13th Sep2012

Embodiment, Identity, and Space

by tatianabenjamin

Space: Last week I discussed space as freedom to move. It is always in direction relationship to place. After this weeks readings I want  to add that space as movement is always in direction relation to culture. Space and its relationship to culture and place makes me think about the ways space creates new boundaries which makes me think about the transnational space as a cultural space.

1. In the ending of chapter 4 of Non-Representational Theory, Thrift discusses “new modes of embodiment” as a way to understand “that new spaces for action are continually being opened up as old ones are closed down” (88). Thrift’s statements challenged me to think about the ways in which transnationalism creates new forms of embodiment. What does mobility look like when we are no longer talking about cars but the ways in which bodies transgress nation-state boundaries through the internet and the travel of capital? This is seen through transnational bodies that can occupy multiple spaces through the physical and mental. These bodies are here in the U.S. but are simultaneously mentally abroad in their respective countries.

2. I found Farman’s statement, “though I was still utilizing my home computer to connect to friends and colleagues across vast distances, I found that I was far more eager to take advantage of proximity when connecting” (16). This stood out to me because it forced me to question this idea of “longing for proximity,” and the ways that it disturbs and/or complicates the distinctions between the virtual and actual. How is it possible that through my conversations on the phone I am simultaneously conceptualizing the pace and place of the person on the other side? I think this may speak to Thrift’s relationship between the cognitive and non cognitive but I am unsure.

3. This is not as much a question but a thought. This week’s readings in conjunction with last week’s reading made me think about the immigrant body  and the deported immigrant body and these individuals inscribe meaning into a place through their transnational activity. I was thinking about how the mental space is still able to connect their pre-deportee life with their post-deportation life. How are these individuals configuring their binational ties post deportation? Is this made possibly only through the mental space?

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