Tracing the contours of power in cities, Professor Cope discusses ways that socially marginalized groups are subject to – and act upon – spatial constraints and restrictions in everyday life. Focusing on women, youth, and people of color, she draws on the idea of the mutual constitutions of society and space to illuminate intersections of identity, knowledge, and the production of place. She suggests that new methodologies of research and representation help reveal processes of exclusion, immobility, and constraint to further our understanding of the complementary roles of social practices and the built environment in (re)producing power relations.
The College of Arts and Sciences Full Professor Lecture Series was designed to give newly promoted faculty an opportunity to share with the university community a single piece of research or overview of research trajectory meant to capture the spark of intellectual excitement that has resulted in their achieving full professor rank.