31 March - 01 April, 2011, Robinson College, University of Cambridge, UK

Urban History Group, Annual Conference

This conference theme broadly explores the pursuit of "pleasure" in the context of the history of towns and cities. The conference organisers are interested in investigating the significance of specifically urban forms of pleasure and leisure for understanding the historical dynamics of social, economic and cultural relationships.

Towns and cities have historically offered an array of pleasures to cater for ever larger concentrations of people. The types of leisure activities available to urban populations have never remained static; indeed, changing social and economic conditions have transformed popular leisure patterns over time as well as across urban space. The pursuit of pleasure, both licit and illicit, has adapted with the changing relationship between work and leisure. As working hours became increasingly rigid during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, so too did leisure time. The lack of free time was further exacerbated by growing pressures on land use. Thus, the pursuit of pleasure was increasingly set aside for specific buildings (inns, brothels, theatres, music halls and, more recently, fitness centres) or clearly delineated spaces (botanical gardens, public parks, public walks, gated communities and even the internet) where access could, in theory, be carefully managed. Cities, seaside towns and holiday resorts were also developed to specifically cater for a variety of tastes and pleasures. Once it was recognised that there was money to be made out of the pursuit of pleasure, cities became intertwined with the business of leisure and began to market themselves as centres of tourism, heritage and culture.

Some issues that the conference seeks to consider include:

The conference committee invites proposals for individual papers as well as for individual sessions of up to three papers. Sessions that seek to draw comparisons across one or more countries, or open up new vistas for original research, are particularly encouraged. Abstracts of up to 500 words, including a title, name, affiliation and contact details should be submitted to the honorary conference organiser and should indicate clearly how the content of the paper addresses the conference theme outlined above. Those wishing to propose sessions should provide a brief statement that identifies the ways in which the session will address the conference theme, a list of speakers and paper abstracts. The final deadline for proposals for sessions and papers is 29 October 2010.

In addition, the conference will again host its new researchers' forum. This is aimed primarily at those who are at an early stage in a research project and who wish primarily to discuss ideas rather than present findings. New and current postgraduates working on topics unrelated to the main theme, as well as those just embarking on new research, are particularly encouraged to submit short papers for this forum.

Graduate students can obtain a bursary to offset some of the expenses associated with attending the conference. Please send an e mail application to Prof. Richard Rodger at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask your PhD supervisor to also send a message confirming your status as a registered PhD student. The Urban History Group would like to acknowledge the Economic History Society for its support for these bursaries.

For further details please contact:

Dr. Shane Ewen (hon. conference organiser) School of Cultural Studies
Leeds Metropolitan University Broadcasting Place Woodhouse Lane LEEDS
LS2 9EN United Kingdom

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Tel: +44 (0) 113 812 3340
Fax: +44 (0) 113 812 3112

Dr Rebecca Madgin
Centre for Urban History, Marc Fitch House
3-5 Salisbury Road, Leicester, LE1 7QR, United Kingdom

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Tel +44 (0) 116 252 5068
Fax + 44 (0) 116 252 5769