[URBANTH-L] CFP: "The Boundaries of Urban Studies," Urban Network Panel, SSHA

[Angela Jancius]

From: Daniela Sandler <sand at mail.rochester.edu>

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 at 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