[ecrea] CfP: Housing Activism: Beyond the West, 27-28 May 2016

    Call for papers: Housing Activism

The most evident expressions of neoliberalization are found in the urban
sphere. Cities have become competitors for investment and arenas for
market-oriented growth. Within the city, housing has been particularly
affected by policies that propagate competitiveness by promoting
marketization, decentralization, privatization and deregulation. The
effects of neoliberalization in specific local contexts differ in time,
space, degree, impact, and the degree and form of contestation.
Moreover, housing activism and housing struggles have been researched
unevenly across the world. The aim of this conference is to contribute
to levelling these differences by focusing on non-Western contexts, and
in particular on un-explored gaps in the field of housing activism.

This conference looks more closely into how housing activism has
developed in under-studied areas in Europe, South America, Asia and
Africa, and compares them to well-studied developments in Western
contexts (specifically in Western Europe and North America). By shedding
light on under-researched geographical areas, we aim to question
conventional, essentializing distinctions between East and West, and
North and South, while considering the specific historical, cultural,
political and economic contexts within which housing activism emerges.
Consequently, our ambition is to bring about dialogue between studies
from different cultural and political contexts in order to broaden the
understanding of housing activism from a comparative perspective.

We are interested in how neoliberalization is contested at grassroots
levels in the field of housing. Therefore, we invite contributions that
discuss conditions for the emergence of such contestation, strategies of
action, use of media technologies, and the successes and failures of
housing activists. We welcome contributions from scholars with different
interdisciplinary backgrounds on the following topics:

  * Historical perspectives on housing activism, looking at the
    specificity of the local context, but placing it in comparative
    perspective.
  * Under-researched forms of activism in the field of housing, i.e.
    radical, informal, spontaneous, non-institutionalized and
    marginalized forms of activism.
  * Coalition-making and cooperation practices among housing activists,
    emphasizing facilitators and obstacles in collaborations.
  * Media in the context of housing activism: materiality, practices and
    strategies.

Comparative research with theory-developing ambitions will be given
priority. However, we are also open to contributions dealing with
specific, single cases, as the format of the conference will be designed
to facilitate discussions and comparisons.

The conference will also host a panel on housing activism with
representatives/activists from networks and organizations working in
different countries with housing issues.


    Keynote speakers

*Margit Mayer*, Center for Metropolitan Studies:
/“Housing struggles in the context of neoliberalization”/

*Chris Pickvance*, University of Kent:
/“Going behind the housing label”/


    Practicalities and deadlines

We aim for a fairly small conference, with a limited number of
participants, to allow for a rich and engaging atmosphere and fruitful
exchanges between all presented papers. Presenters are expected to
present a full original paper (around 8,000 words), to be circulated
among all participants before the conference. All papers will have
designated discussants and all participants should expect to act as
discussants of others’ papers. Presenters and other participants are
expected to attend both days of the conference.

The conference is free of charge and participants with accepted papers
may be eligible for an accommodation contribution (covering two nights
at a specific hotel). If you would like to apply for this contribution,
please indicate this in your application and explain why it would be
helpful to you. To participate without a paper, indicate your interest
by *April 15th 2016*.

Individual papers will, upon acceptance, be arranged into suitable
panels by the organizers. Each proposal should include:

  * A 300-500 word abstract with keywords
  * a short bio (maximum 300 words) and contact details.

Please send your proposal to _housing_activism_conference@sh.se_
<mailto:(housing_activism_conference /at/ sh.se)>

Deadline for submission of paper proposals: *31st January 2016*.

Notification of acceptance: *29th February 2016*.

Submission of full paper: *6th May 2016*.

For more information, visit: _www.sh.se/housing_activism_conference_
<https://www.sh.se/p3/ext/content.nsf/aget?openagent&key=sh_konferens_0_en_1430742502604> 




      Conference organisers:

*Dominika V. Polanska*, PhD
Södertörn University (CBEES) & Uppsala University (Institute for Housing
and Urban Research)

*Anne Kaun*, PhD
Södertörn University (Media and Communication Studies)

https://www.sh.se/p3/ext/content.nsf/aget?openagent&key=sh_konferens_0_sv_1430742502604



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