Decolonising Sculpture for Urban Social Justice (DISCUSS)

DISCUSS will seek to inform policies around the development and consumption of liveable and inclusive urban public spaces/environments, ranging from scales of the body/intimate and community (e.g., racial discrimination, prejudice, marginalisation, under-/misrepresentation) through to the city and state (e.g., institutional racism, hostility) and international responses (e.g., global anti-racism movements, processes of decolonisation). The project is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on urban social justice theories and methods across geography, sociology, urban planning, architecture, and history. This includes a growing body of interdisciplinary scholarship on issues of representation, inclusivity, and identity that are central to topical urban policy and governance concerns.

DISCUSS will develop academic and societal impact through networking and knowledge exchange across the White Rose DTP's Cities, Environment and Liveability pathway's social science disciplines and direct engagement with Leeds City Council's multi-level stakeholders in urban policy, creative sectors and racial justice activism. Accordingly, DISCUSS will aim to impact wide urban-based responses to racial and ethnic injustice, advancing a more inclusive and just city through public-art practices and memorialisation.