GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON URBANIZATION

China’s record breaking economic growth has yielded an equally startling rate of urbanization, as millions move from the countryside to the cities.  In many villages one finds only the old and the very young.  Old institutions are decaying while new ones may or may not yet exist.   We have brought together an international group of social scientists who are interested in the process and consequences of urbanization and who study a diverse set of countries.   They will discuss challenges of urbanization in different political and economic settings to examine new urban formation that will help put China’s experience in a global perspective.

Topics and Speakers:

Urbanization in Southern Africa: Jim Ferguson, Dept. of Anthropology, Stanford University

Urbanization in India: Thomas Hansen, Dept. of Anthropology, Stanford University

Urbanization in Italy: Sylvia Yanagisako, Dept. of Anthropology, Stanford University

Urbanization in Latin America: Austin Zeiderman, London School of Economics

Urbanization in China: Zhou Qiren, National School of Development, Peking University