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On the ‘Topographical Turn’: Concepts of Space in Cultural Studies and Kulturwissenschaften. A Cartographic Feud†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2009

Sigrid Weigel
Sigrid Weigel
Affiliation:
Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung; Schützenstr. 18, D-10117 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: direktion@zfl-berlin.org
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Abstract

Addressing the ‘topographical turn’ in cultural theory which emphasizes spatial constellations and sites, the article discusses concepts of space both in Anglo-American Cultural Theory and in European Culture Studies in order to develop their differences. Within Cultural Studies the program to ‘spatialize’ historical narratives has created a whole language of symbolic topographical figures which function as a counter-discourse for minorities. To argue against the tendency of translating theories in order to transform them into ‘neutral tools’, independent of their historical origin, the article discusses various space-discourses in European cultural theories; it refers to studies from the current cultural reorientation of the humanities but also to those from the early 20th century to illuminate different relationships between philosophy, historiography and cultural techniques.

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Type
Focus: European Literature
Information
European Review , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 187 - 201
Copyright
Copyright © Academia Europaea 2009

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References

Notes and References

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