ASA 2017 CfP "African cities on the move: Urban mobilities as meaningful everyday practices"
November 16-18, 2017
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
Panel: African cities on the move: Urban mobilities as meaningful everyday practices
Convener: Allen Xiao (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Discussant: Jennifer Hart (Wayne State University)
The perspective that cities are becoming “mobile” casts important light on ideas and practices of urbanism, and has spurred a variety of empirical research. However, scholars have had a hard time articulating the relationship between a unique urbanism (in certain aspects of the environment, institution and ways of life) and the specific mobilities embedded in the urban landscape.
This panel aims to address a particular form of urban mobilities in relation to the urban culture it embodies in the African contexts. We attempt to build up theoretical connection between cultures of movements and meanings of everyday life in African studies meanwhile echoing trends in mobilities studies and urban studies with African cases. Thus, we call for proposals on various forms of urban transport, including but not restricted to bicycles, tricycles (e.g. keke in Nigeria), motorcycles, minibuses (e.g. tro-tro in Ghana, matatu in Kenya), buses, cars, and trains.
Proposal should include a name, affiliation, email address, phone number, title, an abstract of no more than 250 words and a short biography of no more than 50 words. Please send your proposal to hxiao35@wisc.edu and Jennifer.hart4@wayne.edu by March 8.