Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

‘Conceptual Topography’ and the City

‘Conceptual Topography’ and the City The essay offers a reflection on the terms used to analyze urban space and society, as a way of engaging with the important notions of ‘Juxtacity’ and ‘urban divisions’ highlighted by the special issue. It proposes the optic of ‘conceptual topography’ which introduces more explicitly the working of power into the formulation and application of terms. Based on insights from cities in Israel/Palestine and using a ‘southeastern’ perspective, the discussion highlights dimensions of power in the making of urban division and citizenship. The essay argues that in contemporary urban settings, which are marked by pervasive colonialities, urban divisions are frequently used to create social and political exclusions and hierarchies. It outlines a distinction between ‘vertical’, ‘diagonal’ and ‘horizontal’ concepts, as ‘ideal types’ on an analytical spectrum. In focusing on ‘vertical’ concepts, the effort is to highlight often hidden oppressive histories and logics that stand behind the making of urban categories such as ‘division’, ‘diversity’, ‘complexity’ or similar terms. This approach to power helps explain the ways in which ‘juxtaposed’ cities work, by prizing open the term ‘division’, through which uneven ‘verticalities’ and ‘diagonalities’ of power produce spatial processes. In doing so, these concepts offer ways to map and articulate subjugation, resistance and possible transformation. This orientation now typifies emerging ‘southeastern’ approaches in urban studies, which attempt to link systemic critique with progressive transformation in the making of urban space and citizenship. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Urban Forum Springer Journals

‘Conceptual Topography’ and the City

Yiftachel, Oren
Urban Forum , Volume 31 (3): 9 – Sep 7, 2020
Download PDF
9 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer-journals/conceptual-topography-and-the-city-eWaqNk5wdM

References (0)

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
ISSN
1015-3802
eISSN
1874-6330
DOI
10.1007/s12132-020-09404-6
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The essay offers a reflection on the terms used to analyze urban space and society, as a way of engaging with the important notions of ‘Juxtacity’ and ‘urban divisions’ highlighted by the special issue. It proposes the optic of ‘conceptual topography’ which introduces more explicitly the working of power into the formulation and application of terms. Based on insights from cities in Israel/Palestine and using a ‘southeastern’ perspective, the discussion highlights dimensions of power in the making of urban division and citizenship. The essay argues that in contemporary urban settings, which are marked by pervasive colonialities, urban divisions are frequently used to create social and political exclusions and hierarchies. It outlines a distinction between ‘vertical’, ‘diagonal’ and ‘horizontal’ concepts, as ‘ideal types’ on an analytical spectrum. In focusing on ‘vertical’ concepts, the effort is to highlight often hidden oppressive histories and logics that stand behind the making of urban categories such as ‘division’, ‘diversity’, ‘complexity’ or similar terms. This approach to power helps explain the ways in which ‘juxtaposed’ cities work, by prizing open the term ‘division’, through which uneven ‘verticalities’ and ‘diagonalities’ of power produce spatial processes. In doing so, these concepts offer ways to map and articulate subjugation, resistance and possible transformation. This orientation now typifies emerging ‘southeastern’ approaches in urban studies, which attempt to link systemic critique with progressive transformation in the making of urban space and citizenship.

Journal

Urban Forum – Springer Journals

Published: Sep 7, 2020

There are no references for this article.