Multiple Urban Studies and Its Languages Of Description

Abstract

The paper proposes a concept of multiple urbanism, which implies not just a disciplinary structure of urban studies but their distinct perception by scholars through disciplinary identity, which in some cases develops into an aspiration to form a separate independent discipline from urban studies. In Russian context, the disciplinary plurality of urban studies is significantly complicated by the binary opposition between scientism and pragmatism: academic fundamental and applied research. Urban studies is simultaneously divided into academic and applied domains, while both of these domains consist of disciplinary specializations. Multiple urbanism means: 1) considering the context when articulating social science terms used in urban studies; 2) developing new consolidating theories that explain urbanisms as different states of the “urban”; and 3) institutionalizing urban studies and establishing dialogue between social sciences studying the city and urbanization.