Notes on Massey's Politics and Space/Time

In her essay Politics and Space/Time, Doreen Massey challenges the notion that space and time are separate. Space is a hot topic. In the discussion surrounding space, everyone assumes that we already know the definition of the term space, yet in much of the discussion space is poorly defined. In the current literature, many authors separate space from politics. Massey challenges Laclau’s view of space. In his interpretation, space is static and because it is removed from time, it is also separate from politics. Laclau asserts that space is a closed and self-determining structure. Because the spatial is closed system, all changes are internal and politics are removed from this static spatial realm. Although change can occur within the spatial itself, change cannot happen upon it by larger systems. In Laclau’s view there is no dynamic interaction between space and broader systems. Laclau holds that only in dislocation do we find politics. Dislocation is temporal and the opposite of space—it is the form of possibility and freedom. Massey draws upon three different disciplines to deconstruct Laclau’s assertions—radical geography, feminism, and physics. Massey draws on radical geography to explain that space and society have a reciprocal relationship. Space is socially constructed and society is constructed spatially. Because of this mutual relationship, space cannot be separate from history and time. Laclau’s arguments rely upon a dichotomous dualistic definition of space-time. Feminists critique these oppositional dichotomies as an obstacle to understand the changing world. These oversimplified dichotomies uphold the patriarchal structure of society. This kind of dichotomous, dualistic thinking is responsible for the distinction, characterization, and power relations between men and women in our society. Space is often coded as female in both its chaos and opposition to history and time. Women throughout city have been viewed as a threat to the male dominated city culture. For women the city was a place to more easily escape the patriarchal social controls of smaller towns. Women in the cities have represented disorder, sexual license, and chaos. Massey also argues that Laclau’s assertion that space and time are oppositional does not jive with the laws of physics.