Paper short abstract:

This paper offers a methodological reflection on how comparison actually happens in a large-scale, multi-city project, what can be claimed as comparison, and observes how comparative urbanism is shaped by often mundane considerations.

Paper long abstract:

This paper offers a methodological reflection on the challenges and innovations of employing comparative methods in the large scale, multicity, multidisciplinary, transnational project Migration, Urbanisation and Conflict in African Cities. The scale and structure of the project offer an unusual opportunity to explore how we can learn across cities, countries, scales, disciplines, schedules and meeting formats, and the role of comparison in this. This paper explores how comparison actually happens and what can be claimed as comparison, observing how comparative urbanism is shaped by often mundane logistical and procedural considerations. Comparative methods became an important heuristic tool in the project and the paper presents some innovative comparative methods and workarounds that were developed in response to the changing conditions of the pandemic.