Urban Studies

Urbanism reflects the global shift from agricultural to predominantly urban societies, in which people’s primary relationships are increasingly shaped by proximity to one another rather than proximity to land. This course examines the political and economic forces that shape cities and evaluates how urbanization affects human welfare in both the Global South and Global North. The course is designed as an intensive summer seminar meeting six times for extended sessions.

Urbanism reflects the global shift from agricultural to predominantly urban societies, in which people’s primary relationships are increasingly shaped by proximity to one another rather than proximity to land. This course examines the political and economic forces that shape cities and evaluates how urbanization affects human welfare in both the Global South and Global North. The course is designed as an intensive summer seminar meeting six times for extended sessions.

This seminar examines the social, economic, and political landscapes of Latin American cities and the Latinx urban experience through ethnographic analysis. It explores key themes such as rural to urban and transnational migration, urban poverty, theories of “marginality” and informality, violence and urban segregation, grassroots movements, urban citizenship and neoliberal urban governance. Students will read ethnographies to gain an in-depth understanding of how cities are lived and experienced, while we delve into theoretical debates important in the field of Latin American urban studies and Latinx studies. The course unsettles the category of Latin America, to introduce a discussion of the “Latinization” of U.S. cities, and engages the history and lived experience of Latinxs in New York City as a prime example of this phenomenon. We will interrogate ethnographic, audiovisual materials (included to complement the readings) and lived experience, from a postcolonial perspective. This means, discussing the politics of knowledge production and representation, the impact of colonialism in transnational flows of knowledge and labor, the contributions to urban theory from the perspective of cities located in the Global South, and the active efforts of Latinxs in New York city to transform space and carve out spaces of self-representation and sovereignty.

This seminar examines the social, economic, and political landscapes of Latin American cities and the Latinx urban experience through ethnographic analysis. It explores key themes such as rural to urban and transnational migration, urban poverty, theories of “marginality” and informality, violence and urban segregation, grassroots movements, urban citizenship and neoliberal urban governance. Students will read ethnographies to gain an in-depth understanding of how cities are lived and experienced, while we delve into theoretical debates important in the field of Latin American urban studies and Latinx studies. The course unsettles the category of Latin America, to introduce a discussion of the “Latinization” of U.S. cities, and engages the history and lived experience of Latinxs in New York City as a prime example of this phenomenon. We will interrogate ethnographic, audiovisual materials (included to complement the readings) and lived experience, from a postcolonial perspective. This means, discussing the politics of knowledge production and representation, the impact of colonialism in transnational flows of knowledge and labor, the contributions to urban theory from the perspective of cities located in the Global South, and the active efforts of Latinxs in New York city to transform space and carve out spaces of self-representation and sovereignty.