Now this is a conference I am looking forward to.
The Manchester Centre for Regional History is hosting a two-day Conference on Twin Cities to be held at the Manchester Centre for Regional History, Manchester Metropolitan University on June 26-27 2015.*
They say "the aim of the conference is to begin to explore four interlinked themes:
1) how and why twin cities arise historically, the circumstances under which they sometimes merge, and why they so often stay separate even though the reasons for continued separation may seem to have substantially faded;
2) the external relationships in terms of dominance, subordination or equality; and conflict, co-operation or indifference, that arise between twin cities in social, economic and political terms, and how these change over time in the wake of more general conurbanisation, interventions by national and/or state governments and other factors that might seem to erode urban autonomy;
3) how and to what extent means are formulated for negotiating or even controlling these relationships, and by whom – councils, civil associations, service deliverers, central/state governments et al.
4) the internal impact upon each community of the other in a twin-city relationship in terms of identity and civic consciousness, institutions, social, economic and political structures.
An important point of focus will be on Manchester and Salford, partly because they are most adjacent to the originators and partly because they seem in important respects archetypal, even extreme, examples of a twin-city relationship.
However, we would very much welcome offers of papers or participation from people with experience of other twin cities, or other very adjacent communities, in Britain (eg Newcastle and Gateshead; the Potteries...), mainland Europe, North and South America, Asia (including particularly India when twin cities appear to occupy a special place in urban planning decisions) or elsewhere. We are also interested in ex-twin cities like Budapest.
We would welcome participation both from academics, especially with backgrounds in urban history, politics and sociology, and from anyone with practical experience of twin-city relationships – local historians, politicians, civil society activists, service suppliers, local business people; magistrates, policemen and interested citizens.
Since this is a substantially unexplored field, and the consequent purpose is as much to discover as to reveal what little is known, we anticipate that discussion will be as important as paper-giving.
All welcome. Registration for the conference is now at https://www.kxregistration.mmu.ac.uk/twin-cities
*Twin Cities in Past and Present, http://www.hssr.mmu.ac.uk/mcrh/events/twin-cities/
John Garrard: Conference Organiser: j.a.garrard@live.co.uk
Alan Kidd: Conference Organiser: a.kidd@mmu.ac.uk
Fiona Cosson: Conference Secretary: f.cosson@mmu.ac.uk
So that is about it really, dates to remember are Decemeber 12 to express an interest, February 28 2015 suggested papers and brief synopses and of course the event on
Pictures; Sunlight House and Central Ref, Manchester, 2014 from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and Middlewood Locks, Salford, Andy Robertson
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| Sunlight House, 2014 |
They say "the aim of the conference is to begin to explore four interlinked themes:
1) how and why twin cities arise historically, the circumstances under which they sometimes merge, and why they so often stay separate even though the reasons for continued separation may seem to have substantially faded;
2) the external relationships in terms of dominance, subordination or equality; and conflict, co-operation or indifference, that arise between twin cities in social, economic and political terms, and how these change over time in the wake of more general conurbanisation, interventions by national and/or state governments and other factors that might seem to erode urban autonomy;
3) how and to what extent means are formulated for negotiating or even controlling these relationships, and by whom – councils, civil associations, service deliverers, central/state governments et al.
4) the internal impact upon each community of the other in a twin-city relationship in terms of identity and civic consciousness, institutions, social, economic and political structures.
 |
| Central Ref, 2014 |
However, we would very much welcome offers of papers or participation from people with experience of other twin cities, or other very adjacent communities, in Britain (eg Newcastle and Gateshead; the Potteries...), mainland Europe, North and South America, Asia (including particularly India when twin cities appear to occupy a special place in urban planning decisions) or elsewhere. We are also interested in ex-twin cities like Budapest.
We would welcome participation both from academics, especially with backgrounds in urban history, politics and sociology, and from anyone with practical experience of twin-city relationships – local historians, politicians, civil society activists, service suppliers, local business people; magistrates, policemen and interested citizens.
 |
| Middlewood Locks, 2014 |
All welcome. Registration for the conference is now at https://www.kxregistration.mmu.ac.uk/twin-cities
*Twin Cities in Past and Present, http://www.hssr.mmu.ac.uk/mcrh/events/twin-cities/
John Garrard: Conference Organiser: j.a.garrard@live.co.uk
Alan Kidd: Conference Organiser: a.kidd@mmu.ac.uk
Fiona Cosson: Conference Secretary: f.cosson@mmu.ac.uk
So that is about it really, dates to remember are Decemeber 12 to express an interest, February 28 2015 suggested papers and brief synopses and of course the event on
Pictures; Sunlight House and Central Ref, Manchester, 2014 from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and Middlewood Locks, Salford, Andy Robertson
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