The haves, the have nots and the have super yachts

Professor Burrows from Newcastle University in the UK will be speaking at the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand’s (SAANZ) annual conference (3 to 6 December), hosted this year by the School of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts.

With the theme Mātauranga nohoanga ā-iwi kit e katoa: Sociology for Everyone, it will feature presenters from universities in Australia, Canada, China, Sweden, the UK and the United States, as well as from across New Zealand.

Conference organiser Associate Professor Steve Matthewman is particularly excited by the calibre of the keynote speakers, who he describes as “world class”.

“Aotearoa’s Linda Tuhiwai Smith is the world’s most famous Indigenous scholar, Raewyn Connell is the greatest living sociologist in the southern hemisphere, Ian Buchanan is one of the most respected Deleuzian (Gilles Deleuze, 1925 – 1995) scholars there is, former Guardian columnist Peter Fleming is doing studies at the cutting edge, Beverley Mullings is a leading feminist political economist, and of course, there is Roger Burrows whose keynote lecture has arguably the best title of the year:The Haves and the Have Yachts: socio-spatial struggles in London between the merely wealthy and the super-rich."

Professor Burrows will look at the decade between 2007 and 2017 when he says "London changed fundamentally as the actions of the transnational über-wealthy, the “have yachts”,  impinged on the lives of the “merely wealthy” or "the haves".

He concludes that profound socio-spatial changes, huge increases in the power of financial elites on housing, neighborhood tensions, and cultural dislocations are reshaping London as a city controlled by the wealthy, thus affecting the lives of Londoners in historically unprecedented ways. The concept of “super-gentrification,” he argues, does not adequately frame these circumstances.

As well as the sociological research, there will be presentations by scholars working in the fields of criminology, education, geography, gender studies, Māori studies, media studies and social work, says Dr Matthewman.

“We have an engaging range of presentations on offer, with the ones focusing on social work and social futures looking particularly strong. While there’s great variety here, I’d say they’re all united by a commitment to social justice."

It's not too late to register for the conference and day rates and student discounts are available. Read full programme.

Public talks

Professor Roger Burrows: The Haves and the Have Yachts: Socio-Spatial Struggles in London between the Merely Wealthy and the Super-Rich, Tuesday 3 December, 6-7pm, HSB 1 – also known as 201N-346.
Professor Ian Buchanan: Expressive Materialism, Wednesday 4 December, 2-3pm, HSB 1 – also known as 201N-346. 
Professor Raewyn Connell: Sociology for All, 6-7pm, HSB 1 – also known as 201N-346.
Professor Peter Fleming: The Worst is Yet to Come: On the poverty of optimism in critical theory, Thursday 5 December, 9-10am, HSB 1 – also known as 201N-346. 
Professor Beverley Mullings: Caliban, Social Reproduction and Our Future Yet to Come, Thursday 5 December, 4-5pm, HSB 1 – also known as 201N-346. 
Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith: Decolonising the sociology of tangihanga: Don't look at our people's grief and despair, look at what they grieve for and feel ashamed. This keynote address is on Waipapa Marae and space will be strictly limited, so this is unfortunately not a public event. 

Thanks to the support of the School of Social Sciences and BRANZ, all other keynote presentations are open to the public.

The Faculty of Arts last hosted SAANZ in 2013, and this is the first time for the School of Social Sciences. Conference organisers are indebted to the School for bringing Professors Buchanan, Connell, and Fleming to New Zealand, and Professor Smith to Auckland. BRANZ have helped with Roger Burrows. They thank their colleagues in Geography for Beverley Mullings' appearance.