[URBANTH-L] FINAL CALL: The Diverse Suburb (History, Politics, and Prospects)

[Chris Niedt]

FINAL CALL: The Diverse Suburb: History, Politics, and Prospects

Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York)

October 22-24, 2009

Call for Papers



Abstracts due: February 15, 2009



In recent years, conventional accounts of suburban homogeneity have been
called into

question. Scholars, journalists, community organizers, and advocates have
noted the

growing racial, ethnic, and class diversity of many suburbs, and have
speculated about what

these shifts mean for our understanding of suburban life. At the same time,
scholars of the

'new suburban history' have brought to light the buried histories of poor
white suburbs, of

suburbs of color, and of the women whose varied roles within suburban
communities defied

neat categorizations based on place. Organizations and individuals who fight
for social and

economic justice, meanwhile, have continued to encounter suburban resistance
to equity and

inclusion.



The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra invites academics,
activists, and

policymakers to an international and interdisciplinary conference that will
consider the

challenging and emergent phenomenon of suburban diversity. What are the
implications of

this growing diversity? To what extent is this apparent growth simply a
rediscovery of

differences long written out of suburban history? How is suburban diversity
linked to

processes, such as globalization, that operate above and cut across the
local scale?

Do the changing suburbs present new opportunities for creating a more just
and equitable

society?



We welcome proposals for individual papers, organized sessions, and
roundtables that

address these questions from a variety of approaches. Topics might include,
but are not

limited to:

• Racial and ethnic suburban enclaves, past and present

• International migration to the suburbs

• White supremacy, structural/institutional racism, and white privilege in
the suburbs

• Changing patterns of suburban class segregation

• Environmental justice movements in the suburbs

• Women's leadership in suburban social movements

• New forms of suburban social and political organization

• Affordable housing and suburban gentrification

• Inequality and suburban schools

• Control of public space and a 'right to the suburb'

• Age and inclusion in the suburbs

• Sexuality, queer identity, and suburban politics

• Representations of diverse suburbs in the visual and performing arts

• International/comparative analyses of suburban diversity

• New suburban populations and suburban religious life



Confirmed Speakers include:

Nancy Denton, State University of New York, Albany

Becky Nicolaides, University of California – Los Angeles

Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California

john a. powell, Ohio State University

Andrew Wiese, San Diego State University



To submit an abstract, please visit our website at
http://www.hofstra.edu/diversesuburb.

Individual paper abstracts should be limited to 200 words and submitted
through the

conference website before February 15, 2009. Proposals for organized paper
sessions, panels,

and roundtables should be sent to Christopher Niedt (
Christopher.Niedt at hofstra.edu) as

soon as possible; please include the names and contact information for all
confirmed and

potential participants.