Call for papers: RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, London, 1-4 September 2020.
Urban Inequalities and the Social Contract in The Global South
Social contract theory dates back to writings of Rousseau, Locke, and Hobbes and, in a newer definition (Loewe et al 2019), refers to “the entirety of explicit or implicit agreements between all relevant societal groups and the sovereign (i.e. government or any other actor in power), defining their rights and obligations towards each other”. With the dismantling of the welfare state, recent political narratives focus on reframing and realigning the relationship between government and governmental institutions and, thus, the respective contract between citizens and the state. Claims to renegotiate the social contract also seem to be causative regarding recent mass protests in Latin America, Northern Africa and Asia. We argue that massive urban transformations play a significant role in this. Therefore, using an urban lens one can argue that the local social contract in many cities in the Global South is under threat by:
• Retreat of the state from social housing and the production of an affordable centrally located housing stock
• Gentrification and mega housing projects
• Displacement
• Segregation and marginalization
We seek papers dealing with urban transformations in the Global South through the perspective of the social contract and the impact of these on state-society relations on a local scale.
Papers may address - but are not limited to - the following aspects:
o How the concept of the social contract can be used to explain urban inequalities in the Global South
o Provision of social services (or the lack thereof) during processes of urban transformation (i.e. social housing, municipal/legal services, health care, education).
o Withdrawal of state protection (i.e. property rights, use of police force, landlord harassment, forced evictions)
o Recognition of the state’s legitimacy (trust in the state and its institution)
o What can be done to increase social cohesion or strengthen the social contract for cities under scrutiny
If you would like to propose a paper presentation, please send abstracts of up to 250 words to Aysegul Can ([log in to unmask]) and Yannick Sudermann ([log in to unmask]) by Friday, January 31st, 2020.
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