Deindustrialization as People’s History

Appel aux contributions: Désindustrialisation, nation, immigration : quelles réponses politiques ? / Deindustrialization, Nation, Immigration: What Political Responses?

2024 Summer Institute Recap

Oyster Smells, Ranked — A DePOT Summer Institute Poem

DePOT MA Fellowships at Concordia 2025-2026

There are three fellowships available for incoming MA students at Concordia interested in studying deindustrialization.

Each fellowship is $24,000 CAD over 2 years, and can be combined with other internal or external funding. Two of the fellowships are to work with Dr. Steven High, with an open topic and geographical focus, but proposals related to the labour movement and environment and deindustrialization are encouraged.

The remaining fellowship is to work with Dr. Yuan Yi on any aspect of deindustrialization studies in China.

The deadline for fellowship applications is November 1 2024, with students starting their course in September 2025.

View the full call for applications here.

New co-edited volume from DePOT affiliate María Esperanza Rock Núñez

Iniciando transformaciones: El patrimonio industrial como activo para el desarrollo regional. Miradas críticas desde y para el Sur global / Initiating Transformations Industrial Heritage as an Asset for Regional Development. Critical views from and for the global south

eds. María Esperanza Rock Núñez, Marion Steiner, Daniel Stewart & Andrés Torres González

Congratulations to DéPOT affiliate María Esperanza Rock Núñez and her co-editors on this new edited volume on industrial heritage in the Global South. The book, available in English and Spanish, can be downloaded here.

Here is a note from Esperanza on the book:

“The book titled Initiating Transformations Industrial Heritage as an Asset for Regional Development. Critical views from and for the global south offers a critical, interdisciplinary, and international perspective on the subject. This volume, imbued with a forward-looking vision, promotes collaboration and operationalizes respect through the recognition of differences.

Thanks to the collaboration between the Centro Cultural CREASUR (Chile) and the Núcleo de Investigación del Sur (NUDISUR), along with a prominent international network of partnerships such as TICCIH International and the financial support of the Government of the Biobío Region (Chile), a program was launched in 2023 that brought together the public sector, academia, regional artistic spheres, and communities to engage with the industrial heritage of the Biobío region, Chile.

The program assembled over 70 experts from around the world (including Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, India, Nepal, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Venezuela, Germany, France, Spain, and the United States) in Concepción, Chile, from October 16 to 20, 2023. Together, they reflected on diverse realities and discussed strategies for transforming industrial heritage from and for the Global South.

The event was complemented by the Arts in Ruins Festival and a training program in Collaborative Methodologies for Heritage Projects with a Critical Approach, sponsored by OTEC Cultura y Territorio (www.culturayterritorio.cl) and the Master’s Program in Architectural Heritage Intervention at the University of Chile.

The book is structured into four main chapters. The first chapter provides an introduction to the working method and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and networking. The second chapter documents the experiences and reflections from the “IV International and Interdisciplinary Cultural Heritage Congress on Industrial Heritage, Social Issues and Challenges for New Governance.” The third chapter features aspects of the Arts in Ruins Festival, highlighting how this artistic celebration enriched the congress and showcased the intangible heritage related to industrial heritage and its artistic narratives.

Finally, the fourth chapter addresses training in Collaborative Methodologies for Heritage Projects with a Critical Approach, offering valuable tools and perspectives for public administrators, cultural managers, and professionals from both the public and private sectors for effective heritage management.”

Version Español :

El libro titulado Iniciando transformaciones: El patrimonio industrial como activo para el desarrollo regional. Miradas críticas desde y para el sur global ofrece una perspectiva crítica, interdisciplinaria e internacional sobre el tema. Este volumen, impregnado de una visión de futuro, fomenta la colaboración y operacionaliza el respeto a través del reconocimiento de las diferencias.

Gracias a la colaboración entre el Centro Cultural CREASUR (Chile) y el Núcleo de Investigación del Sur (NUDISUR), junto con una destacada red internacional de alianzas, como TICCIH Internacional, y el financiamiento del Gobierno Regional del Biobío (Chile), en el año 2023 se llevó a cabo un programa que unió al sector público, la academia, las esferas artísticas regionales y las comunidades para activarse en torno al patrimonio industrial de la región del Biobío, Chile.

Este programa reunió a más de 70 expertos de todo el mundo (incluyendo Indonesia, Egipto, Nigeria, India, Nepal, Brasil, México, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Venezuela, Alemania, Francia, España y Estados Unidos) en Concepción, Chile, entre el 16 al 20 de octubre 2023. En conjunto reflexionamos sobre las diversas realidades y luego se reflexionó sobre estrategias de transformación del patrimonio industrial desde y para el sur global.

El evento se complementó con el Festival de Artes en Ruinas y una significativa formación en Metodologías Colaborativas para Proyectos Patrimoniales con un Enfoque Crítico, patrocinada por OTEC Cultura y Territorio (www.culturayterritorio.cl) y el Magíster en Intervención del Patrimonio Arquitectónico de la Universidad de Chile.

El libro está estructurado en cuatro capítulos principales. El primer capítulo ofrece una introducción al método de trabajo y subraya la importancia de la colaboración y el trabajo en red. El segundo capítulo documenta las experiencias y reflexiones surgidas durante el “IV Congreso de Patrimonio Cultural Internacional e Interdisciplinario sobre Patrimonio Industrial, Cuestión Social y Desafíos para la Nueva Gobernanza”. El tercer capítulo presenta una parte del Festival de Artes en Ruinas, destacando cómo esta celebración artística enriqueció el congreso y puso en valor el patrimonio inmaterial relacionado con el patrimonio industrial y sus narrativas artísticas.

Finalmente, el cuarto capítulo aborda la formación en Metodologías Colaborativas para Proyectos Patrimoniales con Enfoque Crítico, proporcionando herramientas y perspectivas valiosas para administradores públicos, gestores culturales y profesionales del ámbito público y privado para una gestión efectiva del patrimonio.

New Annotated Bibliography on Deindustrialization in Africa

This spring, Concordia MA student and DePOT RA Mauton Avoseh has been working on an annotated bibliography on deindustrialization studies in Africa which is now available on our website!

Mauton is a master’s student in the Department of History at Concordia University. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, he completed his undergraduate degree at Lagos State University, Nigeria, where he studied History and International Studies. Thematically, he is interested in urban history and African history. His research activities revolve around how colonialism shaped the trajectory of African cities and how it informed urban planning, culture, and intergroup relations in the urban space. Additionally, he loves reading about Afrobeats, African music, informal cross-border trades, transnational identity, contemporary African politics, and the politics of climate change.

Read the bibliography here.

The Artist-in-Residence program welcomes new talents!

Roberta Garruccio on Andy Clark’s “Fighting Deindustrialization: Scottish Women’s Factory Occupations, 1981-1982”

Read DePOT’s 2022-2023 Annual Report

Read the 2024 Summer Institute Call for Papers