Constructions of Race, Place, and Nation

1994

Peter Jackson and Jan Penrose, editors

A riot in Los Angeles, a skinhead rally in Fulda, burnings in Johannesburg, massacres in Sarajevo: with racism on the rise and nationalism fracturing societies, the juncture of race, place, and nation has become a crucial one. This volume explores this critical intersection, offering a much-needed new perspective on a world in crisis. Contributors: Kay J. Anderson, Alastair Bonnett, Heléne Clark, Claire Dwyer, Jane M. Jacobs, Susan J. Smith, and the editors.

A riot in Los Angeles, a skinhead rally in Fulda, burnings in Johannesburg, massacres in Sarajevo: with racism on the rise and nationalism fracturing societies, the juncture of race, place, and nation has become a crucial one. This volume explores this critical intersection, offering a much-needed new perspective on a world in crisis.

Contributors: Kay J. Anderson, Alastair Bonnett, Heléne Clark, Claire Dwyer, Jane M. Jacobs, Susan J. Smith, and the editors.

A riot in Los Angeles, a skinhead rally in Fulda, burnings in Johannesburg, massacres in Sarajevo: With racism on the rise and nationalism fracturing societies, the juncture of race, place, and nation has become a crucial one. Constructions of Race, Place, and Nation explores this critical juncture, offering a much-needed new perspective to a world in crisis.

Taking as their starting point the idea that "race" and "nation" are social constructions rather than natural phenomena, the essays in this book provide a sustained analysis of how these constructions vary from place to place. As geographers, the authors share an interest in the spatial construction of social life and in the territorial expression of racist and nationalist ideologies. Drawing on current social theory and firsthand empirical research from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Britain, their essays show how these ideologies have taken shape historically, how they vary according to local and national contexts, and how they can be resisted in practice.

Nation-building, immigration and refugee policy, education and policing, land and housing rights are among the issues these essays address. The book concludes with some reflections on the critical role of the academic researcher in the development of a reflexive approach to these highly politicized issues.

Constructions of Race, Place, and Nation will be of use to anyone seeking insight into one of our most pressing, widespread problems.


Peter Jackson is the author of Maps of Meaning and is a professor of human geography, University of Sheffield.

Jan Penrose is a lecturer in the Centre of Canadian Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

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