About the Conference

“Urban Representations II: Media Publics” will explore four puzzles:

(1) In what ways have cinema, television and digital media represented urban
(or suburban) publics? To what extent are publics constructed through media technologies and exhibition spaces? What is the relationship between these media and older ones (print, monuments, architecture, fine arts) in the representation of urban and/or public life?

(2) How do individual cities and groups of cities present themselves via media, and to what extent have the media eclipsed the role that cities have historically played in the formation of publics or subaltern publics?

(3) How can we understand media production sites (such as Hollywood) in relation to the larger cultural myths about these places, and how are media centers in other world cities changing the nature of publics and urban space globally?

(4) What are the cultural, social, and political ramifications of virtual publics, mass publics, and diasporic publics in media-based cultures? How do global media flows and the structure of media ownership shape these publics? Do virtual publics replicate, replace, or reconfigure the social dynamics of physical environments?