Dear all
Please find attached a PDF file (and content pasted below) of the Final Call
for Papers for a conference on the meaning, nature, and dynamics of
Cities and Memory.
We welcome submissions that interpret the ‘City’ and/or ‘Memory’ from
psychoanalytic, Jungian, and archetypal perspectives. The conference itself will consider the themes from multidisciplinary approaches, and is not specifically orientated to Jungian or psychoanalytic perspectives.
Please distribute this call far and wide and to whomever you think may
be interested.
The conference itself is held in the heart of London.
All the very best,
Lucy Huskinson
School of Philosophy & Religion, Bangor University, UK
Final Call for Papers
CITY MARGINS, CITY MEMORIES
International Conference
Monday 7 – Tuesday 8 April, 2014
Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies, University of London School
of Advanced Study, Senate House, London, UK
An International Interdisciplinary Conference organized by the School
of Modern Languages and the School of Philosophy and Religion at
Bangor University, UK, and the Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies
in London, UK.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Professor Bill Marshall (IGRS / University
of Stirling) Professor Hugh Campbell (University College Dublin)
There is little doubt that cities are growing, often merging with each
other, as they spread across the face of the planet, seeking to
contain the needs of our increasing populations. The number of city
dwellers has increased from just 3% of the global population in 1800,
to 50% in 2008, rising to a prediction of 75% in 2050. Just last year,
in 2012, 26 urban areas qualified as ‘megacities’ with populations of
over 10 million. Such growth brings an inevitable increase in
interactivity and communications between cities, accentuating at once
a sense of community and isolation within its inhabitants. The intense
urbanization of recent times has also brought into focus the need to
assimilate disparate memories of the past into a landscape of the
future. Despite the predominance of cities and the fact that they
shape who we are and how we relate within the world, attempts to
define and encapsulate their very nature remain elusive. City Margins,
City Memories thus proposes to explore the multiplicity of meanings of
the city, taking ‘margins’ and ‘memory’ as two important and, often,
intersecting phenomena to orient this investigation of urban
spatialities.
The organizers encourage submissions on all aspects of the city that
involve the ideas of ‘margins’ and/or ‘memory’, and would particularly
welcome interdisciplinary contributions. ‘Margins’ is to be understood
broadly as encompassing any topic that addresses issues of boundaries
(as an inhibiting force) or borders (as areas of intersection), while
standing both for isolation and alterity, as well as for
connectedness, communication and creativity. ‘Memory’ is similarly to
be interpreted broadly, referring to the recall of ideas and cultures,
to remembrance and its links with the imagination. The following
questions suggest a number of themes to be explored, but wider
interpretations of the conference theme are encouraged.
Where do cities begin and end? Is there a city ‘centre’? Where are
city margins? To what extent can the margin be considered an
unstable/mobile condition? Are margins boundaries or borders? What is
the role of architecture in creating (or destroying) sites of
community? Does the city have an ‘everyday life?’ Where and what is
‘public space’? What does it mean for the margins to ‘belong’ in the
city? To what extent is ‘home’ an imagined condition? How do
alternative perspectives on the city alter urban
understanding/experience? Do ‘marginal’ memories destabilize the
histories of dominant groups at local, national and/or international
levels? Is there such a thing as an urban body? What is the
relationship between body and building? What is the relationship of
the sensory to the cultural? Is architecture ever ‘beyond words’? Is
architecture historical or mnemonic? What is the relationship of
architecture to the imagination? Is the city archetypal?
The deadline for proposals is 7 June 2013 Proposals should take the
form of a paper title and a 250-word abstract, accompanied by a brief
biographical note, including institutional affiliation where
appropriate.
To submit a proposal, or for more information, please e-mail
cityconference@bangor.ac.uk.
It is planned to publish a selection of papers on ‘City Margins, City
Memories’ after the conference.