Special Seminar: "Contested metabolisms in the Southern metropolis"

Seth Schindler (University of Sheffield)

March 5th at 12pm

ICTA .Room Z023, Z-building, UAB.

Abstract

There is broad agreement that theory developed in European and North American cities is ill­-equipped to interpret cities in the global South. Scholarly debates have revolved around the development of new paradigmatic theoretical frameworks, and the most divisive fault line is between scholars who argue for a focus on materiality (i.e. ANT, assemblage and metabolic approaches) and those who embrace critical urbanism whose roots lie in political economy. I seek to demonstrate that these approaches can be mutually enriching. I begin by demonstrating that many cities in the global South are in a territorial moment; municipal governments have subordinated the goal of ‘improving’ the poor to the primary objective of realizing a vision of ‘world­class’ cityspace. As a result capital is invested in real estate and infrastructure rather than production, and this has given rise to dynamic metabolisms. These metabolisms are underpinned by infrastructure systems that are incomplete and contested. The contestations surrounding metabolic flows characterize everyday life and are the primary antagonism animating sociality in Southern cities. I conclude that the only way to move beyond the impasse in theoretical debates is to focus on methodology, and develop ways to better understand contested metabolisms.

Bio: Seth Schindler is an urban geographer interested in rapidly growing metropolises in developing countries. He is particularly interested in theorizing urban transformation in these cities, which oftentimes cannot be explained by mainstream urban theory that was developed largely in Europe and North America. He conducted his doctoral research on workers in the informal sector in Delhi, India, and demonstrated that they play an important role in the production of urban space. He developed an interest in cities while completing a Master’s in Global Studies (2007) at the University of KwaZulu­Natal in Durban, South Africa, and Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, India. He completed his PhD at Clark University (2013) in the United States.

More info at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/geography/staff/seth_schindler/home