1st Edition

Places on the Margin Alternative Geographies of Modernity

By Rob Shields Copyright 1991
    348 Pages
    by Routledge

    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    The debate on modernity and postmodernity has awakened interest in the importance of the spatial for cultural formations. But what of those spaces that exist as much in the imagination as in physical reality? This book attempts to develop an alternative geography and sociology of space by examining `places on the margin'.

    Part One: Introduction, Places on the Margin, 1. Margin and Periphery, 2. Early Approaches: A Review in the Form of Critique 3. Synopsis: Chapter One: Alternative Geographies of Modernity, 1. Social Spatialisation, i. Bourdieu's Habitus , ii. Foucault, 2. The Social Construction of the Spatial, iii. Realist Visions, iv. Lefebvre, 3. Social Spatialisations and the `Sense of Place': Part Two: Chapter Two: Ritual Pleasures of a Seaside Resort, Chapter Three: Niagara Falls: Honeymoon Capital of the World, Chapter Four: The True North Strong and Free, Chapter Five: The North-South Divide in England: Part Three: Chapter Six: Synthesis and Implications, Bibliography

    Biography

    Rob Shields

    `This groundbreaking study will interest those committed to keeping abreast of current social theory. The case studies are good too!' - Choice

    `Rob Shields' coverage of the theoretical debates is right up to date and the four case studies provide a fascinating application and illumination of the issues which he is addressing.' - Peter Saunders, Sussex University

    `Shields offers us an imaginative critique of the existing literature, a vast bibliography, and four beautifully crafted case studies which begin at last to explore empirically that most difficult of theoretical terrains, the reciprocal relations between the social and the spatial.' - Environment and Planning

    `What separates Shield's work from much of the other recent work in this field is exactly what he aimed to achieve - its emphasis on the importance of space in the development and formation of perceptions, myths and collective representations.' - Urban Studies