Places on the Margin: Alternative Geographies of Modernity

The issues of space and spatial relations have emerged as key themes in the literature on modernity and postmodernity. Yet few have attempted to survey this kind of theoretical work and fewer still have endeavored to apply these terms in a concrete analysis. Places on the Marginattempts to correct this critical absence in three ways. It first demonstrates the mutual relevance of of sociology and geography. Second, it outlines a social theory of spatiality which focuses on the role of space in cultural formation. Third, it offers four detailed and penetrating case studies of how space plays an integral role in supporting social activities. This last section discusses the cultural meaning of Niagara Falls, the "North/South Divide" in Britain and its role in national myths about identity, and the Canadian spatialization of the Far North, which renders it the "True North Strong and Free"/Ma land of purity where the characteristic elements of "civilization" are effectively disrupted.Accomplished and richly illustrated, this stimulating book will be essential reading for students of the sociology of culture, geography, modernity and postmodernity.