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A more global urban studies, besides empirical variation

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  • Julie Ren

Abstract

An expanded set of sites, a more differentiated set of references and linguistic diversification have been discussed as needed changes in urban studies. The critiques of the limitations of urban studies, in terms of both the scholarship and the scholars, offer important and concrete responses to expanding the scope of the field. Yet this tremendous special issue on ‘Comparative Methods for Global Urban Studies’ with 10 papers cutting across a range of sites and topics is decidedly not only about empirical variation; this is an important distinction worth drawing more attention to. The creativity expressed in these papers comes at an auspicious time in urban studies where new routes for doing urban theory are needed to move past debates about singular versus plural epistemologies of the urban. As a kind of research that demands more translation, exchange and collaboration, perhaps comparative urban research as a mode of theory-building can help to humble the chest-pounding, posturing, privilege of thinking and speaking the language of theory. The theoretical ambitions of these very different papers show how urban theory need not only be about better understanding urbanisation within the epistemological confines of late capitalism. Rather than reifying a shared grammar of urbanisation as a necessity to understand each other, they may entice scholars everywhere to develop a broader vocabulary and perhaps even learn another language.

Suggested Citation

  • Julie Ren, 2022. "A more global urban studies, besides empirical variation," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(8), pages 1741-1748, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:59:y:2022:i:8:p:1741-1748
    DOI: 10.1177/00420980221085113
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jennifer Robinson, 2011. "Cities in a World of Cities: The Comparative Gesture," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Jennifer Robinson & Ananya Roy, 2016. "Debate on Global Urbanisms and the Nature of Urban Theory," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 181-186, January.
    3. Nipesh Palat Narayanan, 2021. "Southern Theory without a North: City Conceptualization as the Theoretical Metropolis," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 111(4), pages 989-1001, June.
    4. Jennifer Robinson, 2016. "Comparative Urbanism: New Geographies and Cultures of Theorizing the Urban," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 187-199, January.
    5. Austin Zeiderman, 2018. "Beyond the Enclave of Urban Theory," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(6), pages 1114-1126, November.
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    7. Jennifer Robinson & Fulong Wu & Phil Harrison & Zheng Wang & Alison Todes & Romain Dittgen & Katia Attuyer, 2022. "Beyond variegation: The territorialisation of states, communities and developers in large-scale developments in Johannesburg, Shanghai and London," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(8), pages 1715-1740, June.
    8. Michele Lancione & Colin McFarlane, 2016. "Life at the urban margins: Sanitation infra-making and the potential of experimental comparison," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(12), pages 2402-2421, December.
    9. J Miguel Kanai & Seth Schindler, 2022. "Infrastructure-led development and the peri-urban question: Furthering crossover comparisons," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(8), pages 1597-1617, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jennifer Robinson, 2022. "Introduction: Generating concepts of ‘the urban’ through comparative practice," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(8), pages 1521-1535, June.

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