23 February - International Space
Neal Ascherson
London
In the worlds of international politics and diplomacy, talk of "space"
arises in many different, often incompatible discourses. I shall explore
the notion of international space along several of its dimensions,
including:
- the notion of global political structure as cellular, with emphasis on
the purity or homogeneity of the tissue ("space") within more or less
impermeable cells walls;
- the notion of international space as the space unclaimed or between
such cells;
- space as a definition of sufficiency, for a subsistence present or an
expanding future -- a definition which raises the issue of incompatible
valuations of space in urban and rural areas, and the need of cities to
incorporate hinterlands;
- space as what appears when something pre-existing is removed, enabling
rapid change, such as the fall of empires, or tyrannicides, or the rise of
successor states -- often with the aid of new myths of "emptiness";
- space as "authenticity" : the "cave" hollowed out within coercive
regimes within which spontaneous behaviour and self-organisation is
possible; and
- the globalisation schema, and the assumption that all international
spaces must eventually run together into a single pool.
This lecture will start at 5.30 p.m. in The Lady Mitchell Hall,
Sidgwick Avenue. An adjacent overflow theatre is provided with live TV
coverage. Each lecture is typically attended by 600 people, and it is advisable
to arrive around half an hour early to ensure a place.
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