologies. It offers a rare opportunity to have extended learned discussions amongst peers in an intimate setting with appropriate focus.

ACUMEN is dedicated to making real and informed progress. The main emphasis of the programme will rest on the active participation of all attendants in a series of discussion ‘Salons’ addressing opportunities and challenges in the field from the vantage point of one of three focus themes:

  1. Data acquisition, management and digital compilation
  2. Methodologies for social and temporal analyses of urban landscape data
  3. Social scientific purposes for the study of urban landscape development

In addition to a small number of prominent speakers, participants are sought from related disciplines including geography, archaeology, history, sociology, anthropology, urban studies, etc. Interested researchers, including postgraduates, are actively encouraged to apply by filling out an application form.

Confirmed speakers in the workshop’s programme include
Michael E. Smith (Arizona State University)
Sir Alan Wilson (University College London)
Ian Gregory (Lancaster University)
Keith Lilley (Queen’s University Belfast)
Sam Griffiths (University College London)

Programme
To allow some flexibility in travel times the programme is aimed to run between the following times:
December 12th start time will be at approximately 10:15
December 13th end time will be at approximately 15:15

The programme will focus on Salon discussions on the one hand and keynote addresses on the other. In addition there will be an opportunity for some participants to partake in a PechaKucha (a series of brief 6 min. introductions to their research relevant to ACUMEN’s theme). Those interested can supply a short abstract on the application form.

For further information and to fill out an application form, please see: http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/research/events/conferences/acumen-assembly-for-comparative-urbanisation-and-the-material-environment/

Or contact Benjamin N. Vis with any specific queries: B.N.Vis10@leeds.ac.uk

Benjamin Vis
School of Geography
University of Leeds