Survey 13: Purification of Space

The purification of social space involves the rejection of difference and the securing of boundaries to maintain homogeneity. Evidence of this process is examined with reference to social collectivities widely separated in time and space. A systematic approach to the analysis of purification is suggested, drawing on Douglas and Bernstein. An account of the process in industrialized societies focuses on consumption and the interaction of social groups and the built environment, within a structurationist framework. It is argued that the spatial sciences have generally failed to recognize the problematic nature of purification. Rather, they are implicated in the purification process where theory is translated into practice.