Engaging geography

Activist Geographies

If those committed to geographical participatory action-research are to be truly participatory and public-oriented, then an urgent task is to collaborate fully with research users in the formulation of priorities for action-research. An urgent priority for ‘activist-geographers’, then, is to address the question of how research priorities are formulated and carried out with activists, those engaged in social struggles and social movement groups more generally. The event will bring together representatives from all of these communities of interest to explore how research priorities can be best articulated and implemented by those ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of the academy to address the concrete needs and situations of social movement struggles for a better world. The event will involve testimonies from those involved in particular campaign groups, and interactive sessions on how to formulate and implement action research priorities and projects.

Date: March 16th, 2010

Venue: Seminar Room 1.44, School of Geography, University of Leeds (click here for details)

Conveners: Paul Chatterton, Stuart Hodkinson, Sara Gonzalez, Cities & Social Justice Research Group, School of Geography, University of Leeds

Programme

Aim of the day
This one day seminar aimed to showcase and interact with campaigners, researchers and activists who are developing engaging ideas, tools and techniques that aim to bring about a more socially and ecologically just world. It was aimed at people inside and outside universities alike who work in engaged, collaborative and innovative ways.

9.30am:    Coffee-Tea-Registration

10am:        Welcome and Introduction to Activist Geographies. Paul Chatterton, Sara Gonzalez, Stuart Hodkinson

10.20am:  Speaker 1 followed by discussion and refreshments

11.40 am:  Speaker 2 followed by discussion

1pm:           Lunch

2pm:           Speaker 3 followed by discussion and refreshments

3.20pm:     Speaker 4 followed by discussion

4.40pm:     Closing Plenary with discussant and refreshments

5.30pm:      Drinks and optional meal (paid for by participants)

Speakers:

• Lindis Percy: peace campaigner, founding member of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases, and long standing activist will reflect on her long career in anti-war non-violent direct action and civil disobedience. See www.caab.org.uk/
• Lawrence Cassidy, community activist: Recovering Memory and the Politics of Visibility: Using Participatory Exhibitions to Challenge Regeneration and Displacement, www.lcassidy.org/
• John Jordan, art-activist: Anecdotes on treating insurrection as an art, and art as a means of preparing for the coming insurrection. www.labofii.net / www.weareeverywhere.org
• Jai Redman, Creative Director of the Ultimate Holding Company. Intervening in the corporate city. Leeds Plan B and beyond. www.uhc.org.uk/