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SUMMARY:Theorising Cities Now: Putting Comparison to work for global urban
  studies - Jennifer Robinson\, University College London
DTSTART:20140304T173000Z
DTEND:20140304T190000Z
UID:TALK47620@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:29816
DESCRIPTION:This paper argues that global urbanism\, the commitment to pro
 ducing an understanding of the urban which is potentially open to the expe
 riences of all cities - to a world of cities - is best served by a compara
 tive imagination. The spatiality of theorising the urban experience maps w
 ell onto the core elements of a comparative imagination – thinking acros
 s different “cases” to produce conceptualisations which contribute to 
 wider understandings of the processes being analysed\, and which might the
 n\, in turn\, be considered in relation to other contexts or cases.  Howev
 er\, as the comparative methods which have conventionally underpinned urba
 n studies are not well placed to serve the project for a more global urban
 ism the paper will present some tactics for a reformatted comparativism. R
 econfiguring the tactics and form of the comparative imagination aligns wi
 th significant issues in the wider theorisation of the urban which are cur
 rently provoking considerable debate. Can we understand cities as assembla
 ges of circulating phenomena\, or as outcomes of wider social processes? T
 o what extent is it possible to configure a conceptually adequate theorisa
 tion of the urban? How do concepts of cities relate to the phenomenal elem
 ents of the urban world which present themselves to us through observation
 s and encounters? These rather abstract theoretical debates are analytical
 ly closely connected to the practical challenges of producing a more inter
 national urban studies.  Above all\, an orientation to an open and revisab
 le conceptualisation of the urban\, willing to work with\, puzzle through 
 and make room for the differentiation and diversity of urban life is essen
 tial for enabling the emergence of a more inclusive global urban theoretic
 al practice.
LOCATION:Room SG1 of the Alison Richard Building\, 7 West Road\, CB39DT\, 
 Cambridge
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