Prospectusforaneweditedbookcallforcontributions

7August2016

ColdWarCities:spatialplanning,socialpoliticsandculturalpracticesintheeraof
atomicurbanism,194565
Editors:

RichardBrook,ManchesterSchoolofArchitecture.R.Brook@mmu.ac.uk
MartinDodge,DepartmentofGeography,UniversityofManchester.M.Dodge@manchester.ac.uk
JonathanHogg,DepartmentofHistory,UniversityofLiverpool.J.G.Hogg@liverpool.ac.uk

Aims:
Inthisbookwewishtoexplorehowtherealthreatofnuclearattackthroughthe1950sandearly60saffected
thespatialplanningofcities,aswellconsideringhowsuchatomicurbanismwasmanifestinpoliticalprocesses
orexpressedthroughculturalpractices.Thebookisconsciouslytobebasedonsetofcasestudiesofspecific
cities,throughwhichweseekunderstandings,atanurbanscale,ofhowcoldwardoctrinesplayedoutin
differentthematicareas(e.g.architecturaldesignsforsurvivablehumanhabitationorantinuclearprotests).
Thereshouldalsobescopeforquestioningthedegreetowhichthehistoricaldevelopmentofindividualcities
wasdeterminedorshapedbyatomicthreats,thusproblematizingtheColdWarasgeneralanalyticallens.
Ratherthanfocusonthenationstateorawholecontinent,webelievelookingatseriesofindividualcities(or
cityregions)willprovideadistinctivelensthroughwhichtoreinterpretcoldwarhistories.
ThebookisalsofocusedinitstimeperiodonthecrucialdecadesaftertheSecondWarWorldbecausetheyhave
interpretativecoherenceincoldwarhistoriographyandwerekeyperiodsinurbanredevelopmentacrossmuch
oftheworld(suchastheriseofsuburbanconsumerismintheWest,SovietdirectedsocialistrenewalintheEast
anddecolonialisationinotherplaces).However,contributorsmayalsowishtoconsiderthelegacyofactions
anddecisionsmadeinthisperiodofatomichightensiondowntothecontemporarycityifappropriate.The
objectiveistohaveaninternationalsetofcontributorswithadiversityofthematicperspectives,anddeploying
casestudycitiesnotonlyinNorthAmericaandWesternEuropebutalsointheformerEasternBloc,theSoviet
Union,theAsianregionand,potentially,fromtheGlobalSouth.
Weareseeking1012thoughtfulandunpublishedessaysthatanalyseasubstantivethematicareaandsituate
thisempiricallyinaparticularcitycasestudy.Essayscandrawonarangeofdifferentevidentialbases,archival
research,visualmethods,mediahermeneutics,andpersonalhistoriesandlivedexperiences.Bookchapters
shoulddeployappropriatetheoreticalideastounderstandthephysicalplanning,politicsandculturesofatomic
eraurbandevelopment.Theyshouldbeaccessibletoreaderswithoutdeeptheoreticalbackgroundinthe
particularthematicareaandlittleknowledgeofthecitycasestudy.
Ifyouareinterestedincontributing,pleaseprovideatentativetitle,250wordsabstractandbriefbio(tobeused
inaformalproposaltopublisher).Emailtom.dodge@manchester.ac.uk

Thematicareascouldinclude(nonexhaustivelist):

Physicalplanninginthecoldwarcity:sheltersandpopulationsurvivability;spatialdispersalplanning;
resilientinfrastructures,buildingsandengineering(telecommunications,transport,etc);thezoningofland
forneedsofmilitary,securityandtheatomicstate;enrolmentofscientificfacilities,commercialR&Dand
universities;planninghealthservices,andmoregeneralwelfareplanningpostattack.
Social/politicalissuesinthecoldwarcity:antinuclearprotests,passiveresistance,activeunrest;
participationincivildefenceandcritiquesofpreparation;publicinformation,propaganda,education;work
ofnewsmedia;politicalstruggles,legalstructures.
Culturalpracticesinthecoldwarcity:visualarts,literaryresponsestonuclearthreats;architecturaldesign,
landscapeaesthetics;religiousresponsesandfaithperspective;popularcultureandentertainment
(television,radio,fiction);civicspacesandtherepresentationofatomicageideas;designandfunctioningof
thedomesticsphere.

Practicaldetails:

Submissiondate:April2017
Length:around7,000words(exc.bibliography)
Language:UKEnglish
Format:pleasetrytousetheRoutledgestyleguide,esp.forcitationsandformattingofbibliographyto
facilitateproduction
Figures:highqualityb/willustrationsdesirable.Limitedcolourfiguresmaybepossibleinplatessection.
Pleaseensureyouhavecopyrightorcansecurecopyrightclearanceforillustrations.Authorswillbe
responsibleforanycostsofcopyrightlicensing
Delivery:Worddocument,emailtom.dodge@manchester.ac.uk

Publisher:TBC.

ApublishingcontractisbeingsoughtfromRoutledge[intheirHistoricalGeographySeries];alternatives
publishingoutletsincludePalgraveMacMillanorRowmanandLittlefield[Geopoliticalseries].

Intellectualbackground:
Citiesacrosstheworldweretheprimarytargetofstrategicatomicweaponryintheearlycoldwarperiod.Post
warurbanplanning,politicsandculturalpracticebecameacentralpartofColdWarbattlefront.Forinstance,
importantmechanismstotrysecurecitiesagainstatomicattackwerecreated,andsocialspacewasredesigned
tocontainthethreatofCommunismorCapitalism,ortoofferanideologicallyinformedvisionofthemodern,
hightechandconsumeristorsocialistfuture.However,thefocusofhistoricalstudiesofthesedecadeshas
traditionallybeenoninternationalrelations,continentalblocsandgeopoliticalstrugglesattheglobalscale.

Whiletherehasbeensomehistoricalworkpublishedinrecentyearsoncoldwarplanning,politicsandcultureat
thenationallevel,whichisoftenstronglyurbaninfocus(e.g.monographsbyAndrewBurtch,JenniferLight,
MatthewGrant,MatthewFarish),therehasbeenlessanalysisofthecontextofthecityassiteinwhichphysical
plans,socialpoliticsandculturalpracticesplayedoutindistinctiveways(exceptionsincludethemeissueof
UrbanHistory(2015)andtheMay2016ColdWarCitiesworkshopattheUniversityofSheffield).Oneofthe
majorfeaturesofintellectualgrowthinthehumanities,especiallyhistory,isinterdisciplinaryinterestinspace
andplace.Here,thecityisviewedasignificantcontextinwhichtoexploreplace,landscapeandlocational
attributesunderasetofspecificimperativesofdefencefromanunprecedentednewthreat.Thisedited
collectionwillbeauniquecontributionthatlooksathowthecoldwarunfoldedindifferentcitiesacrossthe
world.
Identifyingcontributors:
WeintendauthorstocomefrommorethanNorthAmericaandEurope;theymayincludescholarsinJapan,
Russia,Chinaandelsewhere.Contributorswillbedrawnfromcogentdisciplinarybackgroundsincluding,for
example,architecturalhistory,planning,historyofscience,economicandsocialhistory,humangeography,
politicalscience,culturalstudies,andothercognizantfieldsofscholarship.Whileweexpectmanyauthorsorco
authorstobeinseniorranksinuniversities,wewillnotexcludeyoungscholarsorindependentresearchers,
someofwhommayhaveabettermindsettocontributenewideasandcityspecificempiricaldata.(Note:we
havealreadyidentifiedsomecontributorandhavenamesofotherprospectiveones.)
Proposedbookstructure:
Thevolumewillincludeanintroductoryoverviewessaybytheeditorsandseriesofchaptersgroupedintothree
majorsections:physical,socialpolitical,cultural.Eachchapterwilltackleasubstantialthematicissueandmake
useofaspecificcityforempiricalevidence.Weexpectthatsomecontributionsmayspeakacrossthisthreefold
structureandwilldealwiththisbysectionoverviews.
Schedule:

Identifyingprospectiveauthors

Bookcontractsecured

Draftchapterdue
Commentsfromeditors/revisionsofdraft
Submissionofmanuscripttopublisher

Summer2016
Autumn2016
April2017
Summer2017
September2017

Editors:
Allthreeeditorshavewideandvariedinterestsinhistoricalgeography,theplanningofbuiltenvironmentsand
thecoldwarperiod.Theyhaveeditednumerousbookswithcontributorsacrossawidearrayofinterestsand
locations.Theyhavealsopublishedtogetherandhavemajorcurrentinterestsintheconstitutionofurban
spaceandsocialprocessesinBritishcitiesinthepostwardecades.