Research Area 7: Global Studies and Politics of Space

Culture and space are related as travelling concepts and transversal objects for interdisciplinary research. They can serve as critical frameworks to analyse each other. In this regard, Research Area 7 - Global Studies and Politics of Space is dedicated to research which sets culture and space into dialogue. 

RA7 mainly focuses on two groups of questions: How are spaces, places, and locations culturally created, appropriated, circulated, used and destroyed? How are cultures spatially embedded, limited, and connected?

On the one hand, since the cultural turn in the studies of space, researchers have focused on space as a cultural object and on the ways in which it is constructed, configured, and contextually constituted. This turn draws attention to the cultural practices and techniques, rituals and traditions, to ways of imagining and representing physical and mental, abstract and concrete spaces and places. Thus, space is always already cultural.

On the other hand, since the spatial turn in the study of culture, cultures are understood as locally, regionally and globally embedded and embodied by spaces, places and locations. Spatial contexts like geographical landscapes, architectural structures and infrastructures, both materially present and medially presented, can influence how cultures make sense of themselves and their others. Thus, cultures are always already spatial.

In Research Area 7 - Global Studies and Politics of Space we aim to discuss and advance research into this intricate and chiastic relationship. This includes, but is not limited to, discussing theoretical and conceptual texts from cultural, literary, and postcolonial studies, social geography, anthropology, political philosophy, and history related to issues of space(s), place(s), spatiality, and locality. Members of RA7 are encouraged to bring in knowledge from their own research projects and co-organise events such as Master Classes or workshops with invited scholars specialized in RA7’s field of study.

Upcoming events - Spaces of Peripheralization:

22.05.2025, 14:00 - 16:00 - Workshop: Visual Methods and Critical Sustainability Studies - Miloš Đurović

This workshop is preceeding the Keynote and the exhibition Spaces of Peripheralization and targeting the GCSC and JLU community of young scholars, with a focus on visual methods (in particular photography) in critical sustainability studies. The workshop is given by Miloš Đurović, and takes place 14h-16h in the GCSC premises in Otto-Behaghel-Str. 12, in the seminar room 126, on the first floor.

22.05.2025, 18:00 - 20:00 - Keynote Lecture: Spaces of Peripheralization: Extractivism, Pollution and Environmental Future in Southeastern Europe - Prof. Dr. Ger Duijzings (Regensburg)

The keynote by Prof. Dr. Ger Duijzings (Regensburg) will employ a comparative approach and showcase some examples of ecological/waste colonialism throughout the region. The event thus encourages approaching Southeastern Europe through ecological justice and artistic lenses, rarely considered in academia to date. Such an approach contributes to positioning concerns of local populations at the heart of the discussion, directly addressing the call from heritage scholars to shift focus in an effort to decolonize knowledge production about the region. 

22.05.2025, 20:00 - 22:00 - Exhibition: Spaces of Peripheralization: Extractivism, Pollution and Environmental Future in Southeastern Europe - Miloš Đurović

The event Spaces of Peripheralization tackles the pressing ecological issues in the region of Southeastern Europe that despite often remaining “under radar” of the international public mobilized various local efforts to counter both environmental degradation and the re-production of the region’s image as a European (semi)periphery. The photography exhibition by Miloš Đurović (Regensburg) will zoom into the context of the north Montenegrin mining border town of Pljevlja, illuminating the exctractivist practices and the issue of air pollution. These aspects marked both the socialist past and the capitalist present of the town, producing often visible marks on Pljevlja’s environmental “palm print” - marks that stand in contrast to Montenegro’s status as the first legally ecological country (Turnock 2001).

The event is organized by the members of the RA7 (Ivana Dinic, Zekiye Gürün-Ücem and Anna Ivanova).

Past events:

7.03.2024 - Depoliticised City: Post-Pandemic and Post-Protest Minsk of the 2020s - Aliaksei Bratachkin

During the post-1945 socialist era, Minsk emerged as "the exemplary and fastest growing city in the post-war USSR", as observed by Thomas Bohn. Following Belarusian independence in 1991 and a brief interlude of democratic reforms disrupted in 1994, the city, as well as the entire country, entered a phase characterised by what Mikhail Minakov terms the "laboratory of post-Soviet authoritarianism" under the governance of Alexander Lukashenko. Over the past three decades, Minsk and its populace have encountered cycles of political mobilisation and repressive 'normalisation', intermittent liberty and pronounced increases in authoritative oversight. After navigating through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored the vulnerabilities and limited efficacy of authoritarian governance, the city confronted a new obstacle in the form of the largest anti-authoritarian protests in modern Belarusian history, subsequently suppressed in 2020. This lecture aims to explore the developments within the city over the last three years, encompassing persistent repressions, the substantial emigration of skilled professionals, the dismantling of the independent cultural scene, and the attenuation of civic initiatives. These factors collectively contribute to shaping a distinctive backdrop for everyday life in the city. The conversation will guide the public through the nuances of daily life, visual transformations of urban space and "places of memory," alongside an analysis of authoritarian mechanisms exercising panoptic control over citizens. Additionally, the lecture will scrutinize the concept of "depoliticisation," evident in the elimination of public politics. Within this context, an inquiry will be undertaken to ascertain whether discussions about the crisis of authoritarian structures are warranted, and an exploration of what constitutes the "political" in the absence of public policy will be addressed.

The event is organized by the members of the RA7 (Natallia Pazniak and Anna Ivanova).

Projects

The RA has sought to address global, cultural, social as well as historical connections and connectivity without an over-reliance on ‘abstract or grand narratives of global transformation’ (Conradson & Latham 2005). This opens up discussions about how bodies experience spaces, contribute to place-making processes and how their existences shape and are shaped by the constant transcendence of what used to be national, cultural, geographical boundaries. Lining up with the so called 'sensory turn' (Adams and Guy 2007), the RA asks how we can analyze localities (concomitantly as constituents and constitutive of globalities) as multi-sensual experiences intrinsically interlinked with transnational relations, national cultures and urban policies amongst others.

The RA7 has recently worked with a strong focus on issues connected to Global Studies and other transnational fields of research aimed at challenging euro-centrism. Topics we discussed include border regimes, constructions of space/place and comparative approaches to “world literatures”. A masterclass with Stuart Elden focused on the materiality of political spaces, extending discussions of volume towards fluid and underground spaces. Such approaches fit well with events featuring Tim Cresswell, who combined perspectives from the geo-humanities with an analysis of the interrelations between mobility and space. The methodology lab “Spatialising Culture: Methods and Approaches to Studying Space” allowed doctoral students to reflect on their projects related to such topics – with the intention of exploring how meaningful spaces are both created by people and embedded in wider social and economic structures.

In addition, RA7 has been actively collaborating with other research groups at the GCSC, thus strengthening the interdisciplinary orientation of the centre. The symposium on “Conceptualizing Sacred Space(s): Perspectives from the Study of Culture”, which was organised by the Culture and Religion ETRG, allowed researchers to engage with fellow scholars from a wide array of fields, such as social science, art and architecture history, religion studies, to unpack concepts such as the sacred and the profane, religious practice, constitution and desacralisation of sacred spaces, global capitalism and sacred spaces, among many others. These various events and approaches continuously help us deepen our understanding of how the political nature of space can vary according to specific regions, cultures, and time periods.

List of participating scholars:

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Langenohl
• Anna Ivanova
• Natallia Pazniak
• Stefano Rozzoni
• Marija Spirkovska
• Anna Tabouratzidis
• Lukas Helbich
• Franziska Müller 
• Annika Stendebach
• Edith Ruvalcaba
• Edward Djordjevic
• Dr. des. Cord-Christian Casper
• Sarah Maria Noske 
• Giovana de Souza Possignolo
• Vira Sachenko

Contact/Speakers

• Ivana Dinic (Ivana.Dinic)
• Korbinian Lindel (Korbinian.Lindel@gcsc.uni-giessen.de)