[Discussion] CFP: Global Cities: An Interdisciplinary Conference (UK) (2/28/06; 6/29/06-6/30/06)

[gpultar@cstgroup.org]

From: Lawrence Phillips <PHILLIL@hope.ac.uk>

Global Cities - An Interdisciplinary Conference
Hosted by the Deanery of Humanities and organised by the Narrated Spaces
Research Group
Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool, 29th-30th June 2006

Plenary speakers to be confirmed.

Is the 'global' city an age-old historical phenomenon associated with economic,
cultural, and imperial power (Rome, Athens, Beijing, Istanbul), or a consequence
of the industrial revolution? Is it a product of the media age or a continuation
of the power and influence of the imperial metropolis? In the nineteenth and for
much of the twentieth century it would have been claimed as a Western
imperialist phenomenon (London, Paris, New York) or cities and countries that
consciously emulated western imperialism (Tokyo). This conception--if ever
actually true--certainly cannot be supported today. The European and north
American cities now vie with the booming cities of Asian Tigers (Mumbai,
Shanghia, Seoul), and the great developing cities (Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bahía
Blanca, Lagos), as well as regional expressions like the 'Pacific Rim' cities.

What is the essence of the 'global' city and how has it been represented? Is it
a modern phenomenon or an ancient practice? How do we define global--is
globalism a consequence of mass urbanisation or does globalisation create the
conditions for the emergence of the global city. How do the global cities of the
twentieth century resemble or differ in form and function those of the past and,
based on present trends, the future? In the 21st century more people than even
will be living in urban environments: 'Over the next thirty years, the world's
urban population could double from 2.6 billion in 1995 to 5.2 billion in 2025.
Most of this growth will take place in developing countries, where some 4
billion people (over half of the total) could be living in cities by 2025,
compared with 1.5 billion (37%) in the early 1990s' (Andrieu 1999). How will
this impact on how we imagine the city and issues of migration, diaspora, and
existing geopolitical inequalities--not all global cities are equal in these
terms. What have been and will be the consequence of such global economic and
technological inequalities?

This conference is intended to encourage interdisciplinary exchange on the
representation, cultures, histories, experience, planning, and articulation of
global cities. By interrogating the vocabularies that have arisen in several
disciplines which might include in addition to the term 'global city', 'global
village', 'megacities', 'cosmopolis', imperial metropolis', 'world cities',
'sprawl', 'postmetropolis', etc., the conference will bring together debates
over images, narratives, economics, planning and, above all, experience, of the
'global' city. Papers are sought from any relevant discipline in the humanities,
social sciences, architecture, urban planning, and beyond.

We will be actively pursuing various publishing outputs related to the
conference.

Abstracts of 200 words for 20-minute papers by 28th February 2006 to:
phillil@hope.ac.uk or the postal address below.

Proposals for panels of three speakers are also welcome.

Dr Lawrence Phillips,
Global Cities Conference
Humanities Deanery
Liverpool Hope University
Hope Park
Liverpool
L16 9JD
Telephone: +44 0151 291 3560
FAX +44 0151 291 3160
E-mail: phillil@hope.ac.uk

Dr Lawrence Phillips,
Award Director MA Humanities,
Programme Leader BA English,
Editor, Literary London Journal,
Secretary UK Network For Modern Fiction Studies,
Department of English,
Liverpool Hope University,
Hope Park,
Liverpool,
L16 9JD
UK

Tel.    0151 2913560
Web. http://www.literarylondon.org
         http://www.uk-fiction-network.org/



>From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List