Fluidity of Place Globalization and the Transformation of Urban Space

Fluidity of Place presents an interdisciplinary conversation with theories of space-time, place, and globalization at the cutting edge of social theory. Focusing on the construction of urban space in the context of hyper-mobility, it examines the social relations that form 'place' in a globalized world. The first half of the book discusses globalization theory and looks at place in relation to the fluidity brought about by recent technological advances. The second half details the construction of understandings of Asian mega-cities, particularly Jakarta, and examines the realities behind narratives of over-urbanization in light of globalization and the concomitant fluidity of place. The book makes a compelling argument about the competing claims to place in a world where the nation-state has lost control of its borders.

Naoki Yoshihara is Professor of Sociology in the Graduate School of Arts and Letters at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and also a member of the Science Council of Japan. He teaches courses on social mobility, urban change and community studies and has written and edited books on these fields. His recent publications include The City and Modernity (Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 2002, in Japanese), Grassroots and the Neighborhood Associations (Jakarta: Grasindo, 2003), and Globalization, Minorities and Civil Society (Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press, 2008).