Hoeschele Presents in Faculty Forum
The Truman Faculty Forum will begin the semester with a lecture by Wolfgang Hoeschele, associate professor of geography, titled “Cittàslow: Campanilismo or Lebensqualität? Translations and Betrayals in a Quest for the Ideal City,” at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in Magruder Hall 1000.
This talk presents insights into the successes and failures of several Cittàslow member cities in Italy, Germany and England, which Hoeschele visited as part of a sabbatical in 2007.
Cittàslow (composed of the Italian word for city, plus slow) is a network of cities that began in Italy but has spread to several European countries, Australia and New Zealand. The Cittàslow charter includes goals to promote a better, less frenzied quality of life (Lebensqualität in German); “Slow Food” meaning high quality food that is produced in an environmentally sustainable way and that is enjoyed at leisure; a local economy grounded in local traditions; and environmental quality. These goals express a critique of our frenzied race for “progress,” and an imagined alternative of a transnational network of cities that work toward a more sustainable and livable world. However, any effort to translate such a vision into reality, and to transfer it across national and cultural borders, can face numerous problems.
The Truman Faculty Forum was created in 2003 to give faculty the opportunity to present their research and creative work to the Truman community and to enhance the importance of scholarship and creativity in the culture of the institution.
In the spirit of the liberal arts, the Forum provides one more way of exposing all members of the Truman community to various fields of investigation.
This talk presents insights into the successes and failures of several Cittàslow member cities in Italy, Germany and England, which Hoeschele visited as part of a sabbatical in 2007.
Cittàslow (composed of the Italian word for city, plus slow) is a network of cities that began in Italy but has spread to several European countries, Australia and New Zealand. The Cittàslow charter includes goals to promote a better, less frenzied quality of life (Lebensqualität in German); “Slow Food” meaning high quality food that is produced in an environmentally sustainable way and that is enjoyed at leisure; a local economy grounded in local traditions; and environmental quality. These goals express a critique of our frenzied race for “progress,” and an imagined alternative of a transnational network of cities that work toward a more sustainable and livable world. However, any effort to translate such a vision into reality, and to transfer it across national and cultural borders, can face numerous problems.
The Truman Faculty Forum was created in 2003 to give faculty the opportunity to present their research and creative work to the Truman community and to enhance the importance of scholarship and creativity in the culture of the institution.
In the spirit of the liberal arts, the Forum provides one more way of exposing all members of the Truman community to various fields of investigation.
