Material and the Representational Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Material and the Representational - Essay Example Social and cultural geography have, over time, experienced a lot of change as a result of developments in schools of thought. Modernization processes of various countries have expressed the extent of the relationship between modernity and geography. There is literature that has indicated that modernization is a project of geography. With modernization and its key concepts such as globalization of affairs social and cultural geography have moved closer. In (Barnes et al. 2004), it is indicated that the reconstruction of geographical conditions is as a result of the production process which incorporates nature and society. In this reconstruction, there is the production of a restless hybrid quasi-object that welds together representational, symbolic and material practices of the production process, often characterized with competition. The coming together of social and cultural theory has revitalized human geography. Smith (2000) underlines that the recombination of social geography wi th cultural is a welcome idea. In this recombination, the role of material culture perspective is referred cited as being central. According to Jackson (2000), there are good reasons for contemporary social and cultural geography to incorporate material culture. In the same article, materialism role is demonstrated using food and textile. The flows of these goods and their related activities have social implications dictating the kind of relationships amongst people. While linking culture and the social process Smith (2000), demonstrates how both are related by work. In this taxonomy, culture is delineated as work which is a social process. Their symbiotic relational point-work- is deeply entrenched to political economy (Smith 2000). The materialism of the social geography is also one of the chief ways of representing how a society makes and sustains connections with the ‘social’. In his arguments Gregson (2003), indicates that reclaiming the ‘social’ has a direct relationship to social life materiality. This is so with specificity to key components of the society such as production processes, reproduction and organization. With regard to this reclamation, Gregson further indicate to the need to less contemporary questions on materiality and inequalities in the society. The issue of inequalities, both regional and urban transcends societies. Essentially, it has close relations with representation and the social materialism as regarding the role of organization and the production process. According to a World Bank report, inequalities present analysts with complexity of historical and geographical factors. In these inequalities there are factors such as weak resources endowment and distribution as well as market inaccessibility affecting development (World Bank 2005). As such, there have been long standing disparities. Further, the report alludes that regional inequalities are reflected when groups- social, racial and ethnical- are con centrated in common places. The concern for representation is manifested by the extent of effectiveness of decentralization of resources relative to power concentration. With imbalances in representation and, public policy carries biases and can therefore not adequately address spatial inequalities. This has effect on social mobility, risk

Candide by Voltaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Candide by Voltaire - Essay Example Candide and his valet Cacambo’s visit at El Dorado underscored the problem of being intolerant about the social identity of God. This was highlighted in the interesting conversation between Candide and the old man at El Dorado where the sage stressed that the monotheistic interpretation of the social identity of God can cause problems. When the old man was asked by Cacambo â€Å"Do you worship but one God?† the old man explained â€Å"Certainly . . .there are not two, nor three, nor four Gods†¦ people of your world ask very extraordinary questions† (Voltaire 49). Already, the sage knew that interpreting the social identity of God to be one that exclude the others could cause problem such as discrimination and terrorism that is why he told the doubtful Cacambo â€Å"people of your world ask very extraordinary questions† (Voltaire 49) hinting that this kind of mindset is problematic. The other event in the novel where the problem of social identity is very pronounced is when Candide found two slaves in the crew of the galley during his voyage to Constantinople to get Miss Cunegund. The two slaves turned out to be Pangloss and the Baron. This is very significant because Candide saw that Pangloss already died in Lisbon as a heretic. The baron on the other hand was Miss Cunegund’s brother whom Candide had killed when he opposed Candide’s marriage to his sister. Candide was in disbelief when he found them saying â€Å"Do I dream . . . or am I awake? . . . Is this My Lord the Baron, whom I killed? And that my master Pangloss, whom I saw hanged before my face?† (Voltaire 89). Apparently, their social identity was changed to that of a slave that Candide have to buy their freedom. Also, Miss Cunegund features has also turned ugly during when she became a slave in Constantinople. The degrading of Miss Cunegund’s social identity as a