The Presentation and more Ideas to consider...

So, my presentation is done. The session was in a huge lecture theater on the Imperial College campus (see pictures). I got there early so I got some shots of the large empty room. It wasn't ever filled to capacity, but there were quite a few people there and it went well. Although the session was entitled "The Geographies of Youth", the other presenters and I decided that it would have been more appropriate to have entitled it "Discourses of Exclusion and Space". We all focused on the intertwined notions of discursive space and how it defines and it, in turn, defined by physical space (here's a copy of my presentation, if you're interested). I looked at the discourse of disability/normality, Dan from Edinburgh discussed the racialized discourse of post-Apartheid South Africa, and Wael from Cairo discussed the deconstruction and redefining of physical space through virtual discourse. It was all very fascinating and introduced me to some new ideas and people. I am especially fascinated by Wael's notion of "heterotopia's" and the distinction between the heterogeneous space where individuation is acceptable under certain socially defined norms, versus the traditional concept of utopia where all subscribe to similar beliefs, ideals, and modes of interaction.

So, now that's done with I have to chair a session and then I have the day free. I imagine I'll head down to Westminster to see the seat of Anglo-Saxon cultural hegemony, and to appreciate the history of the area in a less politicized way. I imagine that Marx isn't the most politically appropriate draw for an American tourist, so I'll try to play the part of the ogling and awestruck American more appropriately today. I'll try and post more pictures this evening.

As an update on my luggage: I made the daily call to BA this morning. They still have no idea where my bag is. I'm going to try and get by on what I have but it's not easy, nor is it convenient. But this is all part of the adventure....right?