Notions of space in context

pp. 9-53

in: Martina Löw, The sociology of space, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Abstract

The second chapter treats the theoretical models behind the present-day use of the concept of space. In contrast to other sociological concepts, the discussion of adequate concepts of space is dominated by physical thought. With a view to the contrast between absolutist and relativist ideas of space, it is argued that today, in a time of globalization and mediatization, the theory of space can only be developed on the basis of a relativist conception. A critical reflection of fundamental works in sociology, especially urban sociology, and an examination of Georg Simmel's essay on a "Sociology of Space" show that space is often reified as territory or that space and place are not distinguished or that space is absolutized as an a priori ordering principle.