Events

Derek Hyra (American University) is a scholar and an activist. How do the two roles go together? In his keynote, Hyra will share his experiences working as a professor and researcher of housing, urban politics, and race, who advocates for more equitable neighborhood development. He will discuss how to navigate the threshold between academia and activism and offer advice for early career researchers. more infos

Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are invited to the IRS Spring Academy, an interdisciplinary space dedicated to critically examining and discussing their projects and positionalities in engaged urban research. more infos

Can research truly serve communities — or does it risk becoming extractive, even when well-intentioned? Isabelle Anguelovski (BCNUEJ/ICREA) tackles this tension, drawing on her work on climate and housing justice in Barcelona, Boston and beyond. She will share concrete examples of participatory methods and grassroots partnerships — and reflect honestly on the trade-offs between academic expectations, activist commitments, and ethical responsibility. more infos

Can research that sides with social movements still be credible science? And do activists actually want scholars involved? This panel tackles both questions at once. Isabelle Anguelovski, Derek Hyra, Jacob Stringer and Miguel A. Martínez — moderated by Lisa Vollmer — reflect on the promises and pitfalls of activist scholarship. They will also address the question, what the global rise of authoritarianism means for this kind of work. more infos

Where does finance come from? How can maps uncover hidden patterns of finance? Why does the hierarchy of financial centres and power change so slowly? These questions are at the core of the IRS lecture by Darius Wójcik more infos