[KS] CFP: "Middles Clases in East Asia's Global Cities: Spaces, Communities, and Lifestyles" (Nissim Otmazgin, Orna Naftali, Jooyeon Rhee)

Jooyeon Rhee jooyeonrhee at gmail.com
Sun Nov 29 07:59:22 EST 2015


*"Middle Classes in East Asia's Global Cities: *

*Spaces, Communities, and Lifestyles"*



*International Workshop, June 21-23, 2016, The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem*



*Organized by: *The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement
of Peace; the Louis Frieberg Center for East Asian Studies; and the Academy
of Korean Studies



In the past several decades, both Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia
(hereafter “East Asia”) have witnessed the dramatic growth of global
cities: huge metropolitan centers that serve as dynamic hubs of economic,
social, and cultural activities not only on a national and regional level
but also on a global scale. The economic growth rate of cities such as
Shanghai, Bangkok, Seoul, Jakarta, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur often exceeds
that of the state as a whole. Global cities in East Asia also constitute
major sites for the emergence of new middle classes, consisting of business
and cultural entrepreneurs, managers, professionals, and white-collar
workers.



Previous studies have shown that East Asia's new middle classes harbor
novel expectations and demands in areas such as leisure, consumption,
education, health, food safety, environmental protection, and in some cases
- political rights. However, existing work has paid little attention to the
concentration of the middle classes in a number of key global cities in the
region and to the way this process creates a new social geography that cuts
across the nation-state. Studies on middle classes in East Asia have
typically overlooked the question of how residence in a particular type of
geographical location - a 'global city' - may shape middle-class notions of
citizenship and collective belonging. Moreover, while much attention has
been paid to the rise of the middle classes in the context of a particular
nation-state, few studies have explored the common regional features of
East Asia's middle-classes.



In this workshop, we aim to address the above-mentioned issues by comparing
features of global cities and middle-class attitudes and practices across
Northeast and Southeast Asia. How does residency in a global city affect
middle-class life-styles, spaces, and communities across the East Asian
region? Do middle-classes in different East Asian global cities exhibit a
comparable sense of ‘urban citizenship’, which co-exists with – or even
subverts – their national or ethnic identification? In other words, can we
think about a notion of transnational community or collective affinity
based not on national or ethnic belonging but on global-city affiliation?
If so, how is this notion of 'global urban' citizenship expressed and/or
practiced through consumption habits, civic activities, or economic
enterprises in the East Asian region? Finally, how does the rising power of
global cities and their middle class inhabitants re-shape our definition of
the East Asia region?



To address these issues, we call for original, unpublished papers that draw
on empirical research and/or offer new conceptualizations of the study of
middle class spaces, communities, and life-styles in East Asian global
cities. Papers may focus on the middle classes in a single city. However,
those that offer a comparison between different cities and/or a regional
perspective are particularly welcome. Suggested topics may include (but are
not limited to):



·      The formation and features of middle-class labor, residential and/or
leisure spaces and communities in East Asia's global cities

·      The role of the middle classes in the construction of global city
architecture in East Asia

·      Middle-class consumption of material and cultural products; and the
effects of consumer practices on social and political domains; and on
identity and community formation within East Asian global cities

·      Middle-class mobility patterns between global cities in the region

·      Middle class notions and practices of citizenship in East Asia's
global cities

·      Central/local state engagements with the middle-classes in East
Asia's global cities

·      Notions and practices of national belonging, cosmopolitanism and/or
multiculturalism among the middle classes in East Asia's global cities

·      Middle-class engagements with the urban lower-classes, rural
migrants, and/or foreign migrants residing in East Asia's global cities;
and how these engagements with class/national "others" contribute to the
construction of middle-class identities and communities in the region



*Abstracts of 300 words, with five lines of biographical information,
should be submitted electronically to **mcglobal2016 at gmail.com*
<mcglobal2016 at gmail.com>* by* *January 15, 2016 *

*Notification of acceptance by: February 1, 2016 *



*To facilitate discussion during the conference, presenters will be asked
to pre-circulate their papers by June 1, 2016*

*Pending budgetary approval, full accommodation and transportation from/to
the airport will be provided during the workshop. The participants will
also be offered an optional post-workshop tour to Jerusalem's Old City/
Dead Sea.


*Conference Organizers:*

*Dr. Nissim Otmazgin*, *Dr. Orna Naftali*,* Dr. Jooyeon Rhee*

Department of Asian Studies and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for
the Advancement of Peace, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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