CALL FOR PAPERS
Contemporary Rome: Changing Faces of the Eternal City
Bilingual Conference (English and Italian)
The American University of Rome
26-27 November 2010
Keynote Speaker: Michael Herzfeld
The city of Rome, the Caput Mundi of Antiquity, has been studied
predominantly as a historical monument. But what of contemporary Rome; its
people, its politics and economy, its environment, the challenges of
globalization? The fast-changing urban realities of Italy's biggest city
and capital are the focus of this two-day conference which will bring
together Italian and English-speaking scholars from a variety of
disciplines.
Papers will be selected on the basis of empirical or theoretical originality
and should focus on contemporary Rome. Historical approaches are also
welcome as long as they deal with the issue of change and offer
perspectives that directly relate to the contemporary scene. The organizers
will subsequently present a selection of papers from the conference to put
forward a book proposal to a British or American publisher.
Rationale
Both within and outside Rome's historic centre, a variety of transformations
are currently underway. Recent decades have seen the arrival of large
numbers of immigrants, many of whom are becoming permanent residents and
are changing the outlook of the city. This new multicultural reality is
affecting the arts, Rome's nightlife, its economy, and neighborhoods. It
has also become a highly contested issue in local politics. Mobility is not
restricted to Rome's newcomers and the city is undergoing gentrification,
labor market transformations, geographic expansion. Conditions in its
peripheries are now the subject of intense study and urban planners are
seeking new approaches to developing the city for a sustainable future. The
issues of pollution, congestion and calls for decentralization are more
urgent than ever. Rome's identity as national capital is also an issue for
debate as moves for increased regional autonomy and questions concerning
the role of the nation state itself develop. The many ways in which the city
of Rome is changing its faces deserve critical attention and analysis. The
conference intends to create a forum for such a multidisciplinary dialogue.
Themes
The organizers welcome papers across the subject disciplines of the arts,
humanities and social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, cultural
studies, geography, urban planning and any other relevant discipline or
background. There are no limitations to research methodologies used: survey
analysis, interviews, demography, life history analysis, discourse analysis
etc. Comparisons with other cities are acceptable as long as the primary
focus is on Rome. We particularly welcome contributions that relate to one
or more of the following thematic areas:
a.. Practices of space and place
b.. Dwelling practices and the stretching of the city (the 'sprawl city')
c.. Segregation, ghettoization, homelessness, gated communities
d.. Conflict and cooperation
e.. Spaces of social and political resistance
f.. Gentrification and changing neighborhood identities
g.. Rome as a global city
h.. Minorities, civil society, and political representation
i.. Encounters between 'old' and 'new' Romans
j.. Religions and inter-faith relations
k.. Evolving labor markets
l.. Formal, informal and ethnic economies
m.. Legality and illegality
n.. Post-industrial renewal and regeneration
o.. Urban and environmental policies and planning
p.. Changing political identities, political activism, and mobilization
q.. Memory politics
r.. Contemporary museums, art galleries, and architecture
s.. Popular culture and new media
Deadline
Deadline for submitting an Abstract (max 300 words) and a brief biography
(max 150 words) is 1 June 2010.
Abstracts should be in the language in which the proposed paper will be
presented
Please submit electronically to all the following organizers:
Bjørn Thomassen, PhD: (bjorn_thomassen /at/ yahoo.co.uk)
Cristina Lombardi-Diop, PhD: (cldiop /at/ yahoo.com)
Isabella Clough Marinaro, PhD: (isaclomar /at/ gmail.com)
