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Call for Papers Conference: ³African Cities: The Significance of the Urban Context, Past and Present² June 6-7, 2007 Sponsors: "Bamat Africa," Department of Middle Eastern and African History, The S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies The Graduate School of Historical Studies, Tel Aviv University Africa Unit of the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Cities provide useful grounds for examining the dynamic interaction between local idioms and global processes over time. Research on African cities in particular have provided scholars with an opportunity to learn about the everyday experiences of Africans as they have navigated colonial and post-colonial spaces. But while cities have offered scholars a powerful lens for viewing the dynamics of migration, cross-cultural exchange and economic development, the role of the city in shaping these processes is not always evident in research of Africa. We seek to understand the ongoing dialogue between the evolution of the physical and political landscapes in African cities, and the evolution of the groups, cultures and social networks present within these cities over time. A central aim of this conference is to understand how city living has opened up new possibilities for alignment, solidarity and cooperation among urban residents in Africa. How have ordinary people, thrust together in the shadow of colonial, post-colonial, or global hierarchies of power made sense of their world and developed strategies to take advantage of the opportunities cities uniquely afford? How have cities in Africa become arenas of intensified conflict between groups, so that the competition for resources has led to a hardening of identities and segregation between communities? How are social, gendered and religious identities constructedand enacted in dynamic enclaves of city space? We invite papers from a broad range of vantage points, including but certainly not limited to: · Alternative notions of citizenship in urban spaces · Governing urban chaos · Consumption in urban culture · Evolving religious and ethnic communities in urban spaces · Urban development and the notion of the ideal · Confronting poverty from above and below · The flow of information in urban Africa · Transportation networks and community development · Rationalities of participation and belonging in city neighborhoods · Urban architecture and the struggle over space · Mega-cities and the environment · Musical, literary or artistic engagements with the African city Abstracts may be submitted (250 words) to Dr. Lynn Schler (lynns@savion.huji.ac.il), Dr. Gali Sabar (gsafrica@post.tau.ac.il), or Dr. Louise Bethlehem (bethlehem@013.net) no later than February 25, 2007.
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