Precarious Places, Precarious Lives
Call for Papers
Precarity and insecurity seem to be emblematic of the current social condition. Indeed, influential social theory talks of the rise of a new, mass Precariat class. Places have themselves become precarious, with questions asked about their function and future.
One example of this is the recent closure of the Teesside SSI plant that triggered the loss of thousands of well-paid, skilled, stable, working class jobs. These workers and their families will enter a social world that seems to be increasingly uncertain. Insecure employment with unclear rewards and multiple applicants for every basic job vacancy have become characteristic of the contemporary labour market. The expense and unavailability of housing add to a contemporary ‘life-world’ of precarity. Young people — as new entrants to the labour and housing markets — are particularly hard hit, as they struggle to make transitions to adulthood. Identities rooted in the old social divisions of class, gender, ‘race’ and place have become blurred if not effaced (according to some theorists at least).
Inspired by the history of Teesside and its possible futures — and by a long history of Teesside University sociological research into the conditions of the place and the lives of its residents — this conference seeks to explore the contemporary dynamics and meanings of precarious places and precarious lives, wherever they may be found.
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Tom Slater
“The Invention of the ‘Sink Estate’: Territorial Stigma and Housing Precarity”
Dr. Tracey Jensen
“Portraying Precarity: the economics and ethics of dispossession TV”
Prof. Robert MacDonald
“On The Road to Nowhere? Youth Transitions in an Age of Precarity”
Abstracts/Blogs for Submission:
We welcome abstracts from current postgraduates of up to 250 words to present either a 3-minute thesis or a traditional 15-minute paper.
Please include name, affiliation and mode of presentation you are applying for: Submission Deadline: 31 January 2016.
We also welcome submission of blog pieces of up to 700 words immediately, up to, and after the event around themes arising to be hosted on this Medium Publication- Uncertain Futures.
Conference Registration Rates:
BSA Members — £10
Non-BSA Members — £25
Delegate registration will open on 1 February 2016 and can be made through the BSA website.
For any academic enquiries please contact Katy McEwan: k.mcewan@tees.ac.uk
For any administrative enquiries please contact Barbara Cox: b.cox@tees.ac.uk
