Upcoming conference on Urban Violence and Collective Memory in the Americas

While some regions and cities of the Americas continue to experience an underlying level of systemic violence, many have also been facing recent spikes of unrest due to political crises. In recent years, citizens massed in the streets of cities like Bogota and Minneapolis, to denounce economic reforms and state violence. These protests sometimes led to extremely violent responses from the public authorities. Moreover, while some commentators observed a decrease in urban violence in the Americas during the first months of the Covid-19 crisis, the violence swiftly returned to its pre-pandemic level, and even rose in some cities, especially those in Latin America and the Caribbean.   

This transdisciplinary conference will bring together geographers, anthropologists, sociologists, economists, activists and artists from the Americas and Europe to look at the dynamics of urban violence in the Americas. The event is part of the SNSF project led by our GEDT collaborator Dr Patrick Naef: "The construction of a 'resilient city' model in the '100 Resilient Cities' program: a transversal perspective on New Orleans and Medellin"

Internationally established experts will conduct dialogues on topics associated with commemorations, museums, reconciliation with gang violence, criminal governance, organized crime, lynchings and feminicides. Case studies will feature cities as diverse as Medellin, Los Angeles, Knoxville, Managua, Mexico City and Caracas. Five panels will take place at the University of Geneva, and the event will conclude with a round-table and concerts at the Kzern, a former military compound recently transformed into a cultural centre in downtown Geneva. 

For the full program click here.