Social Geography

"Visual geographies" is a concept which at most describes a selective perspective on the fields of research of (human) geography. The theoretical basis of visual geographies should then provide opportunities for reflection on the relationship between images and space.

One possible research focus consists of the constitution of space through material images. It focuses the role of material visuality such as images for everyday use or advertising images in the structuring of external space. Another focus is the constitution of space within the image, a focus that concentrates on the symbolic interior of the image. A third major focus derives from the alleged documentary and informative character of "perfectly normal" everyday images for practical use, whose technical production has taken a back seat and which therefore appear to be illustrative. Finally, it is important to consider the ways in which the production of images, access to images and the appropriation and surveillance of space through images affects social relations and may even alter them. What purposes do images of spaces and places serve? What are their intended effects? Are there discourses that are supported by images and are there images around which discourses develop?

The contributions in this thematic issue represent an attempt to approach this field of research from various directions, and a wide range of different theoretical approaches and accordingly different empirical methods for the analysis of visual aspects of socio-spatial relations are presented.