Space, Time, History: The Reassertion of Space in Social Theory

Abstract

The reassertion of space is discussed as an analytical awareness of the past obsession with temporal logics. Theorists now understand that social sciences discourses were shaped by a preoccupation with the temporal scales and logics of development considered as natural processes. The spatial turn in social theory is often seen to be a process of de-naturalizing space. The article argues that not only space, but ‘spacetime’ has to be denaturalized. On that background the current debate between a humanist Marxism and poststructuralism is discussed. To overcome the founding distinctions a number of scholars are trying to model a relational idea of spacetime. With regard to David Harvey's current work and the work of the Swiss geographer Benno Werlen and the German sociologist Martina Löw, the scope of such an approach in humanities is discussed.