Dead cities, ghost towns, zombie neighborhoods—death has structured how we relate to and understand historic and contemporary urban environments across cultural contexts. Deployed readily across disciplines and discursive traditions since at least the middle of the 19th century, the condition of urban deadness has resonated widely. What constitutes the “death” of “urban” spaces and the “urbanity” of “dead” spaces? How is this death recorded, represented, and experienced by urban residents? In what ways do dead cities continue to live in physical ruins, memories, and stories in a variety of media, and continue to shape urban environments today? How do dead cities matter for the development of new and future cities?
The collection of essays will pursue echoes and murmurs between dead cities throughout time and space to develop a theory of "urban deadness” widely construed. By bringing together historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, sociologists, geographers, art historians, literary scholars, architects, urban planners, and other interested scholars, the volume will extrapolate how analyzing dead cities might shed light on urban vitality—historic, present, and future.
From Glory… to Grave?: “Dead Cities” throughout Time and Space.
Call for Chapters for an Edited Volume and Symposium Abstract Deadline: September 15, 2024
Symposium Date: May 2025
Organizers: Ismael Biyashev (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) and Vyta Pivo (University of Miami)
Dead cities, ghost towns, zombie neighborhoods—death has structured how we relate to and understand historic and contemporary urban environments across cultural contexts. Deployed readily across disciplines and discursive traditions since at least the middle of the 19th century, the condition of urban deadness has resonated widely. What constitutes the “death” of “urban” spaces and the “urbanity” of “dead” spaces? How is this death recorded, represented, and experienced by urban residents? In what ways do dead cities continue to live in physical ruins, memories, and stories in a variety of media, and continue to shape urban environments today? How do dead cities matter for the development of new and future cities?
The collection of essays will pursue echoes and murmurs between dead cities throughout time and space to develop a theory of "urban deadness” widely construed. By bringing together historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, sociologists, geographers, art historians, literary scholars, architects, urban planners, and other interested scholars, the volume will extrapolate how analyzing dead cities might shed light on urban vitality—historic, present, and future.
Contributors are invited to submit proposals engaging with a variety of themes, including but not limited to:
The phenomenon of “dead cities” in deep historical time
Cultural landscapes of death
Eco-catastrophe and dead cities
Representation of dead cities in popular culture and literature
