Sociální prostor

• Title in English: Social space
• Authors: OSMAN Robert
• Year of publication: 2014
• Type: Chapter of a book
• Description: The main objective of this chapter is to introduce the concept of social space. This concept is associated with a plethora of authors such as Urry (1985), Harvey (1989, 2009), Soja (1989, 1996), Gottdiener (1994) and Gregory (1994), chapter focuses exclusively on the concept in the works of Henri Lefebvre. The second objective of this chapter is to present how the concept of social space can be applied to the example of spatial discrimination certain groups of the population. As the space can be considered social, i.e. a social phenomenon, the chapter will focus first on the specifics of the social sciences. The example of the double hermeneutics will outline the basic ontological distinction between the natural and social sciences, or more precisely between substantivist and constructivist sciences. Subsequently, based on the principle of double hermeneutics is introduced dual nature of social space as a product of social practices, but also the process of its production. The concept of space as a substantial naturalness is denaturalized through the transformation of spatial representations in time. Last spatial representation arising from this historical development – an abstract space – is devoted to special consideration. First we introduced abstract space as the dominant spatial representation in capitalist society, after that we discuss the starting points of thought, in order to be at the very end of the whole chapter shows how the hegemonic position of abstract space can contribute to spatial discrimination.