GOALS

FRINGE explores the relationship between urban culture and non-normative sexualities and gender identities, disabilities, and marginalized nationalities and ethnicities in the urban context. Our activities do not focus on specific cities. Instead, they are oriented toward the thematic and methodological challenges that arise when exploring urban imaginaries at the intersections of these peripheral spheres of alterity.

We also seek to enact research practices that are conscious of the politics of unequal resources and availability of knowledge. For our in-person events, we offer the possibility of an online panel for scholars with limited mobility (precarious employment, disabilities, etc.).

These four points are central to the Network aims and discussions:

to consolidate interdisciplinary methodological interventions that address urban imaginaries from intersectional perspectives. How does the concept of “intersectionality” contribute to our understanding of narratives centered on the urban context? How do we, as researchers, identify and cope with common challenges deriving from these research perspectives?
to give visibility to narratives from subjects on the margins, sensitive to the different intersecting dimensions of power, privilege and discrimination. How do these narratives intervene and shape a “sense of place” in the urban context?
to invigorate urban cultural phenomena that cultural canons have traditionally stigmatized as being peripheral. These include: non-mimetic literatures, comic books, poetry slams, graffiti, drag shows, fanzines, urban pop and rap, among many others. We aim to provide a greater understanding of these cultural imaginaries within the academic community as well as among the general public and relevant cultural institutions.
to focus on spatial peripheries: places that are ignored or neglected, where there are concentrations of people who tend to be marginalized or excluded from representation.