Identities in Space

by Simon Gunn and R. J. Morris

Published 22 October 2001
Reflecting the growing interest of historians in space and location as objects of analysis, this book is about the historical relationship between urban space and social identity. In urban history there has long been concern with space and place, but recent interest has also been stimulated by specific aspects of postmodern thought deriving from the work of theorists such as Michel Foucault and Henri Lefebvre, as well as more generally from the burgeoning field of cultural geography. The essays in this book demonstrate the ways in which urban spaces have been shaped historically by conflicts over access and use, and how the identities of particular social groups have themselves been forged in those conflicts in western cities - such as London, Los Angeles, Marseilles, Liverpool, Nicosia and San Sebastian. The contributors include art, architectural and social historians, bringing a wide range of settings, contexts and approaches to the study of space and the city.