Academic World Café: Struggling with the “Urban” and the “Digital”

27 June 2017, 15:30-17:30

Copenhagen ADI Conference 2017
9th annual international ADI conference
Asian Dynamics Initiative
University of Copenhagen 26-28 June 2017

Urbanization and digitalization are possibly the most powerful processes in the era of late capitalism. Despite their forceful presence, the direction to where these processes are headed in accelerated and uncontrolled even “escalated” manner is unclear, yet common ideology is that they open up a path that is regarded as ideal and must be followed. Urbanization and further digitalization have become our lifestyles but they are little questioned and hardly contested, including arising problems related to them.

This open public debate invites everyone to discuss with academics and representatives from Danish civil society about the two processes guided by the following questions: How do urbanization and digitalization meet, merge and where do they overlap? What are benefits and gains and what are disadvantages and obstructive effects stemming from these processes? What are ongoing struggles inside, in between and with these two processes? What potential lies in these processes and struggles related to them to find solutions for humanity’s problems?

The Academic World Café is an alternative participatory seminar style where all present attendees are given agency and opportunity for equal contribution and solution/conclusion finding. This seminar style involves everyone present to voice their academic knowledge and/or informed opinion to various changing discussion counterparts in a free discussion setting about the given topic. At the end, everyone is invited to collaborate in a summary round.

For information about the Academic World Café please contact Mark Philip Stadler vgb351@hum.ku.dk.