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Dr. Patterson\, Associate Profess or of Sociology at University of Calgary\, will present a lecture titled "L iving with Ghosts: How Physical Traces of the Past Shape Memories of Trauma in Chinatowns."
There will be a lunch reception after the talk from 12:30-1:30 PM in the Lino Lounge.
Sociological studi es of trauma tend to bifurcate between realist accounts focusing on harmful events that directly impact communities\, and constructivist accounts of h ow those events become incorporated into a community’s collective memory as “trauma”. Bridging this divide requires us to take seriously the real harm s of the past\, while also recognizing that the collective memorization of those harms is a creative\, contingent process.
To accomplish this\, I focus of the role of cultural trauma in motivating the efforts of “Save C hinatown” movements that have emerged across Canada and the United States i n the past decade. While these movements are focused on present challenges like gentrification and anti-Asian racism during the COVID19 pandemic\, the y frame the importance of their work in relation to historical traumas that include the Chinese Exclusion Acts of the 19th and 20th centuries\, and urban renewal programs that led to the demolition of la rge parts of Chinatowns in the postwar era. I demonstrate that these histor ical episodes remain salient as cultural traumas in part because of the phy sical traces they have left within the urban landscape. These traces can ac t as symbolic representations of past harms and\, in many cases\, continue to be a source of daily hardship in the present.
Focusing on the phys ical traces of past events allow us to reconcile realist and constructivist accounts by identifying how past events create the conditions under which trauma narratives are created and made salient\, without determining the ex act content of those narratives. More generally\, the study illustrates wha t Dolores Hayden called “the power of place” in creating sources of communi ty solidarity and allowing new generations to identify with harms committed against past generations on a deeply emotional level.
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Mat t Patterson is an urban sociologist whose research examines the relationshi p between cities and culture. In particular\, he is interested in uncoverin g the ways that place characteristics such as density\, demographics\, and urban design influence the emergence of distinct cultural practices\, produ cts\, and institutions. He has pursued this research through studies of mus eum development\, the emergence of arts districts\, and the economic and so cial impacts of iconic architectural projects or "starchitecture". Currentl y\, Matt's main focus is on the role of cultural planning and placemaking p rojects within North American Chinatowns.
Find out more about Dr. Patterson here.
< p>[/accordion][/accordions]T he Department of Sociology regularly holds the Kaspar Naegele Memorial Lect ure in honour of Kaspar Naegele\, the first Dean of the Faculty of Arts and a leading sociologist of his day.
Naegele was a co-editor of Theories of So ciety: Foundations of Modern Sociological Theory\, a collection of cla ssical read ings in sociological theory. In 1961 he also co-edited the first Canadian c ollection of sociological articles in the book Canadian Society: Sociol ogical Perspectives. The accumulated royalties from that book were end owed\, and the earnings continue to fund the Kaspar Naegele Memorial Lectur e.
The Kaspar Naegele Memorial Prize in Sociolog y and the Kaspar Naegele Memorial Lectureship celebrate Kaspar Naegele’s pr ofound impact on the lives and careers of his students and colleagues durin g his time at the University of British Columbia.
Professor Naegele joined UBC in 1954\, and his work in the following decade earned him a global reputati on as a leading sociologist. When he was appointed the first Dean of the Fa culty of Arts in 1964\, Professor Naegele put his ideas about education ref orm into practice. Considering his wealth of achievements at UBC\, he is mo st fondly remembered for his teaching.
Beyond delivering lectures\, Professor N aegele showed compassion for his students and was one of the most valued pr ofessors. We hope to continue growing the endowments for this lecture and t he student award that honours Professor Naegele.
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