Places and Spaces in Urban Studies!

As I was doing the reading for my Seminar in Urban Sociology class, I noticed some thematic comparisons with Urban Anthropology class, particularly with the spatial understandings of place and space. Talja Brockland in her article Bricks, Mortar, Memories: Neighbourhood and Networks in Collective Acts of Remembering identifies some characteristics of life in the city. There were similarities with Certeaus' understanding of space and place, as well as some difference in interpretation. Brockland identified the "notion of places as spaces that become" which is fascinating concept in line with our in-class discussion last week (270). I found the class on the Certeau reading to be one of the more interesting to date because it is remarkable how everyday terms could be unpacked with such thoughtful analysis. The words place and space are used interchangeably, but the interpretation of place as being static and able to become a space in one that I often think of now. Brockland goes on to note the findings of Doreen Massey's understanding that "places are articulations of social interactions" (270). When given some thought, I realized how much I personally agree with this notion. I suppose memory has a hand to play in that theory as well. For instance, I had my senior prom in the Copley Fairmount Hotel, and because of that experience, every time I walk by that hotel, I think of prom. My perception of the place was constructed by the social interaction that took place there. But, this idea can be challenged as Brockland notes because, "the identity of a 'place' is always becoming rather than being" (271). I suppose the quote, 'the only constant in life is change', rings true in this instance. The social interaction that goes on to make a place a space is not static, but ever-changing.  My experience at the Copley Hotel was prom, but I'm sure the same function place was used for wedding receptions and a host of other events, thus creating a host of other social interactions.

As a completely personal side note, the comparisons that I am able to acquire in taking Urban Anthropology and Urban Sociology simultaneously provide me with great perspectives on the different disciplines!

After yesterday’s class discussion on Certeau, I was rather excited by this idea of spatial stories. I especially like the descriptive language he used when discussing the “grasp of the city” and it is only when one escapes said grasp can we appreciate and understand the workings of the city as we experience it every day. Because we are so entrenched in the routine of everyday life, unlike the Flaneur, we don’t have the pleasure of really observing the complex workings that come together to create the space that we know as the city. Only when one is taken out of the routine of everyday life, and witnessing it from a different perspective, are we able to get a glimpse into the complexities that we have become so familiar with. This discussion of viewing the ordinary as foreign, reminds me of the ‘Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner--https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html?pagewanted=al. The article seeks to make the reader view these rituals as strange, when in reality it describes the everyday activities of a typical American. This reminded me of the perspective one must get from merely looking at or watching a city in action versus being a part of that action.  Only when we escape the ‘grasp’ do we allow ourselves the ability to analyze and interpret.