On David Harvey Essays

On David Harvey Essays On David Harvey Essay On David Harvey Essay David Harvey is a classical marxist concerned with inequality and the theoretical bridge between social theory and geography. Argues from a historical materialist perspective – how the society reproduces itself. Harvey on space: For Harvey, social practices and process create spaces and these spaces in turn, constrain, enable and alter those practices and process – what Ed Soja called a â€Å"socio-spatial dialectic†. Constant relationship between society and geography and they both influence eachother. This means that Harvey has long rejected the polar belief that space has no social effects or that it has effects in itself – what Sack called â€Å"spatial seperatism†. Harvey believes in what he refers to as â€Å"active moments†. Space, the material form that processes assume ‘on the ground’ as buildings, infrastructure etc is both cause and effect in/of social life – an ‘active moment’ in human affairs. A socio-spatial dialectic. Link between Marx and Harvey. Harvey is greatly inspired by Marx’ work and takes his starting point in Marx’ perception of capitalism as a contradictory economic system with three ‘logics’: accumulation for accumulation, competition between rival producers to gain market share and technological innovation in production processes and products. This trinity will eventually lead to internal contradictions explained in Capital and end in a crisis of overs are the Oresund Region: danish and swedish state have looked at the Oresund Region as an economic center (and improved housing facilities, infrastructure, schools) Provide an incentive for growth through spatial planning and geogrpahy. (a spatial fix of capitalism) Time-space compression. The way we relate to space has been radically changed – the world has become smaller and smaller. Makes Harvey one of the earlier speakers of globalization. Space-place (particular-general) relationship: Place is by Harvey defined as built environments, cultures, peoples etc. that distinguish one locality from another. Harvey neglects the position of pre 1960s geographers who emphasized that places were singular – meaning absolutely different. He argued that different places were linked within a comon economic framework. IN CLASS