Worlds of Desire, Realms of Power: A Cultural Geography

by Kevin Hannam (Author), Pamela Shurmer-Smith (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1994

  $3.57

  This is a cultural geography set in a contemporary world of mediatized experience, flexible boundaries and negotiated truths. The authors believe that where structures exist they do so in response to the desires (rather than needs or wants) of those in positions of power and those who seek to find meaning in their relative powerlessness. Intended as an introduction to the new cultural geography, the book draws upon a range of contemporary critical theory. It avoids the posturing which so frequently accompanies post-modernist accounts and introduces theory where it will enlighten, not render argument more dense. It draws upon familiar examples to show how places, spaces, and environments are endowed with a range of sometimes interlocking, sometimes conflicting meanings. Each chapter combines a narrative with boxed outlines of the theoretical positions which illuminate it and the book concludes with a chapter on undergraduate projects suggesting ways in which students may apply theory and engage with cultural geography.