Questions of Locality

This paper explores issues surrounding studies of 'locality ' and 'place'. Reasons for the renewed emphasis on such studies are examined, before consideration of two controversial aspects. The first is the charge of parochialism, which is contested. It is argued that, when conceived in a particular way, locality studies can be at the heart of a geography which is truly internationalist, both in its recognition of geographical uniqueness and difference, and in its analysis of the (unequal) relations which bind different places together. Secondly methodological issues are examined, and it is argued that, far from being confined to description, locality studies pose productive theoretical challenges.