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Book Launch: Knowledge Sovereignty Among African Cattle Herders

By Alison Fox, on 28 February 2019

UCL Press, UCL Institute of Advanced Studies and The Bartlett Development Planning Unit are delighted to invite you to a panel discussion to celebrate the publication of Knowledge Sovereignty Among African Cattle Herders (UCL Press).

Date: 18 March 2019

Time: 6pm – 8pm

Location: IAS Common Ground, Ground floor, South Wing, UCL, London, WC1E 6BT

Confirmed panellists include:

  • Dr Zeremariam Fre, Senior Teaching Fellow, Bartlett Development Planning Unit; Founder and Former Director Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (www.penhanetwork.org PENHA)
  • Dr Matthew Davies, Associate Professor, Institute for Global Prosperity
  • Dr Lulsegged Abebe, PENHA Board chair and former Senior Adviser, International Alert;
  • Dr Keren Weitzberg, Teaching Fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies

Written by 2018 Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Award winner Dr Zeremariam Fre, the first to study Beni-Amer practices, Zeremariam Fre argues for the importance of their knowledge, challenging the preconceptions that regard it as untrustworthy when compared to scientific knowledge from more developed regions. Empirical evidence suggests that there is much one could learn from the other, since elements of pastoralist technology, such as those related to animal production and husbandry, make a direct contribution to our knowledge of livestock production. It is this potential for hybridisation, as well as the resilience of the herders, at the core of the indigenous knowledge system.

Fre also argues that indigenous knowledge can be viewed as a stand-alone science, and that a community’s rights over ownership should be defended by government officials, development planners and policy makers, making the case for a celebration of the knowledge sovereignty of pastoralist communities.

Book launch: Integrating Food into Urban Planning

By Alison Fox, on 25 February 2019

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit and UCL Press are delighted to invite you to a panel discussion to celebrate the publication of Integrating Food into Urban Planning (UCL Press/FAO).

Date: 5 March 2019

Time: 5:45pm – 7:30pm

Location: Kennedy Lecture Theatre, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street London WC1N 1DP

Sign up here

Confirmed panellists include:

  • Yves Cabannes, Emeritus Professor of Development Planning, Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL
  • Cecilia Marrochino, urban planner, Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO], Rome
  • Imogen Bellwood, researcher, Institute of Development Studies, UK
  • Cecilia Delgado, researcher, Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Alice Covatta, postdoctoral fellow in architecture and urban design at Keio University, Japan
  • John Taylor, urban planner and activist, founder of the local Indonesian NGO Yayasan Kota Kita.Discussants:
  • Professor Corinna Hawkes, Director, Centre for Food Policy, University of London
  • Dr. Colin Marx, Director of Doctoral Study, UCL / DPU

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The integration of food into urban planning is a crucial and emerging topic. Urban planners, alongside the local and regional authorities that have traditionally been less engaged in food-related issues, are now asked to take a central and active part in understanding the way food is produced, processed, packaged, transported, marketed, consumed, disposed of and recycled in our cities.

Despite a growing body of literature on food and cities, the issue of planning cities in such a way they will increase food security and nutrition, not only for the affluent segments of society but primarily for the poor, is much less discussed, and much less informed by practices. This volume intends to fill this gap by putting more than 20 city-based experiences in perspective: Toronto, New York City, Providence and Portland in North America; Cape Town and Ghana in Africa; Milan in Europe; Lima and Belo Horizonte in South America; and, in Asia, Bangkok, Solo and Yogyakarta in Indonesia, and Tokyo.

By drawing on cities of different sizes, from regions across the global north and south, in both developed and developing areas, the contributors collectively attest to the importance of global knowledge rooted in local food planning practices, programmes and policies.

Integrating Food into Urban Planning is available in a variety of formats, including as a free Open Access PDF, and in print.

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Book Launch: Archaeologists in Print by Amara Thornton

By Alison Fox, on 3 October 2018

Date: 18th October 2018
Time:18:00-20:00
Location: The Petrie Museum, Malet Place, London WC1E 6BT
Register to attend: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?ev=18026

Join us for an evening at the Petrie Museum where author Dr Amara Thornton will launch her new book, Archaeologists in Print: Publishing for the People (UCL Press),  looking at the history of popular publishing in archaeology in the 19th and 20th centuries. In particular, there will be an opportunity to find out more about the women who were influential in shaping the popularity and interest in archaeology that continues today.

Paperback copies of the book will be available for sale on the evening and a special price of £15 (RRP £20). It is also available to purchase in hardback (£40) or download for free here.

Book Launch: Mapping Society by Laura Vaughan

By Alison Fox, on 24 August 2018

Join UCL Press and Professor Laura Vaughan to celebrate the publication of her book Mapping Society: The Spatial Dimensions of Social Cartography.

Date: 2nd October 2018

Time: 18:00-20:00

Location: Room 6.02, The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, 22 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ

Register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-laura-vaughan-mapping-society-tickets-48962367760

From a rare map of yellow fever in eighteenth-century New York, to Charles Booth’s famous maps of poverty in nineteenth-century London, an Italian racial zoning map of early twentieth-century Asmara, to a map of wealth disparities in the banlieues of twenty-first-century Paris, Mapping Society traces the evolution of social cartography over the past two centuries. In her richly illustrated book, Laura Vaughan examines maps of ethnic or religious difference, poverty, and health inequalities, demonstrating how they not only serve as historical records of social enquiry, but also constitute inscriptions of social patterns that have been etched deeply on the surface of cities.

Laura will discuss the lessons that can be drawn from the social-spatial patterns of cities, followed by drinks and the opportunity to purchase print copies of the book, additionally available to download free.

If you have any access requirements please let us know, send an email using the subject line ACCESS to architecture.comms@ucl.ac.uk or call 020 3108 7337

Sri Lanka at the Crossroads of History launch in Colombo, Sri Lanka

By Alison Fox, on 10 July 2018

We are delighted to inform you of  a public launch event for Sri Lanka at the Crossroads of History, sponsored by The American Institiute of Sri Lankan Studies.

The launch will feature the editors Alan Strathern (Oxford University) and Zoltán Biedermann (University College London), in conversation with Jagath Weerasinghe (Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology) and Anne Blackburn (Cornell University).  The event will be chaired by the AISLS President, Sharika Thiranagama (Stanford University), and will take place on July 11, 2018, from 4 to 6 pm, at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, 8 Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8.

Please RSVP to kimaya.ails@gmail.com.

A celebration of one million downloads

By Alison Fox, on 23 May 2018

On Monday evening, the UCL Press team were delighted to celebrate reaching one million downloads of its open access books and journals with authors, academics, senior university members and other honoured guests. The event took place in UCL’s beautiful North Cloisters.

Since the press was re-established as a fully open access press in 2015, its list has grown to 80 books and 8 journals in a variety of subject areas, and its publications have been widely praised, with reviews in The Telegraph, The Australian, Times Higher Education and many others.

Professor David Price, Vice-Provost (Research) congratulated the Press on achieving its remarkable impact figures and pointed out that UCL Press titles were now downloaded in 222 countries and territories across the world. Notable downloads include those from North Korea, where UCL Press titles have been downloaded 15 times.

Dr Paul Ayris, Pro-Vice-Provost and CEO of the Press, congratulated the team on their achievements and told those gathered

how astounded he was by the download figures. One of the key questions when the Press was set up was what success might look like, said Dr Ayris, adding that, initially, he would have been pleased with ten thousand downloads in the first couple of years, but, this month, the Press achieved its millionth download. Dr Ayris also shared his passionate belief that the model that UCL Press pioneered can be emulated across Europe.

The party also marked the launch of the fourth edition of a landmark book about the history of UCL: The World of UCL.  The author of the book, Georgina Brewis explained that extensive work went into creating the new edition, which replaces one published in 2004. A new chapter has been added, and the number of images were reduced, and much work went into ensuring that UCL’s commitment to equality and diversity are reflected in the earlier materials in the book.

We were delighted to be able to celebrate with so many those who have contributed to the success of the press so far, and look forward to the next million downloads!

 

Note: UCL Press books and journals can be downmlaoded from ucl.ac.uk/ucl-press

Book Launch: Self-build Homes: Social Discourse, Experiences and Directions

By Alison Fox, on 29 April 2018

Join Michaela Benson and Iqbal Hamiduddin  for the reception style launch of Self-build Homes: Social Discourse, Experiences and Directions with an overview of the book, case study presentations and networking.

Date: Friday 11 May 2018
Time: 17:30 – 19:30
Location: G12 The Bartlett School of Architecture, 22 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0QB

Register your attendance

Published by UCL Press, Self-Build Homes is available in a variety of formats, including as a free Open Access PDF, and in print.

Self-Build Homes connects the burgeoning interdisciplinary research on self-build with commentary from leading international figures in the self-build and wider housing sector. Through their focus on community, dwelling, home and identity, the chapters explore the various meanings of self-build housing, encouraging new directions for discussions about self-building and calling for the recognition of the social dimensions of this process, from consideration of the structures, policies and practices that shape it, through to the lived experience of individuals and households.

This volume comes at a time of renewed focus from policy managers and practitioners, as well as prospective builders themselves, on self-build as a means for producing homes that are more stylised, affordable and appropriate for the specific needs of households.

Confirmed speakers

Michaela Benson (Goldsmiths)
Iqbal Hamiduddin (UCL)
Ted Stevens (NaCSBA)
Julia Heslop (Newcastle University)

Drinks and nibbles will be provided.

Please RSVP and for further enquiries contact Chantelle – clewi011@gold.ac.uk

To access the book – https://bit.ly/2v1S1LP

Register your attendance

Book Launch: The Venice Variations by Sophia Psarra

By Alison Fox, on 20 April 2018

Hear Sophia Psarra discuss her new book The Venice Variations: Tracing the Architectural Imagination.

Date: Wed 2 May 2018
Time: 18:30 – 20:00
Location: 6.02 The Bartlett School of Architecture, 22 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0QB

Register your attendance

For the launch of her new book Sophia will discuss the lessons learnt from the construction of Venice and the key figures and events that motivated her to write this publication. In her book, Sophia explores cities and buildings as multi-authored processes of formation, alongside the ways in which they interact with individual authorship and intention.

Following an introduction from Professor Alan Penn, Dean of The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, Sophia will be in conversation with invited guests including Margarita Greene, Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Published by UCL Press, The Venice Variations will be made available in a variety of formats, including as a free Open Access PDF. Printed copies will be available to purchase on the evening (cash only).

Register your attendance

Global Encyclopaedia of Informality Book Launch Event

By Alison Fox, on 20 March 2018

Join UCL Press and the FRINGE Centre for the launch of the two-volume Global Encyclopaedia of Informality, which marks the first publication in the FRINGE Series.

Date: Thursday 22nd March 2018
Time: 16:00 – 20:00
Location: IAS Common Ground, Wilkins Building, UCL

Register your attendance

Alena Ledeneva invites you on a voyage of discovery, to explore society’s open secrets, unwritten rules and know-how practices. Broadly defined as ‘ways of getting things done’, these invisible yet powerful informal practices tend to escape articulation in official discourse. They include emotion-driven exchanges of gifts or favours and tributes for services, interest-driven know-how (from informal welfare to informal employment and entrepreneurship), identity-driven practices of solidarity, and power-driven forms of co-optation and control. The paradox, or not, of the invisibility of these informal practices is their ubiquity. Expertly practised by insiders but often hidden from outsiders, informal practices are, as this book shows, deeply rooted all over the world, yet underestimated in policy. Entries from the five continents presented in this volume are samples of the truly global and ever-growing collection, made possible by a remarkable collaboration of over 200 scholars across disciplines and area studies.

An open access edition of both volumes of the book is available to download free from UCL Press, in addition hardback and paperback editions.

Book Launch Event: Brexit and Beyond

By Alison Fox, on 10 January 2018

Date: Mon 29th January 2018
Time: 18:00 – 19:30
Location: G29 JZ Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT

Join us for the launch of a new book with contributions from 28 leading experts on Brexit and the future of Europe, edited by Uta Staiger and Benjamin Martill.

Brexit will have significant consequences for the country, for Europe, and for global order. And yet much discussion of Brexit in the UK has focused on the causes of the vote and on its consequences for the future of British politics. This volume examines the consequences of Brexit for the future of Europe and the European Union, adopting an explicitly regional and future-oriented perspective missing from many existing analyses.

Drawing on the expertise of 28 leading scholars from a range of disciplines, ‘Brexit and Beyond’ (UCL Press) offers various different perspectives on the future of Europe, charting the likely effects of Brexit across a range of areas, including institutional relations, political economy, law and justice, foreign affairs, democratic governance, and the idea of Europe itself. Whilst the contributors offer divergent predictions for the future of Europe after Brexit, they share the same conviction that careful scholarly analysis is in need – now more than ever – if we are understand what lies ahead for the EU.

Speakers:

Helen Drake, Professor of French and European Studies, Loughborough
Piet Eeckhout, Dean of the Faculty of Laws and Professor of EU Law, UCL
Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, LSE
Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford

The panel discussion will be followed by a drinks reception.

About the editors:

Dr Uta Staiger is the co-founder and Executive Director of the UCL European Institute. Her research examines the relationship between culture and politics, drawing together insights from modern European thought, the arts, and the history of European integration. She is particularly interested in mid-twentieth-century German theory and philosophy that seeks to straddle aesthetics and the idea of the political. Uta also holds the position of Pro-Vice-Provost (Europe), a strategic role shaping UCL’s engagement with Europe, and acting as advocate for UCL’s work on the continent.

Dr Benjamin Martill is a Dahrendorf Fellow in Europe after Brexit at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research looks at how political ideology and party politics affect foreign policymaking, with particular reference to the politics of Cold War strategy in Europe. At LSE, Benjamin contributes to the work of the Dahrendorf Forum, a joint research venture between LSE Ideas and the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. He was previously Lecturer in Politics at Canterbury Christ Church University and Research Associate at the UCL European Institute.