On Edward W. Soja's Spatial Culture Theory

This thesis based on Edward W. Soja's Spatial Culture Theory. The purpose of the introduction of Soja' spatial theory was, we could rethink modernity, post-modernity, urban spatial culture, aesthetics and literature through drawing into Soja's spatial imagination. This article highlighted the significance of cultural context in the space and seeked for the cultural connotation of Soja's which riched and expanded our perception and understanding of space. The seeking expanded our spatial understanding and perception, gave the current aesthetic and literary studies to a new direction, helped us to better know current cultural phenomenon. In research methods, author firstly took to do the theory of space analysis, separately selected Karl Marx, Georg Simmel,Walter Benjamin to explain the background of the rise of cultural theory. Their thoughts illustrated the rising of spatial culture theory. Then, Author analyzed the spatial thought about Henri Lefebvre, Michel Foucault, David Harvey and others' spatial cognition, they and Soja in the same period. Their theories inherited but overturned the traditional spatial judgment. Their thought influenced Soja's theory directly. To form a coherent research paradigm and thinking space dimensions. Author let Soja's thought present clearly on the theory level when he translated the dialectical relationship between spatial culture and social action and set up a complete viewpoint.Soja proposed his particular spatial culture theory through integrating other's different spatial discourse. This meaned the spatial studies having its normal formulas instead of scattered discourses. Soja established his spatial philosophy through intensifying and expanding spatial concept. His words contained daily life, cultural politics, consumption culture, spatial poetics, spatial criticism, spectacle society, aesthetics presentation of urban space, etc. And his theoretical framework embraced body, home, district, city, region, country, globalization, etc. Some hot spots of society, such as, cultural identity, spatial narration, gendered geography, urban aesthetic, can be re-explained by his theory. Thus, Soja not merely concerned about the space on the geographical significance of the specific object, but covered philosophical sense of the broader conceptual framework. It could be said that the cultural space as a new mode of thinking and explanation, brought about not only our way of existence of space profound understanding, but also guided our history and socio-cultural research amendment. As it were, spatial culture as a new interpreting method, gave us profound thinking, made us correct our investigative way on studying history and society and helped us to know the complicated, dependency relationship among space, history, society. Soja's method proposed the production of space instead of production in space, has become a new perspective and theoretical shift, a new kind of narrative or effective paradigm to understand society.The main framework of this thesis is divided into preface, text, epilogue and appendix. The main body of the thesis is divided into five chapters:The first chapter is the main idea of a social space dissection and combing, and in order to understand the theory put forward by Soja. Knowledge-one of section I focus on Marx, Simmel, Benjamin's idea of space. They insist society space property is higher than the natural property, which makes room for spatial thought on the legitimacy of epistemology. They directly support the idea of the Soja's metropolitan critical theory. In addition, Soja has always adhered to the Marxist social critique tradition. His analysis method entirely based on Marx's thoughts. Soja put space into Marx's theory and activated Marxism. And construct refined theory about space. Section II focuses on the theory of cultural origins, Henri Lefebvre, Michel Foucault, David Harvey's interpretation as the theoretical background of Soja's. They are from different theoretical backgrounds and practical care of starting to build their own space theory, and rich theoretical and empirical dimensions of the relationship between space and society's understanding. The theorist is committed to the traditional socio-cultural theory and tries to sharp criticism to provide a new framework for the review.Chapter II is to study proposed by Soja Postmodern geospatial idea. One of section I, "Soja's reiterated path" will introduce Soja's space position and from the "deconstruction and construction of modernity," "Critique of Historicism", "Digestion geographical boundaries of disciplines" to restore Soja social space portrait. Soja's "deconstruction and reconstruction of modernity" conducts another re-consider way, and its goal is to build a new culture of space and time, thus to take care of critical social theory of the change process. Soja's "Critique of Historicism" is the purpose of criticism of Western Marxism through codes of conduct and discourse of geography and modern codes of conduct and discourse between the constant changes and succession in a collision for retrospective critical social theory of the annihilation of space, as well as conduct finally reiterated history. He stressed that the geographical digestion disciplines requires different disciplines are no longer just be satisfied with using the disciplines of traditional research methods. Through the "problem" implementation of integrated disciplines and, through this integrated across the curriculum reflects their own advantage. II, "Ontology Spaces" introduce terms, such as "Geography- historical materialism," "space, spatiality, spatialisation", "society-space dialectics". The terms interpret Soja's theoretical thrust. Him of the Marxist theory of the interpretation of space as an important step is to allow excavation and to explain the Marxist concept of social production potential and hidden by the "space ontology" connotation. Its purpose is not only to develop a space theory of Marxism, but also make Marxist theory spatiality or urbanization, in the new historical conditions, make Marxism new.Chapter III consists mainly of wide-ranging implications of Soja's third space idea for research. One of section I focus on Soja "third space" concept of evolution and theoretical interpretations connotation. He believes that the "third space" as a space for a change of geography approach, encouraging people to consider different approaches to the meaning of space; also as a cultural politics of post-modern theory and practice are embodied in the edge of Center deconstruction, women geography overturn the patriarchal tradition, post-colonial resistance to imperial ideology; or a global / local cultural and ideological conflicts, the integration and to "negotiate" the discourse field; Finally, as a consider dimensions of philosophy, the "third space" represents the space of contemporary thought on the concept of the traditional way of thinking and its implication questioned. Section 2 & 3 are from the perspective of cultural studies to analysis the borderline culture, post-colonial perspective, cultural identity and gendered geography, to understand Soja's third space theory in practice and expand outreach. In both sections, author highlight the "third space" as a flexible space strategy, a kind of go beyond the traditional dualism Spaces Know possibilities. So, topic will inevitably involve race, class, marginal, and cultural identity, gender and so on.Chapter IV is mainly from the literary field to look at and research Soja's idea. Section I introduce Borges novels inspired Soja; Section II study relationship between three Spaces' epistemology and literary experience; III introduce spatial narrative and spatial poetics; the fourth introduce Soja, represented by the rise of literary research in the latest criticism of space. Soja's expressions of art theory in fact already exceeded their professional framework to other areas of infiltration to form the cultural interaction, which concerns one of the existing literature skills (the words and rhetoric, narrative, moral, etc.), there is also concern about the cultural explanation. Space narrative provides the diversity and richness for fiction art. And "Space criticism" of literature has become a new platform for contemporary literary critical theory.Chapter V mainly introduces Soja's urban space theory from cultural and artistic interpretation. Section I focus on the so-called the city discourses; Section II studies of urban space and consumer culture, as well as the impact of the interaction. Soja consider the current urban space conquest and consolidation of consumerism which has become the principal means to maintain. Urban space to the form of the relationship between consumerism projected onto all of the daily life, the logic of consumerism has become the social space and urban logic of everyday life. Their control groups also control the production of space and thus controls the reproduction of social relations. Section III focus on Soja's "aesthetic of urban space". Soja consider this proposition means that the text of the entire city, and then the text covers not only literature, painting and other traditional works of art, while the media culture, urban landscape, and even way of life has been enriched. Its "aesthetic" derived by the new perspective, a perspective can "text" between various groups within the power of this extinction Peter up and balance the power; the fourth quarter from an aesthetic point of view of the city to build the process brought about by space experience. People in the post-modern urban space will experience a new cultural experience, this sense of pleasure from mad-yan and other strong emotional component of the special aesthetic experience by Soja referred to as "hysteria sublime." That is, an ultra-contemporary space to people's schizophrenia-like euphoric feeling. This is precisely the contemporary changes in the outcome of aesthetic experience.Summary of the chapters is a summary of topic and analysis of Soja's limitations, while epilogue analysis "the applicability of space theory" and important meanings on the current context.