The Spaces of Democracy and Democracy of Space network
The network undertakes a range of activities in two main areas:-
(1) the consequences of the 'spatial turn' in thinking for politics.
(2) what is radical politics today?
The network involves academics, politicians, practictioners and activists from many different parts of the world. And is under the overall direction of Jonathan Pugh, Senior Academic Fellow in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University.
NEWS
During 2009-2011, the Rutgers node has organized an extensive university-wide series of nearly two hundred lectures, colloquia, panel discussions, and other events exploring the theme of “Ecologies in the Balance.” For the current academic year 2010-2011, they have designated eight specific events to inaugurate the Spaces of Democracy initiative at Rutgers. These are as follows:
Sept 27 Steve Lerner, Research Director, Commonweal
“Sacrifice Zones: The Front Lines of Toxic Chemical Exposure in the US”
Oct 26 Etienne Balibar, Paris X-Nanterre, University of California-Irvine
“Europe: the Final Crisis?
Oct 27 Matthew Jelacic, Architecture, University of Colorado
“Traumatic Urbanization and its Consequences”
Oct 29 Carolyn Finney, Geography, University of California-Berkeley
“There Goes the Neighborhood: Race, Resilience and Environmental Change”
Nov 19 Mazen Labban, Geography, University of Miami
“State, Class, and Oil: Sovereignty Over Natural Resources, Nationalization, and Economic Development in Mexico, 1920-2000”
Feb 9 Ananya Roy, City and Regional Planning, University of California-Berkeley
“The Urban Century: Ecologies and Epistemologies of Dwelling in the Global South”
Feb 23 Daniel Nepstad, Woods Hole Research Institute
“Can Carbon Carry the Global Conservation Agenda?”
March 23 Sharyle Patton, Health and Environment Program, Commonweal
“Our Body Burden of Toxic Chemicals: Implications for Chemical Policy Reform”
Node Directors: Joanna Regulska and Robert Lake
- A FILM is being made on NEOLIBERALISING INDIAN CITIES with Director of the South Asia Node of the Spaces of Democracy and the Democracy of Space network, Swapna Banerjee-Guha, from the School of Social Sciences, TISS, India. (further details forthcoming).
- A one day workshop centred around a debate between DOREEN MASSEY and DAVID HARVEY, Friday 19th November, organised by Chantal Mouffe (node Director at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Westminster).
- ANANYA ROY ON POVERTY, DEMOCRACY AND PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP: A micro-seminar on the research and activism of ANANYA ROY
This includes a public lecture by Ananya Roy: Monday, Oct 11, 6:00pm, Kane Hall; a preliminary seminar on Friday, Oct 8, 2:30 – 5:20pm, CMU 202 and a concluding seminar on Tuesday, Oct 12, 3:30 – 5:20pm, CMU 202 where there will be a discussion of intersections between public lecture, Roy’s publications and her public activism and scholarship.
Organised by Katharyne Mitchell and Victoria Lawson
- A number of people involved in the network have contributed to a special edition of the journal Globalisations. This is a journal well worth reading.
Special Issue: Globalization and Crisis
Volume 7, Issue 1, February/March 2010
- The network is presently seeking to build upon the number of institutional nodes which it operates through. These nodes develop the two main research areas of the network via academic workshops, academic journals, public debates, the general media and website interfaces, for example.
- We are looking to undertake workshops in 2009 and 2010, which will reflect upon the two network research agendas.
- We are looking for people to sit on the editorial board of our free magazine.
- Compass, the British Council, Left Foot Forward, The New Statesman, Fabian Review, Total Politics, Red Pepper, Town and Country Planning and the Big Issue are among magazines that have recently covered the What is Radical Politics Today? project.
Buy the book "What is radical politics today?"
Provocative, authoritative and timely ...
(NewStatesman)
"Jonathan Pugh gathers some of the most innovative and insightful voices from Britain and beyond to stage a series of debates on the central issues facing radical politics today. This collection is a model for the kinds of discussion we need to move forward."
Michael Hardt (Duke University).
"This stimulating and impressively diverse collection of essays helps us to begin re-thinking our predicament. Anyone who finds themselves in agreement with all the authors here must be seriously confused, since several of the pieces offer directly contradictory analyses. But the strength of the book as a whole lies precisely in bringing different political traditions into productive dialogue"
(Red Pepper)
The network was co-initiated by Jonathan Pugh, Chantal Mouffe and Doreen Massey in 2004. It operates through seventeen network node directors, with Deborah Thien being the United States Director and Swapna Banerjee-Guha the Director of the South Asia nodes.
The network as a whole has no political agenda, which is why we continue to seek to involve a wide range of people.
Click here for a list of just some of the people involved in the network, including Tony Benn, Zygmunt Bauman, Hilary Wainwright ...
For a link to the spaces of democracy logo, click here and here for different versions.
