Institut für Soziologie

Dr. Claire Bullen

Postdoctoral Researcher


Claire Bullen is a researcher at the Chair of Migration and Diversity.

Büro

Institut für Soziologie

Wilhelmstr. 36 (Hegelbau)

1. Stock, Raum 127

72074 Tübingen

claire.bullenspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

(+49) 07071 - 29 74348


The main thread of Claire’s current work focuses upon contemporary urban transformations around the Mediterranean. For over ten years, she has been carrying out investigations in Marseille (France) and is now developing a new field site in Tangiers (Morocco). In both cities, streets are entry points from where to examine modes of governance, social group formation, patterns of behaviour and social inequality, and to situate these within history and geography.

In Claire’s work, the Mediterranean serves as both an idea and a place from where to probe some of the normal frames used to understand social life in this region (north/south, colonial/colonised, migrant/non-migrant...).

Previous research includes investigating ‘Euro-Mediterranean‘ urban heritage in Oran (Algeria) and comparing social and cultural relations within and between Liverpool (UK) and Marseille, around the time of their European Capitals of Culture programmes.


Research and teaching areas of interest

  • Urban transformation, urbanity, global urbanisms
  • Urban comparison
  • Anthropology of the Mediterranean
  • Ethnicity, ‘race’, racism and gender
  • Sociology of space
  • Geographies of knowledge
  • Ethnography and visual methods

Publications

2023 Bullen, C. ‘The Migrant’s Paradox: Street Livelihoods and Marginal Citizenship in Britain By Suzanne M. Hall, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2021, Pp. 232’. City & Society, June, . doi.org/10.1111/ciso.12460 / anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ciso.12460
2023

Bullen, C. "From the Street to the World: Situating Urban Social Networks in Multi-scalar Relations of Power." In: Antonyuk, A., Basov, N. (eds) Networks in the Global World VI. NetGloW 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 663. Springer, Cham. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29408-2_10

link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-29408-2_10

2022 Bullen, C. ‘Gentrified, Euro-Mediterranean, Arabic? Situating Mediterranean Locations along a Street in Marseille’. In Locating the Mediterranean: Connections and Separations across Space and Time, edited by Carl Rommel and Joseph John Viscomi, 103–27. Helsinki University Press. https://doi.org/10.33134/HUP-18-5.
2021 Bullen, Claire, Dieterich, Manuel, Manolova, Polina, Omar Martínez, Damián and Nieswand, Boris. 2021. Borders and the Production of Ill-Being. (An Invitation for) a Global Conversation, Anthropological Theory Commons. Link
2021 Bullen, C., Isnart, C., Glevarec, H. and Saez, G.: Cultural Heritage and Associations in France: Reflections on a Ground-Breaking Investigation, Twenty Years On, Museums and Society  https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v19i1.3521
2021 Bullen, C., Isnart, C., Glevarec, H. and Saez, G.: “Le patrimoine saisi par les associations”, vingt ans après. Entretien avec Guy Saez et Hervé Glevarec à propos d’une enquête pionnière sur l'engouement patrimonial en France, In Situ : Revue de Patrimoines, http://journals.openedition.org/insituarss/1434
2020 Bullen, C: La culture, partout? Politiques et pratiques du culturespeak à Liverpool dans les années 2000, Journal des anthropologues. Journal des Anthropologues no. 162–163: 65–83 Special issue: Cities, cultures and engagements.
2020

Bullen, C. & Isnart, C. Uneasy associations? Critique, cultural heritage and the Mediterranean, International Journal Heritage Studies. Thematic section: Uneasy heritage associations in the Mediterranean. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2020.1731705

2020 Bullen, C., Métais, J., Monnet, N. and C. Noûs: L’expérience ethnographique, expéri-mentée et partagée en école d’architecture. Terrains et Théorie. Special issue: Transmettre la pratique ethnographique: contours et détours. https://journals.openedition.org/teth/2917
2020 Bullen, C. & Isnart, C.: Critique, the Mediterranean and Cultural Heritage. Responding to Nick Dines, International Journal Heritage Studies. Thematic section: Uneasy heritage as-sociations in the Mediterranean.
2020 Bullen, C.: Unravelling histories: researching uneasy heritage associations in Oran, Al-geria, International Journal Heritage Studies. Thematic section: Uneasy heritage associations in the Mediterranean. doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2020.1719536
2019 Bullen, C.: The most cosmopolitan city in Europe? Situating politics and practices of cul-tural diversity in Marseille, Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2019.1688952
2016 Bullen, C.: Comparing the ‘cultures of cities’ in two European Capitals of Culture. Etnofoor, 99-120 Special issue: The City, www.jstor.org/stable/44013448
2016 Bullen, C.: Tales of two cities: Comparing culture and social relations in Liverpool and Marseilles, two “European Capitals of Culture”. University of Manchester. www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/bofker/alma992981395951001631.
2013 Bullen, C.: European Capitals of Culture and Everyday Cultural Diversity: A Comparison of Liverpool (UK) and Marseilles (France), European Cultural Foundation
2012 Bullen, C.: Marseille, ville méditerranéenne? Enjeux de pouvoir dans la construction des identités urbaines. Rives méditerranéennes, 42(2), 157-171. doi.org/10.4000/rives.4211
2011 Bullen, C.: European Capital of Culture as a regional development tool? The case of Marseille-Provence 2013. Tafter Journal, 42, Unpaginated. www.tafterjournal.it/2011/12/05/european-capital-of-culture-as-a-regional-development-tool-the-case-of-marseille-provence-2013
2005 Geddes. A., Niessen. J., Balch. A., Bullen. C. &, Peiro. M.J.: European Civic Citizenship and Inclusion Index. British Council. www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/ewc/docs/brussels-european-civic-citizenship-and-inclusion-index.pdf

 

Selection of international workshops / seminars / lectures

2023

La fabrication urbaine autour de la Méditerranée. Changements, continuités et comparaisons

Französisch-deutsche Sommerschule in Aix-en-Provence, Gesellschaftliche Transformationen auf dem Weg zu einer Nachhaltigen Entwicklung

IZEW, Universität Tübingen, Uni Vechta (04.07.2023)

2023

Still dancing to the same tune? An ethnographic exploration of the socio-spatial consequences of Marseille’s year as European Capital of Culture, ten years on

Institute Colloquium "Cultural Capital. Social transformation through large-scale projects", Institute for European Ethnology Vienna, Austria

2023

(with Fadma Ait Mous, University Hassan II Casablanca) The Mediterranean as analytical borderlands of contemporary urban transformations

German Anthropolgical Association Conference in Munich, Germany (27.07.2023)

2022

La Méditerranée, ‘analytical borderlands’ des transformations urbaines actuelles?

Department of Architecture, Free University of Brussels, Belgium

2022

Marseille: Networks of urbanity of a southern city, Urbanity in a Global Perspective

Lecture Series, University of Tübingen, Germany.

2022

From the street to the world: Embedding diverse urban social networks in multi-scalar relations of power

Networks in a Global World conference, (planned for Saint Petersburg, Russia, eventually on-line)

 2021

'Making ends meet: An analysis of 'ordinary' provisioning processes in two European cities '

in panel on Theorizing Migration and the Political Economy of Provisioning at the 2021 Conference of the German Anthropological Association (27. - 30.09.2021)

2021

Engagements interdisciplinaires et questions spatiales

Séminaire de l'Association Française des Anthropologues (26.03.2021)

2019

Oran, ville méditerranéenne ? Passe, patrimoine et enjeux de pouvoir
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar on the Mediterranean, University Aix-Marseille (25.04.2019)

 2018

The most cosmopolitan city in Europe?  Situating narratives of diversity in France's second city
European cities and diversity: new policies, changing relations between societal actors? Max-Planck-Institute, Göttingen, Allemagne (25. -26.01.2018)

 

 2017

Patrimoine sauvegardé? Une analyse ethnographique des politiques de patrimoine dans la deuxième ville d’Algérie.
LabexWeek 2017, seminar organised as part of the LabexMed Postdoctoral School, Aix Marseille University (21. - 22.06.2017)

 

2017

Comparer la ville en Europe et en Méditerranée. Une approche ethnographique et relationnelle
IDEMEC Research Seminar, Aix Marseille University (12.05.2017)

2016

Cosmopolitan Marseilles? Exploring understandings and experience of diversity in France’s 'second city' using a comparative, relational and scalar lens
WWTF/City of Vienna, “Social Sciences and Humanities in Vienna: Symposium on Diversity and Identity », Austria (15./16.11.2016)

 

Academic Awards

2019 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Seal of Excellenceproject: Rethinking Urban Heritage in Mediterranean Cities
2016-17

Post-doctoral scholarship, awarded by Aix-Marseille University/Labex Med/Gerda Henkel Foundation.  
Research title: Locating ‘Euromed’ heritage: An ethnographic study of heritage production in Algeria’s second city

2011 Travel Grant from University Association for Contemporary European Studies) for a three-month ethnography study concerning the notion of evaluation within the organisation Marseilles Provence
2010-11 Cultural Policy Research Award, European Cultural Foundation and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
2010 Two months grant from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity to explore urban transformation and rescaling processes in Marseilles.
2009-15 Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures, University of Manchester doctoral bursary

 

Public Engagement Activities

Interview, Boulevard National, au-delà des clichés. France 3 TV, 2023
Boulevard National, au-delà des clichés, 16 September-11 December 2023, Marseille