Spatial Questions: Cultural Topologies and Social Spatialisation

"Rob Shields provides here an immensely sophisticated and detailed examination of the topological turn. He has been examining these issues for some decades and this book will surely become the standard work on cultural and spatial topology" - John Urry, Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University Our understanding of space is crucial to the way in which we understand major social problems and issues and the way we develop and maintain our worldviews. Building from a history of philosophical and geographical theories of space, Shields presents the importance of spatialisation and cultural topology in social theory and the possibilities that lie within these theoretical tools. Innovative and thought-provoking, this book goes beyond traditional ideas of spatiality and temporality to understand the multiplicity of spatialisations and relates them to everyday life.

Table of Contents:
Overtures From the Shan Hai Jing to Herodotus′ Historiae and to Idrisi′s Kitab Nuzhat Mediterranean Geographies Spatialisation and Space-Time The Argument of this Book Spatialisations Space as Problem: Etymology/Translation ′L′espace Lefebvre′ Respecting Lefebvre: Critical Tensions The Spatialisations of Places and Regions Memorial and Anticipatory Spatialisation: Time-Spaces Vieux Quebec: The Example of Tourist Practices Histories of Space Mediterranean Geometric Space Northern Europe: Mathematical Space Dimensionality: Three, Four or More? Flatness Relativistic Space The Socialness of Space Recognising Spatialisation Marx: The Economics of Land Engels: Inequality and the Built Environment Simmel: Spatial Projections of Social Forms Cultural Understanding of Space: Emile Durkheim Physical Planning, Land Use Planning, Spatialisation and Spatial Semantics Spatial Struggles Discourses on Space Topologies ′Another Kind of Analysis′ - Beyond Geometry Connectivity and Schematics Geometry and Topology The Seven Bridges of Königsburg Non-Euclidean Space The Topological Sensorium Dimensionality and Orientability Topological Archetypes: Folds, Bridges, Labyrinths The ′Plushness′ of the Real Cultural Topology Diagrams Deleuze Folding Foucault Heterotopias of Scale Scale and Topology Topology and the Social - Networks, Surfaces and Milieux Relations and Boundary Objects Cultural Topology A Topology of Experience The Cusp Glossary of Terms

About the Author :
Rob Shields is Henry Marshall Tory Chair and Professor in the Departments of Sociology and of Art and Design. Previously he was Professor of Sociology and past Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University. His focus has been urban cultural studies, particularly the social use and meanings of the built environment, urban spaces and regions, including tourist destinations, local identities, and the impact of changing spatializations on cultural identities. This intellectual project has been extended through a peer-reviewed journal Space and Culture (SAGE) founded in 1997. He is the author of Lefebvre, Love and Struggle (Routledge, 1998), which is a widely cited classic in the field. He's also authored or edited, among others, Ecologies of Affect (WLUP, 2011), What Is A City? Rethinking the Urban After Hurricane Katrina (UGP, 2008), The Virtual (Routledge, 2002), Places on the Margin and Lifestyle Shopping (both Routledge, 1992).

Review :
′Rob Shields provides here an immensely sophisticated and detailed examination of the topological turn. He has been examining these issues for some decades and this book will surely become the standard work on cultural and spatial topology′ Spatial Questions provides one of the most complete accounts in the recent literature engaging with topology. The reader might be deceived by the apparently slim format, which nevertheless packs material that could easily inform several volumes on the topic. Spatial Questions is a welcome contribution to spatial theory and, given the prominence of the topic nowadays, as well as the hype built around the topological over the past years, the book might equally appeal to geographers and to a broader audience within the social sciences. Spatial Questions: Cultural Topologies and Social Spatialisation provides an important contribution to the study of topology at large and to those who engage with human geography in particular, coinciding with recent topological discussions in such journals as Progress in Human Geography (2014), Theory, Culture & Society (2012) and Dialogues in Human Geography (2011). As in his previous writings, Shields’ provides a vivid and clear discussion, accessible to a wide range of readers from various disciplines. These undoubtedly will find the call for a ‘topological turn’ valuable and thought provoking. A welcome contribution to spatial theory... allowing for a new and fresh understanding of "spacing" and the spatialisations that are accomplished through everyday activities, representations and conflicts.