London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Modules

Economics, Management, Finance and the Social Sciences - Units

Space and culture [153]

This unit reflects on contemporary socio-cultural geography. It investigates the social and cultural construction of spaces and places both theoretically and through empirical case studies. The concepts of space and representation are used as hinges for discussions on, amongst others, gender, sexuality, travel and homelessness.

Part 1 focuses on the coming together of social and cultural geography through the ‘cultural turn’ in the discipline. Ever present in the background are the changing conceptualisations of space and place in geography, and theoretical and methodological developments associated with the crisis of representation. More recent work that seeks to move beyond representational theory is also discussed. 

Part 2 investigates the social and cultural construction of space through thematic discussions of colonial and postcolonial geographies, spatial inequalities, race and place, gender and sexuality.