BETWEEN A REFUGE AND A BATTLEGROUND: BEIRUT'S DISCREPANT COSMOPOLITANISMS*

Beirut has experienced cosmopolitanism and its opposite. It is a site of multicultural encounters and communal entrenchment: a refuge and a battleground. How and where does Beirut's cosmopolitan project turn into violence? The notion of “discrepant cosmopolitanism” provides two answers, blurring accepted distinctions between multicultural openness and communitarian entrenchment. First, openness and closure are not opposed but part of discrepant cosmopolitanisms immanent in urban space. Second, these discrepant cosmopolitanisms originate in Lebanon's encounter with colonial modernity. The making of the Lebanese nation‐state has revolved around the sectarian spatiality of the ta'ifa (religious community), which produced contested but coexisting discourses and practices of rivalry and harmony. The rise of Beirut's international hotels in the 1960s, their destruction, and their role in contemporary urban redevelopment are treated here as embodiments of discrepant cosmopolitanisms. Within Beirut's recurrent tensions, a renegotiation of its cosmopolitan project could stem from a different relationship between the urban and national policies.     

COSMOPOLITANISM: THE MEDITERRANEAN ARCHIVES†

The existing postcolonial literature privileges the British and French imperial/colonial history that mirrors the ongoing debate on the relationship among cosmopolitanism, universalism, and imperialism. These debates take for granted the Kantian and Hegelian hierarchy of European civilizations, hence marginalizing the southern shores of Europe and the broader Mediterranean space. Drawing on Mignolo's notion of “border thinking” and on Isin's account of the city as a “difference machine,” I address the issue of how imperialism, colonialism, and cosmopolitanism come together and relate to each other in the context of the Mediterranean (allegedly) cosmopolitan cities. In particular, cosmopolitanism is read as the outcome of the reciprocal adjustment of interior and exterior borders in the making of modernity/coloniality in the Mediterranean. Focusing on the Ottoman millet system, my main claim in this article is that cosmopolitanism worked as a peculiar dispositif within the urban difference machine, enabling the city to sustain the tension between different accounts of citizenship.     

AMERICAN NATIONALISM,THE FLAG,AND THE INVASION OF IRAQ*

U.S. armed forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, claiming that the country had weapons of mass destruction (wmd ) which it intended to use against the United States Although evidence of the existence of these wmd was limited, President George W. Bush's administration faced little opposition in taking the United States to war. Using the concepts of “iconography” and “banal nationalism,” I argue that the events of 9/11 and the subsequent outpouring of nationalism dampened opposition to the invasion of Iraq. The increased display of the American flag in the aftermath of 9/11 was emblematic of this increase in nationalism and generated additional support for the Bush administration's decision to go to war. This nationalism further created a form of “collective amnesia” that limited the citizenry's receptivity to information contradicting the administration's narrative, which continues to linger.     

“COSMOPOLITAN” SMYRNA: ILLUMINATING OR OBSCURING CULTURAL HISTORIES?*†

Taking the late Ottoman port and boomtown of Smyrna/Izmir as a case study, I interrogate a priori concepts of cosmopolitanism in historical studies, choosing to be “archivally cosmopolitan” by working from the ground up to interpret primary sources for what they can illuminate about social complexities in the imperial port. A view from the hinterland, well studied as the agricultural economic base of Izmir, presents an Ottoman cultural geography that embraces the city and complicates its “Europeanized” image. A mainstay of daily life—music—reflects this cultural intermixing as well as the social stratification of an entertainment world, a dimension often filtered out of maritime, progressive, Eurocentric historiographies. Recovering stories from inland urban space, I aim to contribute to a dialogue about cosmopolitanism and the extent to which its commonplace usage obscures cultural histories.     

Global cities,cosmopolitanism, and geographies of tolerance

Scholarly attention devoted to global cities has emphasized their economic and political significance. Yet global cities are also deeply cultural and ideological in nature. Contrary to a long tradition of urban studies that views urban life as inherently alienating, this essay argues that the social and cultural diversity of global cities renders them mechanisms for the generation of tolerance and empathy. It opens with a brief review of global cities. Second, it traces the contours of cosmopolitanism as an ideology that fosters respect for social and cultural differences and a wider community of caring. Third, it reviews the empirical evidence of American global cities to make the case that their diversity leads them to generate a progressive cosmopolitan ethnics. It draws on the literature of social psychology, the work of Richard Florida, and indices of immigration, religious and linguistic diversity, homophobia, and voting patterns to substantiate the claim that cosmopolitan values are most evident and deeply rooted in globalized metropolitan centers.     

Interviewing Enjoyment,or the Limits of Discourse

This article addresses how psychoanalytic methodologies can be used to conduct and analyze semistructured interviews. Drawing on my work as a research assistant during the summer of 2006, I discuss the process of interviewing soccer fans who attended televised broadcasts of the FIFA World Cup soccer matches in cafés in Vancouver, British Columbia. The research examined the emotional geographies of nationalism and consumption using the Lacanian psychoanalytic concept of enjoyment. Reflecting on the intersubjective and embodied dimensions of the interview process, this article discusses the difficulties of capturing and conveying interviewees' enjoyment. Specifically, I explore how enjoyment, which is partially extradiscursive, disappears when articulated and represented through speech. I assert that psychoanalytic attempts to methodologically grasp enjoyment must be attentive to not only how subjects represent their enjoyment through discourse but also to their tears, ecstatic chanting, and celebration; that is, to the enactment of enjoyment itself.     

CONSTRUCTING AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN SPACE IN ATLANTA,GEORGIA*

Recognizing the connections between the construction of urban space and racial identity, this article explores an urban redevelopment scheme launched in 2004 by Big Bethel ame Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Known as the “Renaissance Walk,” Big Bethel's project is a $45 million dollar redevelopment plan to turn an adjacent city block into a mixed‐use development. By looking at the racialization of place from the perspective of those who live, work, and organize along Auburn Avenue, one of the most historically significant African American business corridors in the United States, I contend that Big Bethel's redevelopment project is emblematic of contemporary black counterpublic spaces and links the redevelopment project undertaken by Big Bethel with African American identity positions.     

THE PACIFIC: A MEDITERRANEAN IN THE MAKING?

ABSTRACT. This article examines the parallels between the developing Pacific Basin and the historical Mediterranean Basin. Humankind's expanding reach in transportation and communication technologies now makes it possible to integrate a basin the size of the Pacific. The Mediterranean provides some insight into the processes involved. Topics include questions of hegemony, “mirror cities” that interact with each other across the basins, and the dynamic tension between cosmopolitanism and localism.     

“A Royal Geographical Society for Ladies”: The Lyceum Club and Women's Geographical Frontiers in Edwardian London

This article reconstructs the history, organization, and campaigning function of the Geographical Circle of the Lyceum Club—a membership group that, under the leadership of Bessie Pullen-Burry (1858–1937), sought to promote and legitimize women's geographical work in early twentieth-century Britain. Through an examination of archival material and contemporary press coverage, I document the Geographical Circle's efforts to establish itself as a professional body for women geographers and to lobby for their admission to the Royal Geographical Society. Although considerable scholarly attention has been paid to women geographers’ individual contributions to the discipline, their cooperative, professionalizing endeavors have been comparatively neglected. In tracing the parallel history of the Circle as an example of women's self-organization, and of Pullen-Burry as an independent campaigner, I argue that a nuanced account of women's professionalization in geography demands attention to both individual and collective endeavors.     

Lacan on urban development and national identity in a global city: Integrated Resorts in Singapore

Lacanian psychoanalysis has been used in film, literature and other areas of social thought, but rarely in the domain of urban studies and human/cultural geography. Following its introduction by urban planners Michael Gunder and Jean Hillier, I apply the theory of the four discourses and the mirror stage of development to Singapore's urban development of the two Integrated Resorts at Marina Bay and Sentosa. The decision to allow gambling and build casinos was a contentious one and provides a point of departure for insight into the identity issues and planning decision making processes in Singapore. I critically analyse the rhetoric of the public debate from 2004–2005 to draw conclusions about the government's self‐perception of Singapore as a city‐state and the manifestation of this identity through the creation of cosmopolitan spaces as an attempt to project that identity onto its citizens. The aim of Lacanian psychoanalysis is to provide an understanding and recognition by analysis to enable a change of signifiers, values and ideology among the masters and the subjects to better represent the true needs and wants of the community. This reflective position enables a movement toward postcolonial urban studies and planning.     

Narratives of Safety on Social Media: The Case of #mysafetyselfie

This article draws on the case of #mysafetyselfie as an example of how social media can be used to highlight the social and spatial factors affecting women's experience with safety. In particular, I consider the ways in which media technology mediates embodied practice through an examination of the selfie as a form of relational place making. In the first section, I situate #mysafetyselfie as a node along a continuum of sociospatial work by Jay Pitter—the project's initiator—stemming from her personal and professional engagement with safety. I then draw from mobile interface theory to argue for the selfie as a practice of embodied implacement, which situates experience as contextually informed. In the next section, I conduct a close reading of three safety selfies from the project, in which safety is framed by the subject in intelligent and creative ways. I conclude by reflecting on the outcomes of #mysafetyselfie and the ethical responsibility of curating stories both offline and online.     

EXPRESSING “LOCAL CULTURE” IN HAWAI'I*

ABSTRACT. Detached from the mainland and with a distinct historical ethnic geography, the conquered kingdom of Hawai'i, now the fiftieth state, is the only U.S. state with an Asian and Pacific Islander majority as well as the highest percentage of racial and ethnic intermarriage. Hawai'i's population reflects the tensions between the culturally pluralistic “spirit of aloha” and the ethnic‐cum‐social stratification that has evolved from its historical economic geographies. In this article I focus on one of these strata—what is referred to as “local” culture—discussing its ethnogenesis and contemporary manifestations, and I apply Jonathan Okamura's 1981 model of situational ethnicity to examine how locals and new immigrants negotiate the ethnic dynamics and social expectations of their daily lives. I also discuss various ways in which “localness” is represented on O'ahu's economic landscape, with an analysis of the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, as a holistic expression of local culture.     

The Emergence of Gated Communities in a West African Context: Evidence From Greater Accra,Ghana

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the global expansion of gated communities has become an increasingly important part of the residential geography of many cities. The gated community phenomenon has not been researched in West African cities, and the extent of these communities' formation and convergence or divergence with global trends is unknown. This article provides the first-ever analysis of their formation in Greater Accra, Ghana. The analysis suggests that the globalization of real estate markets and Diaspora living are important aspects in the residential geography of Accra. The concept of "transnational houses" is employed to explain aspects of the local property market that are being globalized and differentiated from local housing. Transnational houses add another layer of diversity to the contemporary urban geography of Greater Accra.     

Reflecting on Role Play in Geographic Education: The Case of the Banana War

Abstract

Debates over the nature and extent of globalization raise many issues to be addressed in a geographic education. In this paper, I briefly review case method instruction and role-play as teaching strategies suitable for material on globalization and other geographic subject matter, and then sketch an overview of an undergraduate geography role-play that treats themes of globalization and agricultural trade. The role-play revolves around a real-world trade dispute, referred to as the Banana War, that was waged between the United States and the European Union during much of the 1990s over who could sell how many bananas to Europe. I conclude the paper by reflecting on the contributions of, limitations to and possibilities for case method instruction and role-play in geographic education.     

全球化背景下国际移民社会融合研究综述与展望

21世纪以来,全球化进程加速,国际移民成为研究热点问题,而当前欧美学界针对移民社会融合的研究具有三方面特征：首先,国际移民社会融合的维度呈现多样化;其次,移民社会融合的主动性及其对社区空间的塑造作用成为研究热点;最后,研究视角存在“方法论上的民族主义”和“政治正确的价值倾向”。与之相对,国内学界对国际移民社会融合的研究能够准确地把握国家背景、政治制度、移民政策对移民社会融合的影响作用;以及在全球化背景下国际移民在世界城市快速流动的旅居者特性,且充分注意到移民的多元性和融合的开放性。而不足之处在于,缺少对于社会融合多尺度、多维度的探讨;缺乏对于不同族裔、不同类型的移民群体间社会融合路径、模式、机制的比较。新形势下,国内研究有必要超越西方学者的思考,探讨国际移民社会融合的中国路径,为我国城市解决全球化带来的国际移民融合问题提供新思路。     

Griffith Taylor Lecture,Geographical Society of New South Wales, 2004: Australia and the ‘State of Nature/Native’

This account sets itself against the binarism of physical versus cultural determinism that drives population–environment debate over people's place on the Australian continent. In reading back into colonial times, it evokes ‘our’ unresolved sense of relation to nature on a continent that has pressed awkward buttons since the time the botanist on Cook's Endeavour, Joseph Banks, first mused over the apparent contradiction on the east coast of human presence and uncultivated land. Australia's ‘state of nature’, including its inhabitants, elicited tensions in Anglo-Celtic peoples’ ambiguous relation with nature that have never gone away or been resolved. Indeed, I argue, against the background of what was considered in eighteenth-century Enlightenment thought to be a distinctly human separation from, and capacity to rise above, nature, that the Australian state of nature/native precipitated a crisis in prevailing ideas of ‘the human’. As consternation grew into the nineteenth century about the very capacity of Aboriginal people for improvement, and particularly for cultivation, I argue they challenged the basis upon which the unity of humankind had been assumed in Enlightenment thought. They could not be comprehended, according to the prevailing conception of racial difference, as a mere variety of the human. The radical idea of innate human difference may thus be understood as arising out of this incomprehension, as an attempt to account for the ontologically inexplicable difference of the Australian Aborigine. This lecture's excursion into the origins of ‘race’ is by way of highlighting the uncertainty of the divide between the human and non-human worlds. Imagining an entangled world of living things may help to craft fresh lines of debate about modes of environmental belonging and becoming on this continent that overcome the stale binaries and blind spots of Australia's population–environment debate.     

Networking

This essay outlines the ways that networks structure opportunities foremployment and advancement and the ways that networks build frameworks of support, particularly for women in geography. I consider the evidence supporting the contention that personal contacts and social networks affect careeroutcomes. I then note that each person's networks are likely to be biased in favor of others who share common interests and concerns. In particular, gender affects network composition in significant ways. Because network composition affects how a network functions, it is worth considering the personal and professional advantages of building diverse networks. In the final section I suggest ways to build such networks.     

Pow Choon-Piew's contributions to urban China studies

This commentary serves as a tribute to the late Pow, a remarkable scholar in urban geography and urban studies, summarizing his contributions to urban China studies. It aims to showcase the way in which Pow's work manoeuvred adroitly with an implicit comparative gesture—building a bridge between situated Chinese cases and wider theoretical debates in urban studies in order to enrich both domains. The essay then summarizes Pow's work in the field of urban China studies by focusing on two most emblematic topics that he delved into in great depth, i.e., gated communities and eco-city developments. The final section develops a brief quantitative analysis of the impact that Pow's work has generated. Using the software packages CiteSpace and HistCite, I unpack how his publications are cited and used by scholars, journals, and different areas of research.     

Population and environment in Australia: issues in the next half century

This paper considers the likely future population in Australia to 2050 and is cast within the context of environmental limitations, to which Griffith Taylor alerted the nation in the 1920s and 1930s, and for which he was vilified in several quarters. While acknowledging the relative accuracy of his long-range forecasts, the arguments here depart from environmental determinism, although varying sets of environmental ethics and values are considered in relation to Australia's global responsibilities and international commitments. It is argued that an increase in population to 26 million by 2050 will not place severe stresses on the physical environment, provided environmental and resource management strategies are put firmly in place, and if consumption and resource use practices are significantly modified. An ideological linkage exists between a resurgent Australian nationalism and a number of environmental perspectives, but one which rejects growth and biological diversity among humans while embracing environmentalism. This inward-looking nationalism–environmentalism is seen as harmful both to Australia's moral integrity as a nation, and in local and world citizenship.