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Category: Talks

UCL Urban Lab. At the frontiers of the urban: thinking concepts and practices globally

UCL Urban Lab. At the frontiers of the urban: thinking concepts and practices globally

This conference hit close to home. It was a very personal affair, and not one that would be immediately obvious even to those who know me. I got to spend several days at University College London, which as it happens has played a large role in my family’s story. I’m not English, but I’ve been going to London regularly for much of my life. My sister moved there in the early 80s and she graduated from UCL. Her daughter, my…

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Session hosting lessons from the 2019 International Urban Geographies of Post-communist States Conference – aka the CAT-ference

Session hosting lessons from the 2019 International Urban Geographies of Post-communist States Conference – aka the CAT-ference

So I went to Belgrade to my favorite conference, the CAT-ference. I consider this my home conference, if such a thing were possible – the place where I feel most comfortable. Honestly I love everything about it: the conference atmosphere is the best I’ve ever seen, and the themes are right up my alley. It’s always fresh, as it’s held in different sets of post-socialist cities each time, and composed of an interesting mix of influences as the local organizers…

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Mega-events in Belarus

Mega-events in Belarus

I went to Minsk. I never thought I’d get to see it, especially after my unfortunate encounters with the Russian security and migration authorities. But I was invited by a good friend at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and so, I thought, why not try? Aside from the desire to see Belarus, this would be a good opportunity to check my status with Russia. Russia and Belarus share security architecture, among much else, so if I’m on a list in one…

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Diverse paths to an uncertain future: Early career options in Human Geography

Diverse paths to an uncertain future: Early career options in Human Geography

I co-organized a panel in the Human Geography stream at the Annual Swiss Geosciences in Bern. We aimed it at early career researchers and entitled it as shown above: “Diverse paths to an uncertain future…” Tellingingly, this appeared in the conference program as the more anodyne “PhD, What Next? Early career options in Human Geography.” We found it indicative of the relative powerlessness of our positions that the title was changed without our knowledge or permission. I can hardly imagine…

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A trashy kind of Olympic legacy

A trashy kind of Olympic legacy

In preparation for my talk at this year’s American Association of Geographers annual conference I’ve been thinking about Sochi several years after the Olympics. I think it’s worth taking a look at the city after the circus has left town, when the international spotlight has largely moved on to other events and other places. Sochi 2014 was never just about the sport. Beyond the aspirations to reframe public perceptions of Russia inside and outside the nation, there was a clear attempt…

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