Race, Place, and Law (reading group)

This reading group, adapted from a reading list prepared by Brian Highsmith, will explore the relationships between race, place, and the law. Our goal is, per Highsmith, to understand the “institutional stakes of geography for distribution…focusing particularly on racial separation and subjugation in the United States” and the commodification of urban space. “Our readings will consider how people’s lives are shaped by where they reside—and why people reside where they do, now and across our history,” with special attention to legal and political institutions that “work to condition the possibilities for economic provision…on the arrangement of people across geographic space.” The main goal of our reading group is to understand the “hidden stakes of geography” for contemporary issues of race, class, social identity, and political economy. We will invite guests—including activists, legal scholars, and policy experts—to join us for particular sessions and enliven our discussions with their experiences, perspectives, and expertise.