Title/Position: Henry Marshall Tory Chair and Professor
Department/Faculty/Institution: Director, City - Region Studies Centre, Faculty of Extension, Department of Sociology / Art and Design University of Alberta.
Degree(s)/School(s): D.Phil Sussex
E-mail: crsc@ualberta.ca
MCRI Projects: B4: Boundaries; C2: North America Research Cluster.
Background: Rob Shields' work spans cultural theory, architecture and media studies to consider the relationships between social spaces and culture – processes of social spatialization, the governance of affect and outlook through planning and geographic spaces, and the development of cultural topologies that extend physical environments into meaningful milieux and cosmoses – Ecologies of Affect. This intellectual project is extended alongside colleagues, students and practitioners through the public research of University of Alberta City-Region Studies Centre. It is pursued through innovation with communities and professionals, in the creation of Curb planning magazine, books such as Building Tomorrow, Places on the Margin, The Virtual and the founding of Space and Culture an international peer-refereed journal.
Research Interests: Social Spaces; City-Regions; Innovation; Cultural Topology; Suburban Retail Spaces; Intangibles.
Selected Publications:
Shields, R., Gillespie, D. & Moran, K. (Forthcoming). Edmonton, Amiskwacy: Suburbs for Settlers. In J. Nijman (ed.) North American Suburbs. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Shields, R. (2013). Spatial Questions: Cultural Topologies and Social Spatialisation. London: Sage.
Keil, R. & Shields, R. (2013). Suburban boundaries: Beyond greenbelts and edges. In R. Keil (ed.) Suburban Constellations. Berlin: Jovis, pp. 71-78.
Shields, R. (2012). Feral suburbs: cultural topologies of social reproduction, Fort McMurray, Canada. International Journal of Cultural Studies.15(3): 205-215.
Davidson, T., Park, O. & Shields, R. (eds.)(2011) Ecologies of Affect. Placing Nostalgia, Desire, and Hope. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
