Faculty Profile: Gary McDonogh

Gary McDonogh shares some thoughts with the Bulletin.

Helen Herrmann Chair and Professor of Growth and Structure of Cities Gary McDonogh鈥檚 book, Barcelona, takes on one of his favorite cities. As an expert on global Chinatowns, he has become a go-to source for reporters on a growing backlash against Asians: 鈥淭he question of trying to find someone at fault for a pandemic is a fundamental problem. ... You can look for causes and cures, but you can鈥檛 start looking for blame.鈥


The Question

鈥淏arcelona really has been the point of interrogation of what cities are (and what interests me about them) for decades.鈥

CAP I CASAL

鈥淭he Catalan phrase cap i casal鈥攈ead and home鈥攕ums up the core strengths and tensions in the city. On the one hand, it is a capital and will be the center of whatever Catalunya becomes. On the other hand, it is cultural home, a place of engagement and creativity.鈥

A PLACE LIKE HOME

鈥淚n some ways Barcelona seems like home鈥攎y kids have grown up there, and there are favorite restaurants we have been patronizing for 40 years.鈥

TIME TRAVEL

鈥淓very day I am there, I can walk through a medieval city and a visionary 19th-century city and still see the problems of the 21st century and increasingly diverse people鈥檚 quests for identity and justice.鈥

THE IVORY TOWER

鈥淚 think academic authors always wonder who reads our books and why.鈥

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Published on: 05/20/2020