[Discussion] CFP: Boundaries of Urban Studies (2/15/05; SSHA, 11/4/05-11/7/05)

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

Call for Papers

Panel "The Boundaries of Urban Studies," Urban Network,
Social Science History Association, 30th Annual Meeting
(November 4-7, 2005, Portland, Oregon)

How do we configure the field of Urban Studies today? Urban Studies as
an area of inquiry encompasses not only approaches from sociology or
political science, but also history, urban geography, economics,
planning, architecture, anthropology, art history, and cultural studies,
among others. Research is increasingly interdisciplinary, and so are
academic programs and journals. How has our understanding of the
theories and practices of Urban Studies expanded to integrate - or not -
these often conflicting approaches? How do our methodological choices
impact the field as a whole and relate to each other? This panel seeks
papers that address these questions either through a conceptual
discussion, or through case studies combined with theoretical
reflections. The panel should reflect the variety of methodological and
theoretical approaches so as to propitiate a productive debate among
scholars from different disciplines.

Papers may deal with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

-	Methodological challenges of urban research
-	Field work: between data collection and anthropological immersion
-	Intersections of theory and practice
-	Combining history and sociology in urban research
-	The difference between Urban History and Urban Studies
-	The turn of the humanities: can art history and cultural studies
enter the field?
-	The contribution of Urban Geography
-	Comparative research versus single case studies
-	The expanding frontier: is Suburban Studies part of Urban Studies, or
does it configure a new field? How does Urban Studies respond to
suburbia and exurbia?
-	What are, if any, the "defining" research questions (housing,
transportation, administration, economy)?
-	Teaching Urban Studies
-       Urban Studies in different contexts: US, Latin America, Europe,
Africa, etc; small towns, metropolitan areas, etc.

250-word abstracts should be sent to Daniela Sandler at
sand@mail.rochester.edu by February 15th. Please include contact
information (address, phone, and email).

Graduate students may apply for conference travel grants
(http://www.ssha.org/ssha2003/travelgrant_apply.html)

For more information, visit the SSHA website (www.ssha.org)

________________________________________________________________________
Daniela Sandler
Program in Visual and Cultural Studies
University of Rochester
sand@mail.rochester.edu


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