Call for Papers:
“New Perspectives on East-Asian Urban Change in 20th Century”
The Inaugural International Conference of the East-Asian Society for Urban History 23 June 2018
The Korean Society for Urban History, Konkuk University, Seoul
There have been important questions of how to explain the turbulent transition that East-Asian cities underwent for the duration of ‘The Age of Extremes’, and how to understand their distinctive historical experience. The principal cities of Korea, China, and Japan that have become global metropolises developed under the historical upheavals in East Asia such as imperialism, colonisation, warfare, revolution, developmentalism, and rapid economic growth. In the meantime these three East-Asian
countries changed by their mutual influences and interplays despite their different ways of modernisation under colonisation, semi-colonisation, and imperialism. It is therefore essential and necessary to overcome a national historical narrative in order to investigate the dynamics and mutual relations of social changes in modern East Asia. Insight from researching East-Asian urban history that entails intercity comparison and network is required in that context. The principal aim of our conference is to find out significant similarities and differences among the historical experience that major cities of Korea, China, and Japan underwent during the time of modernisation, and what implications they have for the studies of East-Asian social changes in 20th century. The topics of interest might include but not limited to:
Urban History / History of Architecture / Urban Culture / Urban Planning / Urban Sociology / Urban Sanitation / Urban Development Policy / Urban Regeneration /Colonial Modern City / Fortress City / Industrial City / Marine City / Urban Social Conflict / Urban Network / Urban Governance / City and Rural Community / City Tourism