Possibilities of Place in Continental Thought - by Jussi Palmusaari & Nicolas Schneider (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Exploring the critical potential of place in continental philosophy, Possibilities of Place in Continental Thought tests the political and ontological valences of this concept to go beyond the limits of existing geographical and phenomenological approaches.

Considering place as emergent, relational and enveloping, or in connection to passage, becoming or redemption, the contributions to this volume point to the possibilities inherent in philosophical uses of place. By rejecting a singular and homogenous theory of place, this collection collapses the dichotomies that tend to characterize the discourse on place in favour of a plural conceptualization. It draws attention to the spatial and temporal dynamics within varying theoretical and historical contexts and moves the field forward in significant and vital ways.

Review Quotes

"This volume marks an exciting step forward in asserting place as a specific mode and medium of conceptual inquiry. Far more than a designated site in which events happen and meanings accrue, place occasions the very possibility and process of thought. In this, the volume is acutely sensitive to the ways that place 'moves' - refusing singular definitions, offering new ways of thinking critically and creatively." --Jessica Dubow, Professor of Cultural Geography, Lancaster University, UK

"One of the casualties of catastrophic climate change is the very possibility of place, for human and other-than-human beings alike. In this volume, Jussi Palmusaari and Nicolas Schneider have assembled a stellar group of scholars, who examine this possibility from a wide range of philosophical perspectives. What is at stake here is not only "philosophy," "critique" or "thought", but the future of place in the age of being displaced and unplaced." --Michael Marder, author (with Edward S. Casey) of Plants in Place: A Phenomenology of the Vegetal

"The "possibilities of place" this volume promises are invigorating, persuasive, and sometimes surprising. Place is seen to not just be static or nostalgic, but the space of creativity, political possibility, and shared meaningful action. This is a wonderful addition to the burgeoning philosophical literature on place." --Bruce Janz, Professor of Humanities, Department of Philosophy, University of Central Florida

About the Author

Jussi Palmusaari is a writer, translator and teacher based in London, UK. He specializes in political philosophy, Marxism and critical theory.

Nicolas Schneider is Research Fellow at Leuphana University Lüneburg and Associate Researcher at Centre Marc Bloch, Berlin, Germany.