This open access book is about socio-spatial theory in, and the nature of, Nordic geography. From both historical and contemporary perspectives, the book engages with theorisations of geography in the Nordic countries. Including chapters by geographers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, it reflects how theories about the relations between the social and the spatial have been developed, adopted and critiqued in Nordic human geography in relation to a wide range of themes, concepts and approaches. The book also traces institutional developments, distinct geographical traditions and intellectual histories, as well as authors’ own experiences as geographers in and beyond the Nordic area. The chapters together introduce and engage with debates and discussions that permeate Nordic geography and allows readers a glimpse of geographical thinking and the role of socio-spatial theory in the Nordic countries. By providing insights into how geographical ideas emerge, travel and are translated and adapted in specific contexts, the book contributes to debates about historical-geographical situatedness and theorisations of geography.

While contemporary human geography has widely acknowledged that knowledge has both contingent and contextual character, international literature has tended to blot out differences and reproduce hegemonic Anglo-Saxon discourses. Any interest in destabilizing such power-knowledge systems calls upon interventions from other voices . Nordic voices in particular have not been well represented in current human geography. This book redresses the balance by offering a unique assessment of the geographical research being undertaken in the Nordic countries and by demonstrating the way in which these voices contribute to international debate. It brings together a range of Nordic authors, each of whom has made a significant contribution to such debates, and considers the relationship between production and social institutions in local development. It also examines the ambiguous role of the welfare state in the Nordic countries, issues of social practice and identity and their relationship to spatiality, new approaches to landscape and environment, and the significance of difference and relations of power. Theoretical discussion, illustrated by empirical examples, reveals the interweaving in Nordic human geography of international affiliations and Nordic situatedness .

Space and place are at the heart of how geographers and sociologists think. This updated edition of the essential undergraduate text will introduce you to the most influential thinkers in the tradition of social theory, with a new focus on the past fifty years. This book is designed to engage with theoretical debates in human geography through the individuals who have made the most significant contributions to this field. This will show you how ideas are shaped by contexts, and how those ideas in turn effect change. This book shows how theoretical understandings evolve, shift and change. It also highlights the connections between different thinkers, whose ideas are developed in collaboration with or in reaction to others. Spatial thought is never developed in a vacuum, but is always constructed by individuals and groups of people located in particular institutional and social structures, with their own sets of personal and political beliefs. The biographical approach of this book reveals how individual thinkers draw on a rich legacy of ideas from past and contemporary generations. With increased coverage of international and female thinkers, as well as those who work against Eurocentric notions of space and place, this book reveals the exciting reorientation of Geography towards new ideas and methods in the last decade. Each entry contextualises its subject within on-going (inter)disciplinary debates and important political moments, as well as highlighting connections between different thinkers. Together the chapters uncover the rich and diverse evolution of social theory, equipping you with the foundational ideas of geographical thought. Each entry offers the following components: i) a short biography ii) an explanation of ideas iii) an exploration of how their ideas have been used and critiqued iv) a selective bibliography of key publications (and key publications which review or critique)

In today’s world, it is crucial to understand how cities and urban spaces operate in order for them to continue to develop and improve. To ensure cities thrive, further study on past and current policies and practices is required to provide a thorough understanding. Urban Poetics and Politics in Contemporary South Asia and the Middle East examines the poetics and politics of city and urban spaces in contemporary South Asia and the Middle East and seeks to shed light on how individuals constitute, experience, and navigate urban spaces in everyday life. This book aims to initiate a multidisciplinary approach to the study of city life by engaging disciplines such as urban geography, gender studies, feminism, literary criticism, and human geography. Covering key topics such as racism, urban spaces, social inequality, and gender roles, this reference work is ideal for government officials, policymakers, researchers, scholars, practitioners, academicians, instructors, and students.

This book demonstrates how the largely neglected and multifaceted concept of distance can be used as a primary lens to expand and enrich our understandings of what older people say about their lives, needs and wishes in diverse surroundings in the Northern periphery and beyond. It asks how physical, social and emotional distances shape older people’s everyday lives and practices. Contributions from leading experts provides interdisciplinary investigations into the experiences and stories of older people in the Northern periphery. These insights demonstrate the utility of the concept, distance, when reflecting on the central aspects of contemporary ageing societies. The book explores key themes such as care, age politics, technology, intergenerational relations and migration, providing perspectives that are applicable across a variety of international geographical contexts. This innovative book offers a valuable theoretical and methodological contribution with critical new perspectives on ageing in relation to distances. It will be of interest to students and scholars interested in sociology, human geography, health and social care, ageing and gerontological studies, gender studies and Arctic studies.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. Focusing on the social impact of migration, this book explores migration as an inevitable part of rural development and transition in light of the sharp political divides in European and national political arenas on the topic. It provides an innovative immigration impact assessment based on recently conducted empirical work to enhance local development in European rural and remote regions, looking to promote change in the perception of migration and related policies and practices.

The nature of spatial imaginations has become central to a range of major social and political debates. Narratives on spatial inequality, from the North-South divide in global economic and political visions, to marginalisation and 'ghettoisation' in Western cities, appear regularly in our daily newspapers. Such examples indicate that issues of space/spatiality are as crucial in our current societies as never before. 'Space Odysseys' brings together leading social scientists including John Urry and Derek Gregory to address a number of central issues in spatiality and social relations in the early 21st century. Starting from the presupposition that space is a social dimension and a social construct, it then presents examples of these conceptions of space at work. While the book title's indirect reference to the film '2001: A Space Odyssey' indicates the contributors' interest in questions of voyages and mobility, the plural use shows that the approaches to this conceptual exploration are multiple, reflecting differences in experience, in social context and/or in gender, class and ethnicity. The book is divided into three main sections. The first explores issues of 'mobility, immobility and embodied narratives', the second section deals with 'territoriality, mobility and identity politics and the final section concludes with chapters on 'the spatial production of knowledge'.