David Madden (NYU) and I have three sessions running at this year’s AAGs

New Geographies of Publics, Spaces and Politics

The connections between publics, spaces and politics are complex and contradictory perhaps as never before. The twenty-first century has been marked by contentious public political action. Events in Tbilisi, Kiev, Tehran, Paris, Tunis, Cairo, Manama, Sana’a, Madison, Athens, London and scores of other cities have dramatically underscored the continuing potency of outdoor participatory politics and the intense strategic and symbolic significance of public urban centrality. At the same time, the transformative potential of urban publicity has never been more in doubt. New technologies of control and surveillance penetrate ever deeper into everyday life, and political philosophers continue to highlight the absence of a place where political logics can be contested. We are thus witnessing a double-movement, as the end or death of public politics uneasily accompanies its return and reformulation.

In this session we look to assess the state of public space(s). We invite theoretical and empirical submissions that examine a variety of issues related to public space. Suggested topics include (but are not limited to):
–   The geographies of public space
–   Political theory and space
–   Micro-politics and public space
–   Privatization and public-private partnerships
–   Public parks and politics
–   Globalization and global publics
–   Aesthetic practice, space and politics
–   Crowds and surveillance
–   Political economy and publicity
–   Revolution and space
–   Urban technologies and control
–   Urban development and provision of public space
–   The commons and publics
–   State power and space