Blog Entry #1
Introduction
Hello there, are you interested in looking at how geography shapes our own community and society as regards our understanding of place? Well I believe this blog which discusses the ideas brought up by Doreen Massey’s ‘A Global Sense of Place’ is one of the best. It generally talks about globalization, place and time-space compression, just to give you a hint. The more key points that stand out of this piece are the meaning of place, the movement of people, traditions and communities, Human boundaries and sense of division, discussion of Kilburn and finally a sense of uniqueness and pride of place. Of which I hope we can give you a greater understanding of the reading and social geography as a whole. So let’s get started.
How does space and place relate to us…
Whether we like it or not, the world is changing, physically, socially and economically. When I think of this I often think of evolution, overtime the world has adapted and evolved, everything is getter smarter and faster and is changing. Look at one example Massey uses of our own daily lives altering, we travel further and further away and wear clothes from countries we will never want to see, we have e-mails instead of letter, this is our world evolving. This new chapter of the world relates to this ‘time-space compression’ ideal and that we are going to have to become more accustomed with the words Massey uses such as ‘global village’ and ‘overcoming spatial barriers’ as time goes on.
Massey then asks an interesting question, how can a world of ‘movement and intermixing’ retain any sense of local place? Thinking that our sense of community is being removed, I disagree, take for example Cork, many foreigners have moved here over the years, bringing with them their own cultures and sense of place, but I still know where I stand as an Irish person. I work in a Supervalu where the majority of workers are polish, here I can understand and see this idea of geographic fragmentation and spatial disruption, but for me this is the world evolving in real life and this is a point Massey brings up which I fully agree with. The idea that why “Can’t we rethink out sense of place?” That our sense of place isn’t being destroyed in front of us, but progressing and adapting, that the best way to be is to accept it and out with the old and in with new mentality and see how better off people can be if we look forward to this rather than trying to prevent it. This is what I took from reading Massey’s take on the meaning of place.
Until next time,
Mark 112403302
Blog Entry #2
In our country, Ireland, we can see a massive change in our society over the last decade. People from all over the world have come to this country looking for work. I think it is quite sad then that a lot of Irish people leave the country looking for better job prospects. Due to this increase of migration we can see different cultures and traditions start to appear in our own Cities and towns. It is not uncommon for us to hear the likes of Polish or Russian to be spoken on our streets. For the people coming to Ireland, they must adapt to a new culture, but for me the question is, is there even much of our culture and tradition still alive in our daily lives anymore? I think it is quite sad when there are more people in Ireland speaking Polish than there is speaking Irish. Over the decades we have become far too westernised. It was too easy for this to happen considering where we are geographically located and the countries we do business with. I’m not saying we don’t have a culture, I’m trying to make the point that we are not in touch with ours the way other nations are. Another topic that Massey discusses is European Colonization. There is an argument to say that this had both a negative and positive impact on countries in South and North America. The negative impacts are quite obvious, thousands of innocent Native American people were slaughtered by new militaries and diseases. However, the Europeans brought with them new ways of organising Cities, they brought structure, some of these Meso-American Civilisations practiced human sacrifice, Europeans saw how barbaric this was and over time brought an end to it. However, the one positive thing that emerged between the Europeans and the ‘New World’ was that a trade link was founded. New herbs, spices and other goods such as coffee and cotton could now be traded between Europe and the American continent. While migration and colonization has in some manors brought about a positive outlook on different cultures, they have both also brought about great angst amongst men. It has caused the upbringing of racial movements such as the KKK and many other groups. Wars have also been started due to the hate that runs deep between neighbouring countries after years of colonization by a foreign ruler. I believe that the movement of people is an important factor in cultures and traditions staying alive and I hope that I have made this point clear in this blog entry.
Peter.
Blog post #3 : The World and its’ jigsaw pieces
Doreen Massey’s paper on “Space, Place and Gender”, engages in a rapidly growing and sophisticated situation. I say situation, because the author portrays the views of many groups, instead of only stating the issues that have come from our expansive global connection system. He opened my eyes to a surprising consequence to the growing connections between countries. I naturally assumed that with all of our modern transportation systems such as planes and ships, that the advanced nations where leaving their mark on every part of the world. Massey examined another author’s paper that explained how our advancement in space and time compression has in effect, cut off or isolated islands and small communities. He said that with the direction of transportation of goods and people shifting to airplanes, that the ships that would frequently visit islands to trade or transport consequently ceased their journeys. After contemplating this in my mind, I came to accept this as true, because many small communities can’t afford or accommodate airports. It’s odd to think that with all of our international progress that we have unknowingly altered and set back the lives of others.
“Time, space and capital make the world go round”. This is a sad fact in world, yet it is reality. The author argues that capitalism and its developments are what determine our understanding and experience of space, and I would agree. From what I have seen, people flock towards money, so where the money goes people go. This leaves behind a trail of communities that have had their normal ways of life negatively impacted. The author wanted to share that there was more than just capitalism that effects our interconnectedness, or lack thereof . He stated that sexism also hold members in society in a space and place compression. It’s true, women in today’s world still have many of the same fears when they walk alone, dress certain ways and are among male presence. There mobility can be looked at as impaired by these restrictions they must face, leaving them in the dust while society speeds ahead.
Massey spoke of different groups holding the power of society, while others are forced to follow. He made an excellent example of my home country, the USA. Jobs are numerous there and many struggling Mexicans flee across the border everyday risking their very lives to chase after work. The United States is able to import cheap goods from china and other countries, making itself more affordable to live then other countries such as Mexico. The fact that my country can import products all the way from China and still out-compete American business is a prime example of a negative impact on American’s due to loss of jobs. It seems that even the major countries can feel loss because of their own expansions of interconnection. Reading just this section of Massey’s paper has caused me to think about many of the modern functions I take for granted. It’s left me pondering different ways to combat the consequences of our growing interconnections around the world.
Thanks for taking the time to read,
David.
Blog #4: Home and Away . . .
Doreen Massey’s article “A Global Sense of Place” examines the various happenings that are now surrounding our ever more globalized society and how our unified global society is influenced by traditions and cultural across the world. One of the most prominent points within this article is how specific communities; their cultures and traditions can exist outside their native boundaries.
Multicultural societies are not uncommon anymore. We should start to view the world as a global community rather than specific localized places. Our modern world is now accustomed to accommodating an array of cultures within a localized place. It is down the survival of these cultures and their traditions that make the globalized society that we live today possible.
One of the author’s main focuses is her personal experience and childhood upbringing in Kilburn in London, an area of London well known to house many of the Ireland’s emigrated population in London. Throughout this part of the article Massey writes of her childhood experiencing the different collaborations of cultures when taking a walk Kilburn’s high street. From a young age it was not uncommon to this author to experience varying and ever changing characteristics of her hometown.
The characteristics of place vary from the culture and traditions shared within its boundaries. Every neighborhood, town, village and suburb is more than likely hosting different cultures on a daily basis. In more modern times, the ease of travel access across the European Union, or the availability of Visa’s to work in places such as the United States and Canada is a big factor which allows for the influx of different cultures. A quick example of this would be during Ireland’s boom time the increased influx of new traditions from various cultures such as the Filipino and Polish communities.
Similar to Massey native town, this mixture of cultures is clearly evident on a local scale in Cork City’s North Main Street, here you would find an collection of stores ranging from Polski grocery stores to Indian spice shops to local Irish pubs and charity shops and as well as a range of different cultural cuisines. As University students we are surrounded on a daily basis the mixture of Erasmus students only some; Chinese, French, Japanese and Americans this alone can prove that a place’s characteristics depend on the people who live there.
It is not an uncommon fact to hear of people who have left their hometowns in search of a better quality of life abroad. Taking the staggering numbers of Irish citizen’s who have chosen to emigrate since the onset of the depression. We as a country have exported our cultural traditions to somewhere else in the world and allowed these to spread and amalgamate into a new society.
The example of the establishment of G.A.A. clubs on the other side of the world for example in Sydney, Australia is not an uncommon fact to hear of no more. It becomes a forum for social gatherings, it is an opportunity to meet other Irish abroad and foremost a manner of holding onto a piece of home and the familiarity associated with it. These men and women alike who have probably spent the majority of their childhood’s and teenage years involved in the local G.A.A club’s can find solace in the sport hundreds of kilometers away from their home turf. Our exportation of this Irish sport adds another layer to a place’s characteristics no matter how far away.
In my opinion, Massey’s article highlight’s so many aspects of a globalized world but to me it is the importance of understanding how characteristics of a place can change.
We should embrace the multicultural mishmash of traditions from various countries; it is after all a matter of appreciation, acceptance and experience,.
Until next week,
Aoife (112495138)
Post #5
There’s no place like home!
Hello again,
Isn’t it great when you read something that expands your mind? Doreen Massey’s, a global sense of place really took me out of my tunnel vision regarding a sense of place. And here is how! – Many people believe that a sense of place develops from people being homogenous; that we must all share the same language, religion and cultural practices. There is conflict sometimes between our sense of identity being attached to a single place because of its culture and history. It’s static and frozen but it gives us a good sense of belonging. This idea is in conflict with globalisation, which expects us to move out of the homogenous place into a much wider and varied world, where there are multiple ethnic groups, religions etc. Massey suggests that we have to develop this concept of sense of place.
I agree with her about changing our view of the concept of place. Globalisation does not mean making everything similar. You can’t see something specific without seeing the context that it’s in. I believe that home is where the heart is especially in this globalised world. Our need for security can be met by focusing on the linkages and connections we make wherever we live. If a person takes their time to develop relationships and become familiar with a particular area, they will establish a sense of locality and set down roots which in turn will give them a sense of place. A person must believe that a sense of place can flourish where ever a person chooses to live, where they choose to make their relationships. Each individual place, wherever you choose to be, has uniqueness because the mix is unlike any other place in the world. A sense of place does not mean that it is static with boundaries. It is a living growing process. It keeps evolving, it’s not set. It’s not just that we share a common history. There are other things as well. For example, we can share the experiences of being Irish, without excluding other people and not feel threatened but perhaps excited about other cultures which are there to expand us not contract us.
A place becomes a place because of all the individual connections that make it. All communications that converge in the city is what makes the city what it is. We are all connected, not just in a spiritual sense but because of trade, communication, socialising, business and the relationships we develop. For example, immigration is a large part of Ireland today, if you walk down any street, there are pizzerias, Chinese restaurants, Polish food shops, Orthodox churches etc. Many of the Irish workforce are international. Our countries have become connected. These people become part of our fabric. These shops and churches become part of the demographic of Ireland. Basically, there are no defined places; we are not a community just because we have a specific part on a map. The city of London is unique and different from the city of New Dehli, because of the specific intermixing of cultures, businesses and religions.
What would it be like for us to begin to see that instead of thinking of ourselves as singular groupings, are we not all part of the same human race?
Until next time,
Aisling
Blog Post #6 : Conclusion: We are all in this together!
Massey deals with some very current issues and interesting concepts in her article ‘A Global Sense of Place’. She begins with a reference to globalization explaining how the world is now more connected than ever before. The “global village” is becoming a frequently used term showing how improved technology has resulted in less concrete boundaries throughout the world. Ease of travel has led to some uncertainty about what we actually mean by “places” and how we relate to them. With this ‘ease of travel’ has come a change in many cultures. New people can visit our countries daily. Allowing for different cultures to mix. One example which comes to mind are the many Polski Skleps which have popped up around Ireland in recent years. This has changed Ireland’s culture slightly but in no way harmed it in my opinion, if anything it has only made it more unique and interesting. A sense of place is always influenced by the world that surrounds it. One place interconnects with another yet remains unique in their one way. Sense of identity for most countries is not something finite that only exists within boundaries of locality. It can survive many problems such as emigration. The Irish sense of identity and culture is has certainly survived through emigration. The New York city St. Patrick’s Day parade is the biggest in the world, even bigger than Ireland’s itself and we need not mention the amount of Irish pubs, it’s difficult to go anywhere on holidays and not find a one! Although ease of travel has certainly altered the way many of us see the world, it has not affected the world evenly. Massey provides us with a great portrayal of this, she explains how a business man can travel from Singapore to California in a matter of hours while a woman in Africa might have to walk hours just to get water for her family. Time space compression does not impact people equally. Massey concludes by stating that a sense of place, an understanding of ‘it’s character’ can only be constructed by linking that place to places beyond. To understand Ireland fully you may need to link it to England through our shared history for example. What Massey believes we need is a “global sense of the local, a global sense of place” and I wholeheartedly agree with Massey here.
Thank you for reading,
Talk soon,
Saoirse O’Leary (112325146)
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