12-13 September 2013 | Liverpool
Following our highly successful 2012 conference on Port City Lives, the Centre for Port and Maritime History is delighted to announce its 2013 conference on ‘The “Otherness” of Port Cities.’
Whilst impossible to separate from their hinterlands, port cities have long been noted for their sense of ‘otherness’ or ‘exceptionalism.’ Their liminality, a place on the edge, sets them apart, and they can seem to have more in common with other port cities in different countries than with the inland cities of their own nations. Their communities are often highly mobile and international, building the links that connect ports to sites overseas whilst setting them apart from home. This conference will explore this theme of ‘otherness’, asking whether port cities’ reputation for exceptionalism is justified, and how it has been manifested across historical and geographical contexts.
