Postmodern Geography: Theory and Praxis [Paperback]

Claudio Minca (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631225609 | ISBN-13: 978-0631225607 | Publication Date: June 18, 2001 | Edition: 1

This edited collection brings together some of the most authoritative voices in contemporary debates in geography: Michael Dear, Giuseppe Dematteis, Franco Farinelli, Cindy Katz, Don Mitchell, Gunnar Olsson, Neil Smith and Edward Soja to address the question of 'praxis' within broader discussions
of the postmodern in geography.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fine collection documenting the twists and turns of the debates on postmodernism in geography and urban studies. False god or saviour? You will find both views here. You will also find many fascinating intellectual moments - and not a little controversy." Professor Nigel Thrift, University of Bristol

"This impressive anthology brings together the warring factions of American geographical theory - Marxism versus Postmodernism. Key figures of the Italian geographical tradition contribute a bold initiative to move geographical debates into line with current scientific standards. Their work, rarely available in English, is a 'must read' for those concerned with the representation of global flows and with cartographic practice." Professor Rob Shields, Carleton University

"What is perhaps genuinely new about the book is its introduction of a number of Italian geographers' 'takes' on the topic, including Giuseppe Dematteis, Franco Farinelli, Vincenzo Guarrasi and Claudio Minca." Eric Laurier, University of Glasgow, Progress in Human Geography, Vol. 26

From the Back Cover

Postmodern Geography: Theory and Praxis focuses upon one of the key themes which have served to shape disciplinary debates in geography over the past decade: the role of postmodernity and postmodern interpretations in reconfiguring our ways of framing social enquiry and our readings of space.

This edited collection presents numerous perspectives on the implications of the postmodern turn for the praxis of geography. The contributors engage in debate about the epistemological bases of possible new geographical praxes - "other" possible ways of "doing geography" - while also querying the implications of postmodern approaches for geography and geographers' political role.

Contributors to the Volume:

Denis Cosgrove, Michael Dear, Giuseppe Dematteis, Franco Farinelli, Steven Flusty, Vincenzo Guarrasi, Cindi Katz, Luciana L. Martins, Claudio Minca, Don Mitchell, Gunnar Olsson, Neil Smith and Edward Soja.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (June 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631225609
• ISBN-13: 978-0631225607
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,060,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Grand Attempt to Bridge the Atlantic, April 10, 2005

By 

J. Jindrich "HistUrbGeographer" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Postmodern Geography: Theory and Praxis (Paperback)

This is a very eclectic and fractured collection of papers, but that the lack of unity does not undermine the overall quality and usefulness of the book is a testiment to the abilities of Claudio Minca as an editor. The purpose of the conference that spawned these papers was intended to forge a praxis and theory that would reunite the geographic discipline across the divide between the new school of humanists advocating poststructural ontologies and the structuralists, particularly the marxians.
There really is nothing unexpected from the Americans in this volume, Michael Dear and Edward Soja are given the first and last words respectively, and use the opportunity to argue that there is really nothing new about postmodernism, and that the rigid marxist prespective is gradually killing geography through hegemonic rigidity. Don Mitchell accuses the postmodernists of bad politics and of a fetishization of faddish theory.
No, the real treasures of this volume are in the European (especially the Italian) contributions, which shine with serene confidence and a real interest in forging a new praxis. When the European contributions are compared with the American contributions, the extent of the utter waste of energy spent on defining ideologic positions in the US becomes embarrassingly obvious.
I would recommend a reading of this collection if only for the brilliant contribution of Gunner Olsson, but the starkly defined point of perspective it provides on the postmodernism debate renders this volume almost essential for anyone interested in grasping why we american geographers are still bickering 15 years after Soja and Harvey opened the debate.