Urban Debates Seminar on Provincializing Global Urbanism

Making sense of rapid urbanization in the postcolonial societies of Asia, African and Latin America requires attending to three classes of urban revolutions. We bring them together as a manifesto for provincializing global urbanism.

Revolutions from above
The first, revolutions from above, refers to the global urban norms, and accompanying theories (mainstream and critical), through which urban problems in the ‘postcolony’ are imagined to be solved. These developmentalist imaginaries associated with globalizing capitalism, periodically reinvented, suggest that northern expertise is to be marshaled to accelerate post-colonial ‘mega’ cities along a developmental path that culminates in global cities. Those living prosperously in such cities have come to aspire to live in cities that make good on such imaginaries.

Revolutions from below
The second, revolutions from below, refers to the multifaceted and diverse ways in which those living precariously, in and beyond such cities, contest and resist such developmentalist imaginaries and policies, through such actions as occupancy urbanism, the worlding of livelihood strategies, and straightforward protest.

Conceptual revolutions
The third, conceptual revolutions, refers to burgeoning attempts to reconceptualize urbanism, urbanization and urban interventions in and from post-colonial contexts. Such conceptual revolutions, incorporating the knowledge and insights of those living and working in such urban contexts, are vital to avoiding developmentalism.

Registration
We hope to welcome you all. Drinks will be served afterwards. Could you please let us know if you would like to attend this seminar?

All the best,
Bas Spierings & Ilse van Liempt
b.spierings@uu.nl & i.c.vanliempt@uu.nl