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The Concept of Urban Change | Israel Institute for Advanced Studies

The Concept of Urban Change

[RG #116] The Concept of Urban Change

September 1, 2008 - August 31, 2009

Organizers:

Ronnie Ellenblum (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Gideon Avni (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

The past fifty years have witnessed significant development in the study of the structure of urban centers. Dozens of cities in a variety of geographic regions and cultural environments have been studied, and their shape and society reconstructed.

Concurrently, the disciplines of urban archaeology, urban geography and urban history were defined and developed, enabling an integrated study of historical sources, archaeological remains and the analysis of geographic, architectural and regional data.

However, the theoretical interpretation of ancient and historic cities is still conditioned by the chronological and sociological paradigms established as far back as the 19th and early 20th centuries. Thus, for instance, the classification of cities into Eastern, i.e. "Oriental/Muslim/Middle or Far-Eastern" cities as opposed to "Occidental", i.e. European and North American ones is based, to a large extent, on the 19th century's neo-classical interpretation of historical economy. The accepted periodization of urban history into "Biblical", "Greek", "Roman", "Medieval" or "Early Modern" periods also reflects the ideologies, theologies and identities that created them. In many cases they are culturally or ethnically conditioned and cannot be justified outside of the specific culture that created them. Urban history is sufficiently complex and continuous to sustain different cultural definitions and different types of biased periodizations. As a result, the characterization of specifically defined types of cities such as "Muslim", "Medieval" or "greek" cities became almost self-evident, and the terms themselves, let alone the periodization that created them, was rarely contested.

In light of these conceptual paradigms, our research group will examine the processes of cultural, political, social and religious changes in both past and contemporary urban contexts. Adopting a multidisciplinary apprach and a wide chronological range, the members of the group will address an array of changes in urban structures, such as the formation of new centers of political might, structural changes of the public spaces, the creation of architectural icons, and the expansion and collapse of urban tissues, all in relation to major political, cultural and religious changes.

 

Members

men

Gideon Avni

FELLOW
IAA/ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Gideon is affiliated with the Israel Antiquities Authority and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
men

Ronnie Ellenblum

FELLOW
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Ronnie is a professor in the Department of Geography at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
men

Israel Finkelstein

FELLOW
Tel Aviv University
Israel is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. His research interests are: archaeology in the Levant in the Bronze and Iron Ages; and biblical history.
av

Noah Hysler-Rubin

FELLOW
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Noah is affiliated with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research interests are: the history and theory of urban planning, colonial geographies, and town planning in Israel.
men

Willem Jongman

FELLOW
University of Groningen
Willem is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Groningen. His research interests are Roman social and economic history.
men

Irad Malkin

FELLOW
Tel Aviv University
Irad is a professor in the Department of History at Tel Aviv University.
men

Pierre de Miroschedji

FELLOW
The French National Centre for Scientific Research
Pierre is a professor in the Department of Archaeology and Enthnology at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. His research interests are archaeology and ancient history of the Near East, with emphasis on Israel and Iran.
men

Donald Whitcomb

FELLOW
University of Chicago
Donald is a professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. His research interests are: Islamic archaeology; urbanism and urbanization; interregional trade; Egypt, Iran, Syria and Jordan.

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