Experiencing transition in modern urbanization

TRANSITION Session at the 17th conference of the European Association for Urban History, Barcelona, Spain.

From 2 to 5 September 2026, the European Association for Urban History (EAUH) will host its 17th International Conference in Barcelona, under the theme "City Networks in Europe and Beyond." As part of the conference’s Main Sessions, TRANSITION is responsible for Session 67: Experiencing Transition in Modern Urbanisation.

Organised by TRANSITION Lead Investigator Mikkel Thelle (National Museum of Denmark), Junior Investigator Kristian Aarup (National Museum of Denmark), and Collaborative Investigator Tanja Vahtikari (Tampere University), the session explores how the lens of transition can reframe our understanding of modern urbanisation in the 20th century.

The session moves beyond the classic grand narrative of modernisation – often imagined as a one-way journey from rural areas to metropolitan centres – and instead examines rural-urban change as a complex, multifaceted process. Drawing on perspectives from different regions in Europe and beyond, contributors will consider questions such as:

• How have rural-urban transitions influenced people’s lived experiences?
• How have people’s lived experiences of rural-urban transition become more widely shared experiences? How have people negotiated transition and urbanisation experiences between different social groups and communities?
• In what ways have urban and rural experiences potentially conflicted when being “in transition”?
• What are the relations between short/long-term and small/large-scale transitions?
• How have rural-urban transitions shaped urban (and rural) spaces, and created spaces in between? What has characterised these “transition areas”?
• How have people’s lived experiences of transition, in turn, shaped sociocultural conditions, spaces and communities?

Focusing on experience as a social phenomenon – shaped by shared, sensory, emotional, and spatial dimensions – the session seeks to enrich existing understandings of modernisation and to open new paths for comparative research. The session will also serve as an opportunity to connect people working on rural-urban transitions.

We warmly invite everyone working on relevant themes to submit a paper proposal for this session no later than 22 October 2025. You will find more detailed information about the submission process, requirements, and deadlines at the conference homepage. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kristian, Mikkel, or Tanja.