Customer Reviews

Edge of Empire: Postcolonialism and the City

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fascinating and theoretically nuanced study of the effects of colonialism and postcolonialism on cities. Jacobs looks not only at classically postcolonial cities, those in former colonies, but also at the effects of colonialism on cities at the center of the empire, such as London. The book is well written and accessible, and does an excellent job of grounding theory in the particulars of physical space.

This book is not written by the famous canadian author Jane Jacobs who wrote classic _The Death and Life of Great American Cities_ but instead by an identically named individual. The book is interesting but not in the same league was the Canadian Jane Jacobs.

I did not read this book, but I simply had to point out that the reviewer from Arlington, MA, tried to make a distinction between Jane Jacobs, the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and Jane M. Jacobs, the author of this book, and used incorrect information. The reviewer stated that Jane Jacobs was a Canadian. While she maintains her current residence in Toronto, Canada, she was born and raised in Scranton, PA, and hence is not only an American, but a PENNSYLVANIAN.