European Centre for Art, Culture and Science

Monday January 21 2008 / Citizenship

I HAVE A DREAM… The Role of the City by Saskia Sassen (Columbia University) & Richard Sennett (LSE)

The identity of the city is determined by the physical and social identity of its surroundings and inhabitants. As a consequence of the fact that nowadays worldwide more people live in urban areas than in rural areas, the city is gaining more and more importance. In the largest international cities a great part of the inhabitants will hardly ever enter the old centre of the city and are not aware of its historical background. The concept of social capital refers to the social surroundings in which norms of reciprocity come into being and in which social trust is being generated. A society, but also the individuals that constitute the society, needs social capital. What kind of role does the history of the city play in generating social capital? In which way can new inhabitants with different cultures make themselves at home in these surroundings of historical architecture. Can special adjustments strengthen existing qualities? Can awareness of the city's cultural history increase the city's lifespan and be an investment for the city's social capital?

Saskia Sassen is the Lynd Professor of Sociology and Member, The Committee on Global Thought,  Columbia University. Her recent books are Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages (Princeton University Press 2006), and A Sociology of Globalization (Norton 2007).
Richard Sennett is Professor at the Sociology Department (Cities Programme) at the London School of Economics.

Moderator: Sheila Sitalsing, Staff reporter Volkskrant

I Have a Dream... is a joint initiative of Felix Meritis and MEXIT and consists of a series of  workshops during the afternoon followed by public lectures in the evening. The total programme will include a wrap-up session and a compilation of essays. This programme is made possible by the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Oxfam Novib.

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I Have a Dream... 21 January 2008