The spatial logics of justification – the case of a dispute over a car-free street in Tampere, Finland

Abstract

This article develops the spatial aspect of the justification theory of Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot. The aim is to show that the worlds of justification, distinct constellations of moral values and material objects, also have distinct spatial logics. To illustrate my argument, I use a case study, namely a polarised dispute related to a car-free main street in Tampere, the third biggest city in Finland. I show that the spatial logics in this dispute are ordered by different types of image schemas, recurrent and shared visuospatial patterns depicted by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. I analyse image schemas to make visible the differences and similarities between the worlds of justification concerned. Developing the spatial aspect of justification theory makes possible a novel way to study disputes related to city and space, as well as controversies that are not obviously spatial. Human thinking is multimodal and entails visuospatial metaphors, even though its subject-matter might on occasion appear non-spatial.

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