Academics from the humanities and social sciences came together to explore the individuals and communities who lived and worked in city ports around the world including Barcelona, Hamburg, Cork and Liverpool, as part of an international conference.
The ‘Port City Lives’ conference covered a wide variety of themes, times, and geography ranging from the prostitutes of 19th century Liverpool to footballers in Rotterdam in 1914 and anarchists in Barcelona.
Dr Andrew Popp, co-director of the Centre for Maritime and Port Histories, said: “As vibrant and dynamic urban centres, as nodes in long histories of colonialism and globalisation, and as zones of interaction and exchange, port cities are important sites of research.”
“This conference, held in the historic port city of Liverpool, brought together researchers to focus on these complex social and cultural spaces of encounter.”
The conference was organised by the Centre for Maritime and Port History. The Centre, based in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, provides a focus for existing research activity, supports new initiatives and organises a seminar series and international conference.
Research initiatives currently underway at the Centre include Hispanic Liverpool, Visual Voyages, Elder Dempster Online Archive, the Birkenhead Grain Trade, and Asian Maritime Networks.
The Centre is a joint venture between the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Merseyside Maritime Museum.
For further information on the centre and its activities please contact either of its co-directors; Dr Andrew Popp or Dr Nick White .