Thursday, 7 May 2015

Walking studies seminar - registration open

Here are some more details about our forthcoming workshop:

'Walking' Studies Today*
Network Seminar and Taster
Claus Moser Building CM0.012
Tuesday May 26, 2015
9.45 – 16.30
 
The last 10 years or so have seen a growing interest in walking in urban and cultural geography (Middleton 2009, 2010, 2011), literary and cultural studies (Solnit 2000; Macfarlane 2013), oral history (High 2013) and visual and performing arts (Mock 2009, Smith 2014, 2015). Some of the canonical theories on walking - ubiquitous in urban studies - tend to represent this as a liberating and/or subversive act (Debord 1959, Certeau 1980). More recent interventions have problematised walking as a means of knowing the city (Thrift 2008) or as necessarily emancipatory (Urry 2007). It remains the case that walking is seen as ‘the most “egalitarian” of mobility systems’ (Urry 2007, 88); given its broad availability to able-bodied people. It is also a sustainable practice (Education and Inspection Act 2006), with perceived health-promoting properties. Walking has been, and continues to be, a prompt to creative and performative work (Self 2007, Sinclair e.g. 2003, 2004, Macfarlane 2013, Cade 2013-). This workshop will offer a sample of some of the work currently being done in walking studies. It will close with a discussion of possible future areas to explore in the field.
*Here, we use the term ‘walking’ to refer to a range of practices which may or may not be bipedal.

Papers and contributions from: Jennie Middleton (Oxon), Matt Parker (independent sound artist), Sue Porter (Bristol), Phil Smith (Plymouth), Rosana Cade (independent performance artist), Ben Anderson (Keele), Rajmil Fischman (Keele)

All are welcome to attend. However, places are limited, so please register your interest with Ceri Morgan (c.m.morgan@keele.ac.uk) or Andy Zieleniec (a.zieleniec@keele.ac.uk) before Friday May 15, 2015.


We acknowledge the support of Keele University Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Strategy Fund

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