Lecture 1: Course positioning and instructions
Slide 6
The long room (library)
Books hold theories and concepts, excluded as people (behind the ropes), not so much diversity
(white statues of male philosophers), you have to pay to enter (exclusion).
Slide 7-8
Spheres of social life:
- Economic, excluded from the labour market (discrimination in finding jobs), lack of economic
resources, poverty
- Political, not participating decision making, lack of political representation, not being
allowed to vote
- Cultural, not being allowed to practice rituals and discourses, for passport choose nationality
(you can only have 1 identity)
In/exclusion is about social participation (physical and mental)
- Mental, perception and experience
- Physical, visible and strict limits
Slide 9
Kreuzberg, Berlin
Know how to get in there, important place for locals, hesitant about being allowed to enter (2009).
The space converted to a place for living in tents and self built houses, claim of the space, but more
accessible, more place to enter (2014). Physically accessible but mentally it was very discomforting
and maybe even fearful. Now completely redeveloped.
Slide 10
Societal consequences
- If you have a diverse society, you get diverse innovations, we benefit from a diverse society
- “… exclusion of groups from the opportunities and advantages that cities possess is both
painful to members of the group and damaging to the society at large, which fails to take
advantage of talent available to it and wastes resources on conflict and social control”
(LeGates & Stout 2011, 187)
Inclusive cities?
- 100% inclusive city does not exist
- How does the inclusion relate to the exclusion
- “… exclusionary processes work in close relationship with inclusionary activities to maintain a
social fabric … What is a negative state of affairs, therefore, is not exclusion in all its forms
but an absence of inclusionary processes, a lack of balance between exclusion and inclusion”
(Madanipour 1998, 189)
, Slide 11
The right to the city
Henri Lefebvre in the 1960’s
“’Theory’ … is developed through action, and in turn informs understanding and undergirds
practice” (Marcuse 2009, 185-86)
- Claim the street. Reclaiming the right to the city. Social movements are an example of outing
this. What are the roots for a protest? Understanding is necessary for development.
Slide 12
Cry and an demand
- “… the demand [by those deprived] is for the material necessities of life, the [cry or]
aspiration is for a broader right to what is necessary beyond the material to lead a satisfying
life” (Marcuse 2009, 190).
- Demand for the material necessities
- Cry for a broader right to what is necessary beyond the material to lead a satisfying life.
- Demand relates with economic exclusion, Cry with political and cultural exclusion
- -> all about social participation
- -> and about spatial accessibility, public space, feeling welcome
Slide 13
How to support the right city in the future?
- Expose, analyzing the roots of the problem, understanding, causes and consequences
- Propose, engaging with society to see and understand problems and get to solutions
- Politicalize, what is next? We know what to do, but how do we do that?
Segregation is problematic when people are being underprivileged.
Slide 15
What is science about?
- Observe what you see try to come up with an idea or solution, why does something
happen? how do you explain it?
Slide 16
What is theorizing?
Robert K Merton + Richard Swedberg (stresses the point: what is theorizing) definition of theory
Robert K Merton
o “The term sociological theory refers to logically interconnected sets of propositions
from which empirical uniformities can be derived” which should be established /
tested via “empirically testable hypotheses” (Swedberg, 2014: 16)
Richard Swedberg
o Theory = “a statement about the explanation of a phenomenon”
o Theorizing = “the process through which a theory is produced”
, Slide 17
Is theory abstract and useless?
‘There is nothing so practical as a good theory’ – Kurt Lewin, 1943
Slide 18-21
3 ways to arrive at a good explanation:
1. Deduction: from the general to the specific, a conclusion based on a series of logical
assumptions
2. Induction: from specific to the general, general laws forms various individual explanations
3. Abduction: inference to the best explanation, best possible explanation in maintained until
evidence is found to disprove the explanation (theory). Explanation will be alternated when
conflicting evidence is found. Just guessing? The guess (hypothesis) is the base for an
explanation.
o Train yourself to observe an trust your capacity to guess and come up with correct
explanations.
Slide 22
Ways theories are used
- Theories of different range
- Place and timing in scientific evolvement
Slide 24-26
Pre-study (according to Swedberg)
‘traditional way’ of starting a research / producing a research design:
- What makes something a good topic to research? (interesting, problem-solving, a contradict
existing knowledge)
- Pre-study (‘adjusted way’ of starting a research / producing a research design)
- Spell out the problem
- Formulate research question
- Discussion of methods
- Discussion of existing studies and theories
The pre-study = to come up with new ideas through an early and preliminary, yet intense,
confrontation with data! → to formulate a tentative theory!
o Pre-study might help you to think about the phenomenon.
Slide 6
The long room (library)
Books hold theories and concepts, excluded as people (behind the ropes), not so much diversity
(white statues of male philosophers), you have to pay to enter (exclusion).
Slide 7-8
Spheres of social life:
- Economic, excluded from the labour market (discrimination in finding jobs), lack of economic
resources, poverty
- Political, not participating decision making, lack of political representation, not being
allowed to vote
- Cultural, not being allowed to practice rituals and discourses, for passport choose nationality
(you can only have 1 identity)
In/exclusion is about social participation (physical and mental)
- Mental, perception and experience
- Physical, visible and strict limits
Slide 9
Kreuzberg, Berlin
Know how to get in there, important place for locals, hesitant about being allowed to enter (2009).
The space converted to a place for living in tents and self built houses, claim of the space, but more
accessible, more place to enter (2014). Physically accessible but mentally it was very discomforting
and maybe even fearful. Now completely redeveloped.
Slide 10
Societal consequences
- If you have a diverse society, you get diverse innovations, we benefit from a diverse society
- “… exclusion of groups from the opportunities and advantages that cities possess is both
painful to members of the group and damaging to the society at large, which fails to take
advantage of talent available to it and wastes resources on conflict and social control”
(LeGates & Stout 2011, 187)
Inclusive cities?
- 100% inclusive city does not exist
- How does the inclusion relate to the exclusion
- “… exclusionary processes work in close relationship with inclusionary activities to maintain a
social fabric … What is a negative state of affairs, therefore, is not exclusion in all its forms
but an absence of inclusionary processes, a lack of balance between exclusion and inclusion”
(Madanipour 1998, 189)
, Slide 11
The right to the city
Henri Lefebvre in the 1960’s
“’Theory’ … is developed through action, and in turn informs understanding and undergirds
practice” (Marcuse 2009, 185-86)
- Claim the street. Reclaiming the right to the city. Social movements are an example of outing
this. What are the roots for a protest? Understanding is necessary for development.
Slide 12
Cry and an demand
- “… the demand [by those deprived] is for the material necessities of life, the [cry or]
aspiration is for a broader right to what is necessary beyond the material to lead a satisfying
life” (Marcuse 2009, 190).
- Demand for the material necessities
- Cry for a broader right to what is necessary beyond the material to lead a satisfying life.
- Demand relates with economic exclusion, Cry with political and cultural exclusion
- -> all about social participation
- -> and about spatial accessibility, public space, feeling welcome
Slide 13
How to support the right city in the future?
- Expose, analyzing the roots of the problem, understanding, causes and consequences
- Propose, engaging with society to see and understand problems and get to solutions
- Politicalize, what is next? We know what to do, but how do we do that?
Segregation is problematic when people are being underprivileged.
Slide 15
What is science about?
- Observe what you see try to come up with an idea or solution, why does something
happen? how do you explain it?
Slide 16
What is theorizing?
Robert K Merton + Richard Swedberg (stresses the point: what is theorizing) definition of theory
Robert K Merton
o “The term sociological theory refers to logically interconnected sets of propositions
from which empirical uniformities can be derived” which should be established /
tested via “empirically testable hypotheses” (Swedberg, 2014: 16)
Richard Swedberg
o Theory = “a statement about the explanation of a phenomenon”
o Theorizing = “the process through which a theory is produced”
, Slide 17
Is theory abstract and useless?
‘There is nothing so practical as a good theory’ – Kurt Lewin, 1943
Slide 18-21
3 ways to arrive at a good explanation:
1. Deduction: from the general to the specific, a conclusion based on a series of logical
assumptions
2. Induction: from specific to the general, general laws forms various individual explanations
3. Abduction: inference to the best explanation, best possible explanation in maintained until
evidence is found to disprove the explanation (theory). Explanation will be alternated when
conflicting evidence is found. Just guessing? The guess (hypothesis) is the base for an
explanation.
o Train yourself to observe an trust your capacity to guess and come up with correct
explanations.
Slide 22
Ways theories are used
- Theories of different range
- Place and timing in scientific evolvement
Slide 24-26
Pre-study (according to Swedberg)
‘traditional way’ of starting a research / producing a research design:
- What makes something a good topic to research? (interesting, problem-solving, a contradict
existing knowledge)
- Pre-study (‘adjusted way’ of starting a research / producing a research design)
- Spell out the problem
- Formulate research question
- Discussion of methods
- Discussion of existing studies and theories
The pre-study = to come up with new ideas through an early and preliminary, yet intense,
confrontation with data! → to formulate a tentative theory!
o Pre-study might help you to think about the phenomenon.
