1998 European Urban History Conference, Venice, 3-5 September 1998.
The Research Group for European Urban Culture at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle has been invited to organise one of the Main Sessions at the 4th European Urban History Conference in Venice.
Papers in the 'Sense of Place' session, which embraces all periods of urban history from medieval to contemporary , will engage with the five senses in an urban context. We see this as a line of enquiry which will encourage imaginative responses from scholars engaged with a whole range of disciplines relating to the urban experience.
The Following examples are an indication of potential areas which papers might cover :
TOWNS AND SOUNDS (music, street cries, gossip).
TOWNS AND SIGHT (the visual impact of buildings old and new, representations of towns by artists and photographers for local and outside consumption).
TOWNS AND SMELLS (changing perceptions of smell - movement by the wealthy to the suburbs, zoning of odorous industrial activities, smells in urban literature;, good air, bad air and disease).
TOWNS AND TOUCH (play, social encounters and distances, sex).
TOWNS AND TASTE (eating and drinking).
Interlinked papers would also be very welcome.
Please send your proposals, including an abstract on one page of A4 no later than 1 November 1997 to : Alexander Cowan, Department of Historical and Critical Studies, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST. UK.
email : a.cowan@unn.ac.uk
Phone : +44 191 227 4925. Fax : +44 191 227 4630
