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Why Should Sociology Concern Itself with Space?

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The Sociology of Space

Part of the book series: Cultural Sociology ((CULTSOC))

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Abstract

The first chapter is an introduction to the argumentation in the book. In contrast to other disciplines, sociology is slow to accept the concept of space as a possible basic concept for its work. The author sees the conscious rejection of patterns of argumentation in terms of territorial politics, which was prevalent in National Socialism, as one reason for the reticence of sociology toward the theory of space. In the first chapter, Martina Löw shows that this attitude reduces the phenomenon of space to one of its possible manifestations, territory. The goal of this book is explained: to elaborate space as a basic concept of sociology for use as a means of communication and as an analytic instrument in the study of social reality.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Cf. on biography research the Magdeburger Bibliographie zur Biographieforschung [Magdeburg bibliography on biography research] published by the Educational Biography Research Team of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaften [German Association for Education Sciences]: it includes “time” as a headword, but ignores “space.” Cf. on sociology of time also Parsons 1967; Elias 1994; Adam 1990; Luhmann 1990, 1993; Mollenhauer 1981; Rabe-Kleberg and Zeiher 1984; Kohli 1986; Loiskandl 1997; as well as others.

  2. 2.

    On changes to the space–time structure, cf. e.g.: Sassen 1991b; Siepmann 1991; Augé 1994; Castells 1994; Modelmog 1994, 1996; Großklaus [1995] 1997; Grosz 1995; Morley and Robins 1995; Franck 1997; Keim 1997; Schmals 1997; Hofmann, 1998; Noller 1999; etc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociology, Technische Universität, Berlin, Germany

    Martina Löw

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  1. Martina Löw
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Löw, M. (2016). Why Should Sociology Concern Itself with Space?. In: The Sociology of Space. Cultural Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-69568-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-69568-3_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-48771-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-69568-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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