Trier Summer University 2017: "Decolonizing Urbanism"

The Governance and Sustainability Lab at Trier University was proud to host its first Summer University entitled "Decolonizing Urbanism: Transformative Perspectives" during the week from June 6th - June 12th, 2017. Fifteen advanced doctoral and postdoctoral researchers from around the world traveled to Trier for a week of lectures, discussion sessions, excursions, and other activities. Our keynote speakers included:

  • Dr. Epifania Amoo-Adare, University of Bonn, Germany, Center for Development Research (ZEF)
  • Prof. Dr. Encarnación Gutiérrez Rodríguez, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Germany , Department of Sociology
  • Dr. Henrik Ernstson, University of Cape Town, South Africa (African Centre for Cities), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (KTH Environmental Humanities Laboratory)
  • Dr. Noa Ha, TU Berlin, Germany , Center for Metropolitan Studies
  • Prof. Dr. David Simon, Mistra Urban Futures, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg and Royal Holloway
  • Prof. Dr. Tuna Tasan-Kok, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Department of Human Geography, Urban Planning and International Development
  • Stokley Towles, M.F.A., MLIS, The Evergreen State College, USA, Member of the Faculty and Performance Artist

Via the formats of lecture, film, discussion and performance, we considered global and regional understandings of colonial contexts as well as the persistence of metropolitan coloniality within Europe and beyond. We came to see world immigration patterns defined by colonialism and especially racism as the primordial matrix for world order. We thought critically about the coproduction of knowledge in this context and the need for deep forms of participation. We also considered new innovations in urban planning approaches, such as the “hyper-diversity” method for rethinking the mix of uses in urban neighborhoods. In the end, our nascent conceptualization of decolonizing urbanism spanned a range of linkages between knowledge, space and power.

As the week drew to a close, participants organized themselves around a number of further projects and research, from traditional co-authored paper groups to syllabus work and the establishment of a network of scholars committed to decolonizing urbanism.

If you are interested in this ongoing endeavor, contact us at: waterpoweruni-trierde