CALL FOR PAPERS

Contesting the Streets:

Vending, Open-Air Markets, and Public Space
May 14 – 15, 2010
University of California, Los Angeles

Presented by:
The UCLA Center for the Study of Urban Poverty, the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant
Integration and the Street Vendor Project of New York

Street vending is a practice that is at times tolerated, restricted, and promoted by various policies
and actors. In recent years, street vending has drawn the attention (and at times the ire) of the
media, politicians, planning departments, businesses, neighborhood associations, zoning officials,
and health inspectors. Issues regarding the use of public space, the right to the city, and local
ordinance enforcement/dereliction are often complicated by street vendors’ diverse ethnic and
racial backgrounds, as well as their immigrant status. This conference seeks work that explores the
various contestations related to street vending and other temporary street enterprises.

Submissions should address topics that include, but not limited to: street vending policy and law,
contemporary and historical street vending practices, zoning and planning, public health, the
politics of public space, economic outcomes, community building, household and organizational
dynamics of street vending, street vendor organizing campaigns, and ethnic entrepreneurialism.
While we will accept both theoretical and empirical papers, original empirical work will be favored.
Papers from a variety of disciplinary perspectives are encouraged. Papers focused outside of the
United States are also welcome. We will offer a limited amount of travel support for selected
papers. We expect to invite several authors to revise and contribute their papers towards a special,
edited volume or journal.

Electronic submissions should include:

• Name, Institution/Affiliation, Contact Information
• Paper title
• Abstract (350-500 words)
• Technology needs for presentation

Abstracts for presentations are welcome from graduate students and faculty. Abstracts are due no
later than Friday, January 22, 2010, by electronic submission only. Notifications will be sent out
via e-mail by late January. Final paper submissions for accepted presenters will be due by May 2,
2010. Abstracts should be submitted to: streetvendorconf@gmail.com

Conference Organizers/Contacts:
Abel Valenzuela Jr., Professor Chicana/o Studies and Urban Planning (abel@ucla.edu)
Manuel Pastor, Professor, Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity (mpastor@college.usc.edu)
Rocío Rosales, Doctoral Candidate, Dept. of Sociology, UCLA (rosales@ucla.edu)

Co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for Mexican Studies and

the UCLA Sociology Department Ethnography Working Group