Doreen Massey's Argument Essay

940 Words2 Pages

The statement above may seem unambiguous at first glance, but in truth, it contains many hidden complexities – how, for instance, can we define a place? Doreen Massey had a very specific idea of how to do so, and this view must be considered when examining the rest of her theories. Then, we will move on to evaluate the accuracy of Massey’s statement. The first component, the openness of places, is the least controversial, so we will focus on finding a simple explanation for it, and will re-label it as the more recognised term “globalisation”. The second component of the statement is more contentious: we will analyze the possible enrichments and disadvantages of globalisation in terms of overall wealth, as well as cultural identity. Ultimately, …show more content…

As we have seen, Massey seems to believe that not only have places become open due to globalisation, but that they always have been, and that the common idea of “locality” is inaccurate. With this, she contrasts with several other geographers. It is difficult to argue with the openness brought about by globalisation, but many would say that it is a modern trend. Even academics with backgrounds which are similar to Massey’s do not necessarily agree with her on all fronts. This includes David Harvey, a fellow “radical” Marxist geographer, who is mostly focused on the economic and spatial linkages between places, rather than the social ones. He invented the term “space-time compression” based on Karl Marx’s theory of the annihilation of space and time as a result of free market economics and advancements of technology (Harvey, 1990). Unlike in Massey’s approach, this is seen as a current development, and since space-time compression resulting in contemporary globalisation is what most people would think of when considering the openness of places, it is important perspective to approach the issue …show more content…

He terms it as “nothing more than yet another round in the capitalist production and reconstruction of space” (Harvey, 2001, pp.24). When explaining it, he often mentions the “spatial fix”, which refers to the solution to the overaccumulation of capital or labour in a location, which is inevitable in a capitalist system. It is the continuing geographical expansion when the surplus moves into a region with higher demand – an agent of globalisation (Harvey, 2001). Because of the force of capitalism, and because this is an unsustainable solution which requires more and more space, one can infer that the world is indeed open, because each possible space will need to be used in order for capitalism to persist. While it could be argued that there are some regions on Earth which are still “closed off”, such as some “uncontacted” indigenous tribes, or even nations like North Korea, they are in the vast minority, and it is quite likely that they too will slowly be integrated, as can be seen in other, formerly more isolationist countries, including, most recently,

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