Intercultural interaction and "situational places": a perspective for urban cultural geography within and beyond the performative turn P. Dirksmeier and I. Helbrecht Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Geographisches Institut, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
Received: 01 Jul 2010 – Published in Soc. Geogr. Discuss.: 11 Aug 2010 Revised: 22 Nov 2010 – Accepted: 23 Nov 2010 – Published: 26 Nov 2010
Abstract. With the performative turn in social sciences and the humanities the concept
of performance has arrived in human geography. Performance denotes an
understanding of social actions and practices as constitutive for
non-representational realities. This paper looks at the relationship between
places and performance especially in urban geography and develops the new
term "situational place" to grasp the increasing phenomenon of
(intercultural) encounters in the cities of modern world society.
"Situational places" are situated performances of these (intercultural)
interactions between strangers in cities of the contemporary world society.
With the aid of performance theory the influence of the omnipresent
interactions between strangers in cities on urban space is conceptualized.
Therewith, we hope to present some fruitful theoretical and empirical
possibilities for a cultural urban geography within and beyond the
performative turn.
Citation: Dirksmeier, P. and Helbrecht, I.: Intercultural interaction and "situational places": a perspective for urban cultural geography within and beyond the performative turn, Soc. Geogr., 5, 39-48, doi:10.5194/sg-5-39-2010, 2010.