John Dixon talk on 23rd February

John Dixon of the Open University will give a paper on 23rd Februaryat 4.30pm, Pybus Room, Old Library Building

‘The space between us’: Reflections on the social psychology of intergroup contact, desegregation and re-segregation 

The role of ethnic and racial segregation in perpetuating prejudice, discrimination, and inequality has been extensively investigated by social scientists. Most research has concentrated on the macro-sociological organization of institutions of residence, education and employment, largely ignoring relations unfolding at more intimate scales of analysis. Often, such research has also ignored how local understandings of person-place relationships may shape resistance to, or acceptance of, programs of desegregation. In this paper, I suggest that future work on the nature and consequences of segregation and desegregation should be extended in two ways.  First, research on relatively stable, macro-level structures of segregation should be complemented by research that investigates the ‘micro-ecology of segregation’ (Dixon et al., 2008) in everyday life spaces – the dynamic, largely informal network of social practices through which individuals maintain racial isolation within settings where members of other race groups are physically co-present. Second, I suggest that research on local resistance to desegregation should pay more careful attention to lay constructions of its meaning and significance, particularly constructions of intergroup contact and the relationship between place and identity. Developing these arguments, I discuss a program of work on everyday practices of contact, desegregation and re-segregation in post-apartheid South Africa.

Biography

John Dixon is a psychologist who grew up in Northern Ireland and South Africa. Much of his work lies at the interface between social psychology and human geography, and he has a particular interest in the dynamics of interracial contact, conflict, desegregation, and (re)segregation. His work has appeared in journals such as American Psychologist, Urban Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Discourse and Society, the European Journal of Social Psychology, Political Psychology, Theory and Psychology, and the Journal of Environmental Psychology. He is currently co-editor (with Jolanda Jetten) of the British Journal of Social Psychology and is co-author (with Kevin Durrheim) of Racial Encounter: The Social Psychology of Contact and Desegregation. London: Routledge. He is a professor of social psychology at the Open University, UK.

Provisional dates

Please note that we have provisional dates for three CSP events

23rd February- John Dixon, Open University

8th March – Mitch Rose, University of Hull (http://www.lostgeographer.com/research.htm)

18th April – Hayden Lorimer (http://www.ges.gla.ac.uk:443/staff/hlorimer)

All talks will start at 4.30/5pm and will be followed by drinks. Abstracts and biographies will be posted in due course.

Kenneth Olwig Talk Cancelled

Please note the Kenneth Olwig talk scheduled to take place on November 30th has been cancelled due to strike action. We will endeavour to re-arrange this as soon as possible.

CURDS Annual Distinguished Lecture 2011-2012

CURDS Annual Distinguished Lecture 2011-2012
Professor Anssi Paasi of the University of Oulu
Venue: Clore Suite of the Great North Museum

Time/Date: 14th December 2011, 16:00

CURDS are delighted to announce that this year’s Annual Distinguished Lecture will be given by Professor Anssi Paasi of the University of Oulu, entitled “The enigma of the ‘region’ and planning practice: problematizing relational thinking”. The lecture will take place in the Clore Suite of the Great North Museum at 16.00, December 14th 2011. The event will also launch a programme of activities to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of CURDS in 2012.

To register for this event please go to http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=2342

Professor Paasi is one the world’s leading human geographers has written widely on the cultural significance of place.

Forthcoming event – now cancelled

Forthcoming events: Professor Kenneth Olwig, specialist in landscape theory int he Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Heritage at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), will be giving a talk entitled: Chora, Æther and the “Inside-Out” Places of Modernity on November 30th 2011 at 4.30-5.30 (refreshments will be provided), venue Percy Building G13. See our events page for further information. All welcome.

What’s on

The CSP group recently held two workshops intended to allow members to showcase their research interests in an informal setting. This brought out the diversity of interests in, and approaches to, CSP across the group but also highlighted significant commonalities. The CSP group is now approaching external speakers in order to arrange events to be held before July, when the group’s first yearly cycle of activity will conclude. Suggestions for future speakers should be sent to Chris Whitehead (chris.whitehead@ncl.ac.uk).

This year’s cycle of talks will include John Dixon, Hayden Lorimer and others TBC. See the ‘events’ tab for details of our next event: a lecture by Kenneth Olwig on ‘Chora, Æther and the “Inside-Out” Places of Modernity‘ on 30th Novemeber.

The CSP group also submitted a proposal within a larger expression of interest to University’s call relating to the societal challenge of social renewal.