85 research outputs found
Digital urbanisms : Exploring the spectacular, ordinary and contested facets of the media city
Peer reviewe
Textually Produced Landscape Spectacles? : A Debordian Reading of Finnish Namescapes and English Soccerscapes
In this article, a critical attempt is made to read the language of contemporary urban boosterism â its eulogistic adjectives and slogans, escapist evocations in nomenclature, nostalgic narratives, etc. â through the lens of The Society of the Spectacle (1995, orig. 1967), Guy Debordâs controversial theoretico-political manifesto. Through discussion of empirical examples, the authors shed light on different types of in-situ landscape texts in Finnish and English cities. In the former national context, culturally escapist and non-native names given to leisurescapes and technoscapes have mushroomed over the last quarter century. While this process represents a semi-hegemonic rather than hegemonic trend, many developersâ reliance on the âindependentâ representational power of language has substantially reshaped naming practices in the non-Anglophone country. The analysis of different types of promotional texts at Englandâs major soccerscapes evinces the co-presence of nostalgic evocations of local history amidst the hypercommodification of space. Arguably, the culturally self-sufficient, tradition-aware representational strategies in current English football stem from pressure from fans, the countryâs status as the cradle of modern football, and a privileged possibility to promote the gameâs ânativeâ meanings via a globally-spoken language. Finally, this article addresses the pros and cons of using the spectacle theoretical framework to analyse critically language-based urban boosterism and branding under the current conditions of neoliberal urbanism
PURAISTAAN KIELTĂ 5 Ahdistava poikkitieteellisyys?
Jani Vuolteenaho on jÀlkiteollista kaupunkikehitystÀ, paikkamarkkinointia ja nimeÀmisen politiikkaa tutkiva maantieteilijÀ Helsingin yliopiston tutkijakollegiumissa
Vallan haastamisen neljÀ vuosisataa New Yorkissa (Four centuries of contesting power in New York City)
Arvioitu teos: Neil Smith & Don Mitchell (toim.):Revolting New York. How 400 Years of Riot, Rebellion, Uprising and Revolution Shaped a City. The University of Georgia Press, Athens. (348 s.)Non peer reviewe
A slightly slummier area? : Negotiations of place-bound identities through social spatializations and unofficial toponyms
In the article, spatializations (discourses of ideal or stereotyped spaces) are conceptualized as powerful discourses of the surrounding society, providing resources for placeâbound identity construction in interaction. We combine a sociolinguistic analysis with Bakhtinian dialogism to understand how such âthirdâ voices in dialogue empower and pluralize selfâ and otherâpositionings embedded in the evocations of unofficial place names. Empirically, the focus is on toponyms that divide the socially mixed Vuosaari suburb in Helsinki into âolderâ and ânewerâ territories. The results show that when the stereotypes of âgoodâ and âbadâ neighbourhoods or other spatializations interpenetrate the uses of âOldâ and âNew Vuosaari,â they open room for the (reâ)voicing of the meanings of these toponyms for highly differentiated social ends. With the Bakhtinian framework bridging between socioâspatial theory and sociolinguistics, the article develops a spatially sensitized approach to analyse the entanglements of the microâlevel contexts of interaction with the macroâlevel discourses of meaningâgiving.Peer reviewe
Urbaanit yleisöt propagandan ja brÀndÀyksen palveluksessa: Berliinin olympialaiset 1936 ja Saksan jalkapallon MM-kisat 2006 keskitettyinÀ (media)spektaakkeleina
Artikkelissa vertailemme Berliinin olympialaisia (1936) ja Saksan jalkapallon MM-kisoja (2006) Guy Debordin ajatuksia soveltaen keskitetyn (media) spektaakkelin erilaisina ja eri aikakausiin sijoittuvina muotoina. LÀhestymme ensin mainittua propagandan, jÀlkimmÀistÀ brÀndin kÀsitteen avulla. Tarkastelemme ihmisten toimintaa kaupunkitilassa urheiluspektaakkelien tuottamiseen kytkeytyvien poliittisten ja taloudellisten valtaintressien kautta. Kohdistamme huomiomme erityisesti propaganda- ja brÀndikoneistojen tapoihin suostutella kaupungeissa liikkuvia ihmisiÀ odotetun yleisöyden ja esiintyjyyden ideaalirooleihin suunnitelmallisesti organisoidun ja tunteisiin vetoavan urbaanin ympÀristön tuottamisen avulla. Esimerkkitapauksemme ovat historiallisesti merkittÀviÀ hetkiÀ kehityksessÀ, jossa joukkoviestintÀ on ohjannut urheilutapahtumien organisointia, esillepanoa ja niihin liittyvÀÀ ihmisten tilallista ja affektiivista (joukko)liikuttamista. Argumenttimme perustuvat tutkimuskirjallisuuteen, dokumentaarisiin elokuviin ja havaintoihin Saksan jalkapallon MM-kisojen kisakaupungeista
Reflections on the variations and spatialities of (un)welcome - commentary to Gill
In this reflection, we seek to develop some of Professor Gill's inspiring ideas on the notion of (un) welcome further. We do this, in particular, by problematizing his largely dualistic conception of the emotionally-invested, inter-personal forms of welcome contra a bureaucratic tendency to abstract welcome, to hollow it out emotionally. We argue that if applied too rigidly, this dichotomy can be unwieldy for making sense of the actual socio-spatial and emotional dynamics of (un) welcome. To elaborate this criticism, we expand on the notion of welcome from three interrelated perspectives. First, we argue that besides the opposite poles of people who welcome refugees, and forces that attempt to exclude them, great many actors convey more ambiguous and contextually varying attitudes to (un) welcoming immigrants. In the light of Lefebvre's conceptual triad of social space, we next point out that Gill's conceptualization pays inadequate heed to the practiced and societally recompensing aspects of everyday spatiality and welcoming. Finally, we take a cue from Gill's suggestion to analyze welcome from the emotional geographies perspective, and reflect on exclusionary and inclusionary socio-spatial processes related to refugees' emotions (lived space) and coping tactics (practiced space)
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