The Language of Sites in the Politics of Space¹

Different approaches have been developed to relate the concept of space to other social phenomena. Some of these approaches are critically examined in an effort to find a theoretical framework for interpreting a wide range of events in which sites, specific pieces of space, were of crucial significance. It is argued that there is a condensation of values in special sites, and that transactions that constitute the totality of social life may be spatially mapped with sites expressing relatively durable social structure. The process of social interaction may be expressed empirically through disputes over sites and symbolically in the configuration of sites.