Contemporary Economic Geographies: Inspiring, Critical and Plural Perspectives

Studies of consumption have long been positioned at the intersection of economic and cultural geography embracing the interplay between industry and commerce and the lifeworlds through which goods and services are purchased, used and experienced. Economic geographers have played an important role in mapping and conceptualizing the commodity chains linking consumers with local, regional and global systems of production, as well as understanding landscapes of retail and household economies. This chapter acknowledges a rich suite of consumption studies to which economic geography has contributed, but it also seeks to unsettle dominant narratives of consumption driven by Western framings. We suggest that perspectives of postcolonial economy help to foreground more inclusive and diverse geographies of consumption and theorization from Global South settings. To demonstrate this, we take food as our empirical focus and specifically examine changing discourses of food consumption in Brazil. We use a postcolonial lens to broaden the analysis of domestic food consumption in Brazil, revealing its plural contingencies and histories. In doing so, we place the values and models of food consumption in Brazil centre stage, with all its potential to inform critical and plural perspectives on contemporary economic geography.

Introduction: Globalization provided people in once isolated lands with an array of democracy types and international principles. The boosting traditional, conventional, societal, ethnical, and cultural differences in countries all over the world are pushing educational authorities to reexamine their contemporary habits, customs, principles, and practices of citizenship. Examining the assumptions and methods of cultural democracy in education settings is the foundation of critical pedagogy. Thus, a critical multicultural pedagogy is formed on critical views on democracy and diversity by illuminating the transformative nature of citizenship. Accordingly, this study inquires the conceptual grounds of class teachers in a phenomenological tradition in that it investigates the conceptions of these teachers on the concept of diversity and democracy. The data of the study were gathered through a questionnaire, besides semi-structured interview questions designed by the researcher. Based on a mix method research design, this study makes use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques to collect the required data. 160 class teachers officially working in diverse regions in Turkey voluntarily participated in the study (N=150 for the questionnaire and N=10 for the interview). Related implications to raise the awareness of class teachers on diversity and democracy were presented at the end of the study. Methods: This study searched for the conceptual underpinnings of the class teachers in the phenomenological tradition (Marton, 1981). Just like other methods to utilize philosophical phenomenology to the social sciences (Entwistle, 1997), the interpretative process of phenomenographic research is quite similar to that of grounded theory which refers to a set of systematic inductive methods to practice qualitative research (Richardson, 1999). Based on a mix method research design, this study makes use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques to collect data. Results: The findings demonstrate that class teachers are open to new perspectives, diverse religions and different genders. Thus, it can be said that a critical perspective was adopted by class teachers. Further, class teachers should be included into curriculum and syllabus design which are solely carried out by policy makers. Otherwise, critical skills of class teachers might be destroyed in the process of education. Thus, primary school curriculums and textbooks need to focus on the importance of democracy and diversity. Policy makers, Ministry of National Education, Turkey and Higher Council of Education need to include critical theory and critical pedagogy into curriculum. Future studies should focus on the views of both novice and professional class teachers. In addition, views regarding democracy and diversity from different cultures need to be examined in future research. Direct democracy, representative democracy, gender diversity, cultural diversity and pluralistic perspectives need to be adopted by related textbook publishers, classroom teaching departments, administrators and policy makers. Discussion: The findings of the study show that the participants developed a positive perspective towards democracy and diversity, although some issues in the context of Turkey are hardly mentioned or criticized (Dodd, 1992). The most important problem in examining democracy and diversity was religion because the participants stated that they respect religion, in their case Islam, because they somewhat would not want to hear church bell in a land of Islam (Bader, 2007). Diversity has been conceptualized as a positive element in the study. Since democracy and diversity are interrelated and interwoven, the participants generally adopted these terms (Banks et al., 2005). Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that the respondents had positive conceptions on individual and cultural diversities. Further, they developed good attitudes towards cultural democracy and they believe in the power of integration through individual differences. Critical pedagogy is an educational theory which aims to form a progressive and democratic culture by means of critical inquiry, which consequently results in valuing and respecting personal and cultural differences. Critical pedagogy perceives teaching as a naturally political event, refuses the neutrality of knowledge, and asserts that matters of social justice and democracy are not recognizable from only educational activities.

My essay relates my life to my work as a humanistic critic, and argues that my theoretical and critical perspective is a kind of life-writing. Strands of my life coalesce in my pluralistic perspective and in my choice of subjects for my critical work: Conrad, Joyce, Disraeli, Stevens, Woolf, and Lawrence. I consider in particular how a Jewish perspective informs my work, and examine that perspective in relation to my arguing for a revised humanistic criticism that insists that texts are by human authors for human readers about human subjects, and that is interested in how and why people think, write, act, and ultimately live.

In this article, I presented a comparative and critical analysis of the Arab legal system, aiming to understand its normative structure, historical evolution, and relevance in the international context. Based on a rigorous methodological approach, I examined the sources of law—including Sharia, statutory legislation, jurisprudence, and custom—as well as the institutional configurations of representative countries such as Egypt, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. I addressed contemporary legal reforms in the areas of family, gender, and human rights, highlighting the tensions between Islamic tradition and legal modernity, as well as the challenges faced in harmonizing legal systems with international standards. I contributed to the debate on legal pluralism, representative justice, and legitimacy in global governance by proposing a contextualized and non-Eurocentric reading of comparative law. Among the main contributions of this work, I emphasized the articulation of theoretical frameworks with indexed sources, the integration of diverse legal experiences, and the projection of proposals to strengthen the normative agency of the Arab world in multilateral arenas. I directed this study toward researchers, jurists, and diplomats interested in institutional transformation, international legal cooperation, and the reform of the global legal order from a critical and pluralistic perspective.

This chapter examines how different goals and assumptions about conflict in organizations shape perspectives on managing conflict and resolving disputes. Four frames of reference are described: the neoliberal egoist perspective emphasizing the operation of the free market as the ideal method of resolving conflict; the critical perspective emphasizing broad societal divisions between labor and capital as the source of conflict; the unitarist perspective viewing conflict as primarily a function of interpersonal differences and organizational dysfunction, which can be remedied by improved managerial practice; and the pluralist perspective emphasizing the mixture of common and competing interests in the employment relationship, which requires institutional interventions to remedy the inequality of bargaining power that produces conflict. The pluralist perspective may best balance the often competing goals of efficiency, equity, and voice. It is described further in this chapter together with its implications for the design of dispute resolution procedures and conflict management systems.

Alternative media challenges the practices of established mainstream journalism and institutionalised politics. Alternative media presents a radical challenge to the institutionalised and professionalised mainstream media and provides a perspective that is dedicated to notions of social responsibility by replacing the ideology of objectivity with overt advocacy and oppositional practices. As an alternative media platform, the BIA (The Independent Communication Network), is a project that attempts to strengthen the “independent media”, which aims to carry the entire communication process beyond daily news production. Under the program “Okuldan Haber Odasına (OHO)” (From Classroom to Newsroom) arranged by the BIA, academics and professional journalists deliver lectures to journalism students. During this education process, students have the opportunity to observe various media and rights organizations. This study aims to draw attention to the necessity of a critical perspective in journalism education and to discuss how alternative journalism can transform the existing practices, values and ideologies and to illustrate the importance of alternative media in the societies surrounded by capitalist social and economic values. In addition, this article contributes to journalism studies with a discussion of the importance of critical thought in constructing democratic and pluralist perspective in the news media through an education model.

This Research Note is stimulated by two recent conference presentations by me and a few recent papers on topics related to Logistics Management, either in this journal or elsewhere by others. The two recent presentation topics are (i) a Meta-Framework for Information Systems Design (Ho et aL, 1994) and (ii) a review of computer-based Logistics Management Methodologies (Ho and Sculli, I994). Both presented papers share the same concern that existing Information Systems Design Methodologies and Computer-Based Logistics Management Methodologies are dominated by the unitary (Hard Systems) perspective, while the pluralist (Soft Systems) perspective is not given sufficient attention to, especially for the latter. As for the critical (Emancipatory Systems) perspective, it is largely ignored in the respective management literatures. [The three schools of Systems Thinking have been well explained by Jackson (1991).] While this phenomenon is briefly noted here, the main aim of this Research Note is to propose a. way to formulate and enhance Multiperspective/Systems-Based (MPSB) frameworks for studying management disciplines, taking Logistics Management as the example for an illustration of such a process. It also suggests how these frameworks can be employed.

Creativity in economic geography has primarily been addressed from two perspectives. One investigates spatial dynamics in cultural and creative industries and thus utilizes a rather sectoral approach to creative economies. The second is interested in processes of generating novel and valuable outcomes and thereby approaches creative practices. Both perspectives have already produced a heterogeneity and plurality of topics and themes in economic geography. Against this backdrop this chapter seeks to elaborate and appreciate the major strands of exchange within the discipline, focusing especially on creative work and creative processes. It seeks to depicture some of the main contributions stemming from economic geography to better understand the transformation processes in (primarily Western) contemporary economies driven by knowledge- and creativity-driven work. Furthermore, this chapter aims at particularly illuminating how critical perspectives in economic geography have helped us to better address, for example, new dimensions of inclusion or exclusion and new forms of vulnerabilities of certain groups within labour markets due to the transformation processes and the shifting attention of academic research. In light of the illuminated discourses this contribution concludes by tentative addressing potential consequences for future critical work in economic geography.

The subdiscipline of economic geography has a long and varied history, and recent work has pushed the field to diversify even further. This collection takes this agenda forward by showcasing inspiring, critical and plural perspectives for contemporary economic geographies. Highlighting the contributions of global scholars, the 30 chapters highlight fresh ways of approaching economic geography in research, teaching and praxis. With sections on thought leaders, contemporary critical debates and future research agendas, this collection calls for greater openness and inclusivity.

The subdiscipline of economic geography has a long and varied history, and recent work has pushed the field to diversify even further. This collection takes this agenda forward by showcasing inspiring, critical and plural perspectives for contemporary economic geographies. Highlighting the contributions of global scholars, the thirty chapters showcase fresh ways of approaching economic geography in research, teaching and praxis. With sections on thought leaders, contemporary critical debates and future research agendas, this collection calls for greater openness and inclusivity.

The impact of skills and training on local development

Economic geography and housing studies have begun to grapple with how institutional investment operates and impacts particular cities or sites. There has been less attention to the ways in which institutional investment functions across different scales: the theorization of financialization has, to date, left unaddressed the ways in which global or international actors confront multiple scales of corporate strategy, politics, and markets. In this article we utilize a firm-level analysis to engage with the financialization of rental housing in two cities, by following a residential landlord’s entrance into professionalized private residential rental—build to rent (BTR)—markets in London and Amsterdam. Conceptually, we develop a firm-centered approach for analyzing the multiscalar nature of financing BTR to rent housing. This approach combines valuable insights from work on the firm in economic geography and critical perspectives from the wider spatial sciences, to fully grasp a firm’s behavior in relation to the wider political institutional dynamics. We reveal how the firm’s multiscalar corporate strategies interact with highly territorialized systems of regulation and governance in both cities. Despite different market dynamics in London and Amsterdam, in both cities the firm mitigates risk by entering the market via student housing; it acquires local knowledge, and it establishes meaningful connections with private local actors and policy makers. These insights, we contend, contribute to the theorization of financialization by demonstrating the multiscalar nature of the processes embedded within it.

In recent years, a growing number of contributions on green finance have emerged, not only within economic geography but also increasingly from disciplines beyond it. With this Special Issue, we aim to engage with the ongoing debate around green and sustainable finance and its challenges, including concerns over greenwashing. Our extended editorial provides structure to this complex discussion by identifying four primary strands of literature that frame the field. Two of these strands adopt a more critical stance, combining analytical approaches and rigorous assessments that question the impact and ‘authenticity’ of green and sustainable finance schemes, approaches and policies. Most of the contributions and empirical case studies featured here align with these critical perspectives, which are introduced in greater depth in the second part of this editorial.

Istanbul as a "City of Design"

Drawing upon critical realism and the literature on theorising in social sciences, this article contributes to the understanding of theorising in economic geography by highlighting the role of context throughout the theory development process. By critically reviewing two key concepts in economic geography—related variety and knowledge bases—from a critical realist theory development perspective, scholars’ sensitivity to local context through the whole theorising process is examined. We argue that the particular strength of economic geography with regard to advancing theory lies in the continuous application of concepts and theories (that is, generalities) within new contexts (that is, confrontation with new particularities).