You are warmly invited to join the School of Environment, Education and Development at The University of Manchester for inaugural lectures from Will Fletcher, Professor of Physical Geography, and Seth Schindler, Professor of Urban Politics & Development, at the Cordingley Theatre, Humanities Bridgeford Street.
Join us from 3.30pm for drinks and networking. The event will start from 4.15pm, with time for questions after each of the lectures.
This event is in-person only.
About the lectures:
Past environmental changes in the Mediterranean and North Africa - Professor Will Fletcher
Mediterranean landscapes are both vulnerable to climate change and strongly impacted by human activity. Drawing on a personal perspective of nearly 30 years researching the Mediterranean landscape, with case studies from the Middle Pleistocene to recent centuries, I will discuss the special contribution of palynology (pollen analysis) to revealing the nature and timing of past environmental changes. Far from esoteric, such knowledge of past changes is essential for constraining future climate change impacts and promoting nature conservation.
Geostrategic globalization and the future of cities - Professor Seth Schindler
The end of the Cold War ushered in an era of unprecedented economic integration. Neoliberal globalization was inscribed in cities, and urban scholars documented diverse varieties of neoliberal urbanism around the world. In recent years, geopolitics has come roaring back. States have reasserted themselves as economic actors, and industrial policy is increasingly bound up with geostrategic competition. This emergent era—what I call geostrategic globalization—is beginning to reshape cities and urbanization. I trace these shifts through the evolution of my research over the past two decades, from Durban and Delhi to Dar es Salaam and Detroit. I argue that urbanization itself is becoming a geopolitical process, as powerful states compete to control the transnational networks that underpin twenty-first-century globalization. I conclude by reflecting on what this implies for the future of cities.
About the speakers:
Will Fletcher is a palaeoecologist who researches past climate changes and the history of human-environment interactions, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean and North Africa. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2006 and held postdoctoral research positions at the University of Bordeaux and Goethe University Frankfurt before joining the University of Manchester in 2010.
Seth Schindler trained as a human geographer and his research focuses on urban politics, globalization, and development. He is the co-founder of the Second Cold War Observatory and Deputy Director of the Manchester Urban Institute.
Accessibility information:
The Cordingley Theatre is located on the ground floor of the Humanities Bridgeford Street building, and can be accessed via stairs and a ramp which is 150cm wide with handrails on both sides. You can find out more accessibility information as well as view pictures of the lecture theatre and the building on AccessAble.
Location:
Cordingley Lecture Theatre, Humanities Bridgeford Street, University of Manchester M15 6AD
Speakers
Prof Seth Schindler
Role: Professor of Urban Politics & Development
Organisation: University of Manchester
Biography: Seth Schindler trained as a human geographer and his research focuses on urban politics, globalization, and development. He is the co-founder of the Second Cold War Observatory and Deputy Director of the Manchester Urban Institute.
Prof Will Fletcher
Role: Professor of Physical Geography
Organisation: University of Manchester
Biography: Will Fletcher is a palaeoecologist who researches past climate changes and the history of human-environment interactions, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean and North Africa. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2006 and held postdoctoral research positions at the University of Bordeaux and Goethe University Frankfurt before joining the University of Manchester in 2010
