Class and the City
Bi-weekly; Week Two; Monday; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Online via Zoom **NEW**
Small group workshop therefore membership will be limited
We will read twelve novels or short story collections, each substantially situated in a different global metropolis. Our focus will be on lives lived in the current era within these urban conglomerates and the particular way urban social political and economic forces can both bring people together and separate them, based on classifications of citizenship, economic class, race, gender and sexuality.
Our readings are set in Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Seoul, Naples, London, New York, Dublin, Istanbul, Lagos, Mumbai, Beirut, and Dubai. Click on Find Out More for the reading list and schedule.
Each participant will select one of the readings to present to the group. Everyone is expected to read every book and be prepared to participate in the group discussion.
Facilitators:
Maureen FitzGerald (m.fitzgerald@utoronto.ca) is an editor, an ex-academic (urban anthropology) and an ex-publisher. She loves reading fiction and is particularly interested in stories that contribute to conversations about the pressing issues of inequality.
Sally McLean (sallyjmclean@gmail.com) is a retired intercultural communication consultant and continues to wrestle with social justice challenges. She leans towards workshops that push us to consider the troublesome social issues of our times.