Questioning urban modernity

Pedram Dibazar, Christoph Lindner*, Miriam Meissner, Judith Naeff

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This critical introduction to the special issue examines the place and significance of urban modernity as a concept in contemporary urban studies. It draws on postcolonial theory to demonstrate that the relation between the city and modernity developed within the western tradition of urban thinking has produced a geographically and historically uneven conceptualisation of urban modernity. This conceptualisation not only involves dynamics of othering, in which cities are differentiated hierarchically, but also obscures a vast array of possible understandings of contemporary urban living. The aim of this introduction is to question this way of thinking about urban modernity in light of globalisation and 21st-century transformations of urban space. It argues that it is crucial, now more than ever, to render the concept of urban modernity attentive to the lived experience of contemporary cities worldwide.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)643-658
Number of pages16
JournalEuropean Journal of Cultural Studies
Volume16
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cities
  • globalisation
  • modernity
  • postcolonial theory
  • urban studies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Questioning urban modernity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this