The theoretical concept of the communicative (re)construction of spaces

Abstract

In this chapter, it is argued that the refiguration of spaces should not be understood as a disruptive break with previously dominant constructions of space. Rather, it must be seen as a processual change that takes place incrementally. It is based on the communicative action of subjects or members of society who continuously ‘reconstruct’ already existing spatial constructions. The theoretical approach of the communicative (re)construction of spaces aims to conceptualize how processes of reconstruction must be thought within the broader refiguration of spaces. To do so, it draws on theories of social constructivism, communicative constructivism, and the sociology of knowledge approach to discourse. In the first part of the approach – starting from imagined ‘historical’ subjects – the communicative initial constructions, as well as the objectivation of a socially shared construction of space, are outlined. The second part then examines processes of re constructing spaces by scrutinizing the communicative actions of individual actors, groups of actors, networks, and governance constellations, together with discourses in small and large public spheres.

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