Dear all,
I had quite a few responses from list members in relation to my request for
help concerning conceptions of space/represenation - most from people
asking me to share responses - so here they are. As the following quote
illustrates, it is amazing that a clear outline, suitable for students, of
different theories relating to space does not seemingly exist - a nice task
for someone is to draft such an introductory piece (and I do mean
introductory!):
'One thing that did strike me when I first got in contact with geographers,
was when I asked someone, "Well, what exactly ARE the theories of space
that undergraduates (and post graduates) are taught?" Partly I suspect
that it wasnt an easy question to answer briefly, but partly I wonder
whether student geographers are meant to ABSORB (say Cartesian or
post-structuralist) them by osmosis somehow(!!??)'
Hope they are of use,
thanks to those who sent material,
Rob
-------------
E-mail responses:
what about robert david sack's books - including one that was published
recetnly and was revieed in i thnk the last but one issue of progress in
human geography.
Rob, didnt Sack do a book on space a few years ago and James Blaut
had an article in Prof Geog about 15 years ago!
Couclelis H. Location, place, region, and space. In: Geography's
inner worlds (Abler R. et al., eds). New Brunswick (N.J.):
Rutgers University Press, 1992, 215-233.
Couclelis H., Gale N. Space and spaces. - "Geografiska Annaler",
1986, 68B, N 1.
Dictionary of Human Geography. 3d edition Cambridge: Blackwell, 1994
Entrikin J.N. Place, region, and modernity. In: The power of place.
Boston, 1989.
Fell J.P. Heidegger and Sartre. An esasay of being and place. New
York, 1979.
Hakli J. Territoriality and the rise of modern state. - "Fennia",
1994, v. 152, N 1, 1-82.
îÅidegger M. Being and Time. London: Basil Blackwell, 1983, 589p.
Pickles J. Phenomenology, science, and geography. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1985.
Relph E. Geographical expereriences and being-in-the-world: The
phenomenological origins of geography. In: Dwelling, place &
environment (Seamon D., Mugerauer R., eds). Dordrecht - Boston:
M. Nijhof, 1985, 15-31.
Sack R. Conceptions of space in social thought. London: Macmillan,
1980.
Stuart Hall's introductory essay (The work of representation) in the
OU book edited by him called "Representation" (Sage, 1997) is
wonderfully clear and well-written.
I've found some of Andy Merrifield's work useful on these questions.
Try
Merrifield, A (1993) 'Place and Space -
A Lefebvrian Reconciliation',in TIBG, 18:4 p516-531
Merrifield, A (1995) 'Lefebvre, Anti-Logos and Neitzsche - An
Alternative Reading of The Production of Space', in Antipode, 27:3
p294-303
These are most focussed on Lefebvre than the others that you
mentioned.
There is always dear old David Gregory's tub thumper Geographical
Imaginations (esp chapter 6, in particular 368-395) as a good intro,
and I've been told that Stephen Hawkings Brief History of Time also
deals with these questions clearly, (but I'm only repeating what I've
been told!).
On representation:
Cosgrove, D (1985) The evolution of perspective,
in Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, v1 p45-62,
and an odd little book
Crosby, A W. (1997) The Measure of
Reality: Quantification and Western Society 1250-1600, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge. (esp ch 5,7,9)
It may not be exactly what you're looking for either, but I found
Stuart Hall's piece 'What is this 'black' in black popular culture'
(available in The Stuart HAll Reader, ed. Morley & Chen, Routledge,
1996) to be one of the most thought provoking articles I've ever read
on the politics of representation.
Alternative perspectives on urban inequality
Geoforum 15 (1) 75-82 David Smith
Looks at same problem using three different spatial theories
maybe some of these references may suit your purposes:
1. English overview articles:
CURRY, M. (1996): On Space and Spatial Practice in Contemporary Geography.
In: Earle, C., Mathews, K., Kenzer, M.S. (Hrsg): Concepts in Human
Geography. Lanham, Maryland: 3-32.
SIMONSEN, K. (1996): What kind of space in what kind of social theory?. In:
Progress in Human Geography, 20 (4): 494-512.
2.a) In case you read german:
KLÜTER, Hans (1986): Raum als Element sozialer Kommunikation. In: Giessener
Geographische Schriften, 60.
{Comment: He treats as a coding concept within social systems, it is the
only work so far (worldwide?) that used Luhmanns theory of autopoietic
systems for a notion fo space, or a equivalent respectively.}
REICHERT, Dagmar (Hrsg.) (1996): Räumliches Denken. Verlag der Fachvereine,
Zuerich.
{Collection of understandings of space within many scientific disciplines}
WERLEN, Benno (1995): Sozialgeographie alltäglicher Regionalisierungen.
Band 1, Zur Ontologie von Gesellschaft und Raum. Stuttgart.
{Probably best critical reconstruction of concepts of space within
philosophy from Aristotle to Einstein; by far the most profound text on
space I know so far at all; section on space is roughly one third of the
book. Maybe Benno has something in english as well:
[log in to unmask]
2.b) If you can wait, or if you would be happy with manuscripts:
WEICHHART, Peter (1999): Die Räume zwischen den Welten und die Welt der
Räume. Zur Konzeption eines Schlüsselbegriffs der Geographie. In:
MEUSBURGER, Peter et.a.. (Hrsg.): Subjektzentrierte Handlungstheorie
[working title?]. Franz Steiner, Stuttgart. [will be published probably
summer/fall 99]
ZIERHOFER, Wolfgang (1999): Die fatale Verwechslung.
Zum Selbstverständnis der Geographie. In: MEUSBURGER, Peter et.a.. (Hrsg.):
Subjektzentrierte Handlungstheorie [working title?]. Franz Steiner,
Stuttgart. [will be published probably summer/fall 99]
{These two texts are a result of an ongoing discussion between the authors
about the concept of space in geography; both argue in slightly different
ways to regard space as a scheme to order facts of different kind, but
unlike Kant not as an apriori scheme}
>From James Blaut
Me, "Space and Process," PG 13,4(1961):1-7
Me again, "Object and Relationship," PG 14,6(1962):1-7.
"Space and Process" is reprinted in W.K.Davies, ed., *The Conceptual
Revolutionm in Geography*. London: [publisher?] 1972.
=========================================================
Dr Rob Kitchin,
Department of Geography,
National University of Ireland,
Maynooth,
County Kildare,
Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 708 3372
Fax: +353 1 708 3573
Alt. E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.may.ie/staff/rkitchin/
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