CfP – Urban America: Mediating City Space as Place

Deadline: 8 January 2016
Open to: interested graduate students and professionals in the field of urban research
Venue: 2 April 2016, Leipzig, Germany

Description

With the Fifth American Studies Leipzig Graduate Conference “Urban America: Mediating City Space as Place,” participants will explore the cultural, social, and political production of spatial realms and places in an interdisciplinary framework. Possible topics to examine the construction, mediation, and representation of urban spaces and places can be located in literature, culture, history, sociology, and politics. While proposals from any of  these  fields are welcomed, all presenters are strongly encouraged to analyze “urban  place-making  processes“  across 2 disciplinary boundaries. Potential research questions could include but are not limited to the following:

  • In what ways are identities and meanings of urban spaces constructed and negotiated, for example in literature and/or film?
  • What is the function of American cities as political agents on a transnational level?
  • How do concepts such as gender, race, class, religion, age, and/or migration influence the construction of personal and collective identities in urban spaces and places?
  • To what extent do cities in particular lend themselves to an analysis of larger social conflicts?
  • How can the dynamics of subcultures and/or gentrification, for instance in particular neighborhoods (suburban or inner-city areas), be interpreted and theorized?

Eligibility

As a platform to discuss the complexity and representations of urban spaces and places, all interested graduate students and professionals in the field of urban research are invited.

Costs

A limited number of travel grants may be available on a case-by-case basis.

How to apply?

The deadline for applications is 8 January 2016. To apply please submit your proposal (ca. 300 words) for a 20-minute presentation including your name, current level of graduate study, research interests, affiliated university or current occupation, and email address to asl-gradconference@uni-leipzig.de

For more information please visit the official website.

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