Talking camps: space, community and ‘the urban’

h. 14.00-17.00 | Online

Organized
The Series of seminars "The camp: researching violence, exclusion and temporariness" are part of the Urban and Regional Development PhD program and
are organized by Prof. Camillo Boano.

Seminar description
In recent years, global phenomena such as rapid population growth and urbanization, persistent poverty and socio-economic inequality, and the growing number of natural disasters, protracted and complex crises have continued to increase the amount of humanitarian needs worldwide. As displacement trends increase in complexity, becoming more urban and protracted in nature, the displaced communities also have access to a broader range of temporary solution and improved information through increased connectivity. However, this does not always equate to better protection and assistance, or access to sustainable and durable solutions, but often increases the authorities’ aversion to talking about camps. While humanitarian sector have worked hard to improve how it captures and understands the need and nature of displacements, it seems harder to change the way we respond when it comes to urban contexts. Or are we asking the wrong questions?

Speaker
Wan Sophonpanich is was trained as an architect, Wan worked in community-based participatory design projects in Thailand before joining the humanitarian sector over 13 years ago during Cyclone Nargis response. Since then Wan has coordinated and managed emergency responses in Haiti, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Ethiopia amongst others, working with IFRC, CARE, Save the Children and IOM. Her expertise spans over emergency preparedness, response and recovery, with particular focus on shelter, settlement and Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM). In 2017 Wan took on the role of the Global CCCM Cluster Coordinator with International Organization for Migration in Geneva.

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Seminar series description
The camp is emerging at the crossroads of urban studies, architecture, geography, anthropology and humanitarian practice, reflecting both the spatialisation of biopolitics and the urbanization of emergency. Camp studies have expanded recently and have been codified merging humanitarian practice with various urban dimensions, putting knowledge, protocols in crisis.
This seminar series "The camp: researching violence, exclusion and temporariness" is intended to offer a reflection on the dispositif of the camp reflecting on the tensions between permanence and temporariness, exception and normalization, politicization and depoliticization. The below series of seminars are part of the Urban and Regional Development PhD program but open to everyone who wish to attend and contribute and are set out to initiate a collective and transdisciplinary discussion to engage in such specific site of enquiry, struggle and subjectivation. Registration is needed.

Seminar series program
12.01.21 | 14.00 - 17.00 (GMT + 1)
The politics of inhabitation
Nasser Abourahme | Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University, NY, US

19.01.21 | 14.30 - 17.30 (GMT + 1)
Refugee Heritage
Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti | DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Research)

26.01.21 | 14.00 - 17.00 (GMT + 1)
Spatial violations: reflections on socio-spatial practices inside Palestinian camps
Samar Maqusi | University College London, UK

09.02.21 | 14.00 - 17.00 (GMT + 1)
Talking camps: space, community and ‘the urban’
Wan Sophonpanich | Global CCM Cluster Coordinator, International Organisation for Migration

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To join the class
camillo.boano@polito.it