In recent years, Occupy protests, the Indignados of Spain, and the Arab Spring uprisings have demonstrated that space, place, and territoriality matter for social movements. These movements drew much scholarly attention to the politics of place-making, highlighting the ways in which the intricacies of place shape and are shaped by social movement action. This call for panelists seeks papers that engage with questions related to place-making—the construction of place as material, symbolic and/or practical—by social movements around the world. How do social movement places affect urban landscapes? How do the spatial dynamics of urban social movements affect what those movements do? How can place-making processes effect social change in cities around the globe? How do the processes of globalization affect social movement efforts at place-making? For many contemporary social movements, the future appears uncertain and the possibilities for social change are shrinking, given the ever-increasing rules and regulations that characterize urban public life. Place-making can be crucial for enabling movement activities to grow, and develop. However, place-making is not only a means to an end, but an important process in its own right. By bringing place-making to the center of social movement analysis, this panel will raise important questions and debates about the relationship between place and social change in urban contexts.

Please send your name, affiliation, and abstract (300 words or less) to Kimberly Creasap (kac130@pitt.edu) by September 1, 2014.

*Full details on the UAA meeting can be found at: http://urbanaffairsassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2015_call1.pdf