Dans ce travail, on analyse la conception de l’espace formulée par Henri Lefebvre entre la fin des années cinquante et la moitié des années soixante-dix, cherchant à identifier les articulations théorico-politiques les plus importantes et leurs possibles développements. Le premier chapitre est consacré à l’analyse lefebvrienne de la métropole fordiste : le rôle de l’espace dans la production de la quotidienneté, comme organisation systémique de la reproduction sociale. Le deuxième chapitre examine le passage à la « société urbaine » : l’explosion progressive de l’espace d’accumulation keynésiano-fordiste et la formation d’un nouveau sujet de classe, irréductible à l’image du prolétaire industriel. Enfin, le troisième chapitre approfondit la conception constructiviste de l’espace élaborée par Lefebvre et l’hypothèse d’une critique de l’économie politique de l’espace. Un parcours qui conduit à la description d’un modèle articulé et complexe de l’espace politique, centré sur les processus d’urbanisation, rescaling et mondialisation. La thèse illustre de manière globale le parcours théorique qui à partir de l’examen d’une spatialité keynésiano-fordiste conduit Lefebvre à l’analyse de l’« espace néolibéral » émergeant , pour en discuter de manière critique l’actualité. / In this work, we analyze the conception of the space elaborated by Henri Lefebvre between the late fifties and the first half of the seventies, seeking to identify the most important theoretical and political articulations and their possible developments. The first chapter is devoted to Lefebvre’s analysis of Fordist metropolis: the role of the space in the production of everydayness, as a systemic organization of social reproduction. The second chapter examines the transition to “urban society”: the progressive explosion of Keynesian-Fordist space and the formation of a new class subject, irreducible to the image of the industrial proletarian. The third chapter deepens the constructivist conception of the space developed by Lefebvre, and the hypothesis of a critique of the political economy of the space. A path that leads to the description of an articulated and complex model of political space, focusing on the process of urbanization, rescaling and globalization. The dissertation shows comprehensively the theoretical movement, which from the examination of a Keynesian-Fordist spatiality leads Lefebvre to the analysis of the emerging “neoliberal space”, to critically discuss its actuality. / In questo lavoro si analizza la concezione dello spazio formulata da Henri Lefebvre tra la fine degli anni Cinquanta e la metà degli anni Settanta, cercando di individuare gli snodi teorico-politici più importanti e i possibili sviluppi. Il primo capitolo è dedicato all'analisi lefebvriana della metropoli fordista: al ruolo dello spazio nella produzione della quotidianità come organizzazione sistemica della riproduzione sociale. Nel secondo capitolo si esamina il passaggio alla «società urbana»: l'esplosione progressiva dello spazio di accumulazione keynessiano-fordista e la formazione di un nuovo soggetto di classe, non riducibile all'immagine del proletariato industriale. Nel terzo capitolo, infine, vengono approfondite la concezione costruttivistica dello spazio elaborata da Lefebvre e l'ipotesi di una critica dell'economia politica dello spazio. Un percorso che conduce alla descrizione di un modello articolato e complesso dello spazio politico incentrato sui processi di urbanizzazione, riscaling e mondializzazione. Complessivamente, la tesi illustra il percorso teorico che, dalla disamina di una spazialità keynessiano-fordista, conduce Lefebvre all'analisi dello «spazio neoliberale» emergente e ne discute criticamente l'attualità.

In the present effort, the philosopher Henri Bergson’s (1859-1941) seminal philosophical work functions as a revitalizing force and even an implicit point of departure for the more urban-oriented critique of Henri Lefebvre’s (1901-1991) watershed text L’Producción de l’espace/The Production of Space (1974). Both Lefebvre and Bergson in fact share a common perception of space—it is neither a static ground, nor an apriori condition of experience as Kant argued, but is instead a process inseparable from time and implicated in thought itself. Grounded in this resulting novel understanding of space, time and difference, I use an interdisciplinary approach to analyze Madrid’s cultural imaginary through novels by Belén Gopegui (1992), Pío Baroja (1911) and Luis Martín-Santos (1961); films by Carlos Saura (1996), Alejandro Amenábar (1997), and American Jim Jarmusch (1992); and the urban space of Madrid’s Retiro Park. The purpose of this work is twofold. On the one hand it is an attempt to reconcile the spatial issues of concern to cultural or human geography with an approach to social life grounded in the humanities. On the other it is a call for a deeper understanding of methodology taken in its widest sense. The former seeks not only to introduce spatial questions to the analysis of literature and film but also to articulate the intimate relation of cultural products to the urban processes in which they are formed, interpreted and sold. The latter requires an investigation of the philosophical preconceptions that structure our spatial practice and interpretation, as well as an awareness of the consequences these preconceptions hold—not only for understanding our common world, but also for producing it and finally for the possibility of changing it through action. These twin purposes—bringing geographical concerns into the humanities and assessing the philosophical bases of our spatial production and interpretation—are not so far removed. Through a careful reading of the above key literary, filmic and urban texts from twentieth century Madrid, this work explores the important consequences of conceiving of space as simultaneously mental and physical. In the Bergsonian fashion, these explorations seek to dispense with the stagnant and irreconcilable philosophical tropes of both pure materialism and pure idealism in order to yield a more precise understanding of cultural forms as living processes.

While the fiction of J.G. Ballard has been primarily explored through postmodern criticism, his narratives and settings predict major issues concerning the contemporary discourse of posthumanism. His texts explore the escalating economic, social, and ecological crises converging within the material conditions of human urbanization and late capitalism. Nearly all of Ballard’s novels are as much about locations undergoing a crisis as they are about individuals or communities coming to embrace some extended period of human hysteria. His characters in The Drought, Concrete Island, and Super- Cannes, each progress through ecologically and socially alienating surroundings which invigorate them to act against classical humanism’s hegemonic and anthropocentric tendencies. By applying Henri Lefebvre’s spatial concept of “abstract space” to Ballard’s range of urban settings, this thesis investigates how Ballard’s early, middle, and late, novels continually put materiality, humanism, and technological landscapes, through different ecological and geopolitical crises in order to deconstruct a number of cultural and ideological concerns posthumanist studies seek to address.

Esta Dissertação foi desenvolvida em meio a um importante ciclo de protestos de oposição ao governo que usurpou o poder com o golpe parlamentar concretizado em 31 de agosto de 2016. Entre as diversas ações para implementar o novo pacto se encontram a PEC do Fim do Mundo e a Reforma do Ensino Médio. Com isso, uma onda de ocupações estudantis tomou conta de escolas, universidades e institutos tecnológicos. Provocados pelo exemplo da mobilização estudantil, técnicos e docentes da maioria das instituições federais de ensino superior deflagraram suas greves. Na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), a greve dos técnicos durou 44 dias, e a dos docentes 21. Esta pesquisa militante assume a defesa que Lefebvre (2014) faz do cotidiano como categoria de análise e do marxismo também como conhecimento crítico da vida cotidiana. A experiência concreta da realidade, o ‘vivido’, representa o mundo percebido, a focalização da consciência em uma prática. Seu contraponto dialético é o ‘viver’, a virtualidade projetada, fruto das expectativas de um futuro desejado (LEFEBVRE, 2014). O estudo da greve, através da vida cotidiana – este lugar de transição, encontros interações e conflitos -, permite compreender sua construção desde baixo, a partir do vivido e do viver, do individual e do coletivo. Além disto, destacamos as ações e práticas que suspendiam a repetição e desafiavam a alienação a partir da coesão que brota da tomada de consciência das possibilidades que o coletivo constrói ao se organizar para tentar mudar a realidade com a qual se confronta. / The study that originated the present Dissertation was developed amid an important national cycle of protests in opposition to a constitutional amendment that established a spending limit the growth of federal government spending to the rate of inflation for 20 years, and to a bill introducing radical changes in high school curriculum. Both reforms were proposed by the government that took power after the Brazilian parliamentary coup of May 2016 and were approved by the National Congress at the end of this year. These projects were opposed by massive student’s movements and university strikes, among others. In the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil), a technical-administrative staff strike lasted 44 days, and a teachers strike 21 days. We were part of the strike commands – one of us is from administrative staff (and an MSc student at that time) and the other is a teacher. We are also members of the Organization and Liberating Practice research group, based at the School of Administration, in which Marx and Marxist authors have been studied, such as Henri Lefebvre. Therefore, it was obvious that we could interconnect these two spaces (activism and academy) based on Lefebvre’s (2014) propositions on the critique of everyday life. The aim of this activist research was to analyze the everyday construction of these strikes, considering the living and the lived experience of workers and its meaning to transform potentially their everyday life. Lefebvre (2014) provided the theoretical framework to analyze conflicts, practices, ruptures, discontinuities, repetitions and creations, mainly through categories such as ambiguity, alienation, moments and possibilities Data were collected throughout the strikes and was supplemented with social network information and interviews with members from the strike commands after the end of movements. The rupture with everyday labor by rote, the recognition on the importance of cohesion beyond the hierarchies determined by the university structure, and the horizon widening of possibilities for the movement participants were some of the conclusions. Another relevant aspect is that these strikes were not organized in defense or to achieve goals directly related to labor conditions. They were organized together with the student movement that occupied more than 40 buildings in different campuses in defense of the education system, providing a space for mutual recognition that went beyond tactic alliances involving the three sectors of the university community. The everyday collective construction of this movement became evident the importance and potentialities of articulating and supporting each other in each specific struggle workplace while simultaneously being intensively involved with the wider context of social struggles.

Studien är en analys av Elin Wägners Norrtullsligan (1908) och Pennskaftet (1910) ur ett rumsligt perspektiv, med inriktning på genus. Syftet är att fördjupa läsningen av romanerna samt relatera dem till sin tids- och samhällskontext. Romanerna utspelar sig i medelklassmiljöer i Stockholm under tidigt 1900-tal, och handlar om kvinnor som omformulerar sina roller ochengagerar sig i bättre villkor. De centrala frågorna är: Hur gestaltas, representeras och diskuteras rum och stad i romanerna? Vilka rum använder karaktärerna och hur använder de dem? Den teoretiska utgångpunkten är att kombinera litteraturvetenskap med rumsteori, inspirerad av Alexandra Borgs avhandling En vildmark av sten (2011). Rummet uppfattas som en social produkt, med hjälp av begrepp från Henri Lefevbre. Studien relaterar till de tidigare analyser av Wägners romaner som gjorts med feministiska eller rumsliga förtecken. Studien visar att rummen skildras ur romanernas tydligt kvinnligt subjektiva perspektiv. Kvinnorna lever under alternativa bostadsformer men erkänner inte dessa bostäder som hem. De anser sig behöva en man för att legitimera hemmet. Vidare är kvinnornas tillvaro i de offentligastadsrummen sexualiserad och i romanerna hanterar kvinnorna detta genom att ge sig in i en identitetsmaskerad, där de genom att utge sig vara omoraliska skapar sig frihet. Studien diskuterar också arbetsplatser och rum för politisk verksamhet i romanerna.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-37).

In the following thesis I investigate aspects of soundscape research and study practices through the gaze of certain methodologies presented in Henri Lefebvre’s Rhythmanalysis. I argue that elements of the practice Lefebvre has coined “rhythmanalysis” may function as useful tools in the study of sound environments. My research attempts to demonstrate that aspects of rhythmanalysis parallel and complement the important soundscape research that R. Murray Schafer and Hildegard Westerkamp have conducted over the past four decades. The thesis brings Lefebvre’s theories of capitalist modes of production into dialogue with Schafer and Westerkamp’s soundscape explorations. I consider how the rhythmanalytical method corresponds to and diverges from soundscape analysis. The thesis draws on both Schafer and Lefebvre to analyze a soundscape environment that I have personally experienced and inhabited. Lastly, I demonstrate the value in considering rhythmanalysis and Westerkamp’s interpretation of soundwalks as a connected discipline.

The contemporary Western city is a space of capitalism, realized on a personal level through the lived realities of work and consumption. Elevation of these twin activities is contributing to ongoing social and environmental problems, both within the city and the larger interconnected world. As an alternative, play represents a way to de-emphasize the importance of work and consumption and their pervasive monetary components. Uncommodified, non-commercial play can open up more urban space and time for use value, above the exchange value that capitalism so efficiently emphasizes. Henri Lefebvre’s ideas about the ongoing production of social space, explicated in his spatial triad, alongside his ideas surrounding a resurgent and possibly revolutionary festival are used to explain how play can unsettle current capitalist norms. Urban exploration, an activity that sees people venture into all parts of the city, particularly those where one is not meant to go, is used as a form of play in support of this argument. This pastime interacts with the city in multiple spatial and temporal ways, helping to counteract some of the negative aspects of modern life. By entering various areas with unique perspectives, urban explorers recast working, consuming and forgotten spaces into sites of play and fun. Urban space itself becomes less alienated, more dynamic, and the possibilities within it evermore exciting. Exploration also reveals the uneven nature of contemporary urban space. By revealing certain problems urban exploration might act as a first step towards countering them, in turn encouraging different urban spaces and a diversified more livable city full of opportunities for use, self-expression and growth. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2008-02-25 13:28:32.156

Abstract Where and how people live in later life is of vital importance to their wellbeing. Yet there has been very little critical attention in gerontology to the growth of large residential complexes being built by developers on urban fringes across Australia. There is no coherent policy relating to older people’s accommodation, and a general absence in understanding the capacity of these purpose built environments to meet the needs of older people. Further, there is a lack of research that represents the intricate interplay of factors that informs the provision of residential complexes. This research aims to address the critical need to understand the reality of older people’s lives within these spaces of ageing. It seeks to do this by exploring the experiences and meaning older people resident in these complexes attach to these spaces, as well as investigating the views and knowledge of those responsible for their design and production. A spatial framework, directly informed by Henri Lefebvre’s theory of social space, provides a holistic means to integrate both the structural and humanistic dimensions of space. This framework guided an exploration of the working knowledge of the professionals involved in the production of residential complexes, as well as how older people use, and create meaning in this living environment. The qualitative research design facilitated the analysis of interviews with professionals and older people, as well as documents and working papers in order to gain a rich understanding of the different dimensions that make up the production of, and life within, residential complexes. The research identified a broad range of implications in relation to the policy and practice of building residential complexes for older people. Of particular note is that the working knowledge of those responsible for the provision of residential complexes is underpinned by a stereotypical approach to ageing which affects their attitudes and assumptions. This is part of a complex array of factors including ageism, the dominance of business acumen, and humanism all resulting in a cultural acceptance of older people’s accommodation as separate. These findings prompt consideration of who is planning for whom, and who benefits? Findings suggest that for older people residential complexes are an ambiguous place, characterised by tensions. For some residents, the space provides both security and community, enabling them to engage with occupations and relationships. However, for others, the space is limiting, compromising their ability to retain meaning in their lives. In this way, residential complexes are both an enabling and a constraining environment. These findings highlight the inherent difficulty of providing one dominant model for a population with a broad range of needs, experiences and expectations. Whatever their age older people continue to produce space, and this is not only about keeping the past alive, but keeping in touch with the whole of their lives. This entails continuing to form relationships and connecting to the environment, whether that is a garden, the bush or inner city life; and through the signification of objects as both an expression of connection, loss and absence. To reinforce the heterogeneity of older people, place and space for some was not important. This research has important implications for developing policy on ageing and planning the built environment, as well for the application of the theory of social space. Of note is the power and pervasiveness of ageism within professions responsible for the conception and production of residential complexes, and the strength of the dissonance between accommodation, support and care for older people. Important insights were gained about older people’s use and meaning of their space, notably the need to recognise micro agency and occupation throughout the life course. This thesis draws attention to the complexity of place and space in regard to older people and their living environments and challenges research that adopts a more singular approach. Finally, use of Lefebvre’s work to drive the approach adopted in this study is a major strength. In particular, the operationalisation of Lefebvre’s triad of social space in a social context provides a theoretical contribution to social theory, one to be taken up by gerontology and social science.

Abstract Where and how people live in later life is of vital importance to their wellbeing. Yet there has been very little critical attention in gerontology to the growth of large residential complexes being built by developers on urban fringes across Australia. There is no coherent policy relating to older people’s accommodation, and a general absence in understanding the capacity of these purpose built environments to meet the needs of older people. Further, there is a lack of research that represents the intricate interplay of factors that informs the provision of residential complexes. This research aims to address the critical need to understand the reality of older people’s lives within these spaces of ageing. It seeks to do this by exploring the experiences and meaning older people resident in these complexes attach to these spaces, as well as investigating the views and knowledge of those responsible for their design and production. A spatial framework, directly informed by Henri Lefebvre’s theory of social space, provides a holistic means to integrate both the structural and humanistic dimensions of space. This framework guided an exploration of the working knowledge of the professionals involved in the production of residential complexes, as well as how older people use, and create meaning in this living environment. The qualitative research design facilitated the analysis of interviews with professionals and older people, as well as documents and working papers in order to gain a rich understanding of the different dimensions that make up the production of, and life within, residential complexes. The research identified a broad range of implications in relation to the policy and practice of building residential complexes for older people. Of particular note is that the working knowledge of those responsible for the provision of residential complexes is underpinned by a stereotypical approach to ageing which affects their attitudes and assumptions. This is part of a complex array of factors including ageism, the dominance of business acumen, and humanism all resulting in a cultural acceptance of older people’s accommodation as separate. These findings prompt consideration of who is planning for whom, and who benefits? Findings suggest that for older people residential complexes are an ambiguous place, characterised by tensions. For some residents, the space provides both security and community, enabling them to engage with occupations and relationships. However, for others, the space is limiting, compromising their ability to retain meaning in their lives. In this way, residential complexes are both an enabling and a constraining environment. These findings highlight the inherent difficulty of providing one dominant model for a population with a broad range of needs, experiences and expectations. Whatever their age older people continue to produce space, and this is not only about keeping the past alive, but keeping in touch with the whole of their lives. This entails continuing to form relationships and connecting to the environment, whether that is a garden, the bush or inner city life; and through the signification of objects as both an expression of connection, loss and absence. To reinforce the heterogeneity of older people, place and space for some was not important. This research has important implications for developing policy on ageing and planning the built environment, as well for the application of the theory of social space. Of note is the power and pervasiveness of ageism within professions responsible for the conception and production of residential complexes, and the strength of the dissonance between accommodation, support and care for older people. Important insights were gained about older people’s use and meaning of their space, notably the need to recognise micro agency and occupation throughout the life course. This thesis draws attention to the complexity of place and space in regard to older people and their living environments and challenges research that adopts a more singular approach. Finally, use of Lefebvre’s work to drive the approach adopted in this study is a major strength. In particular, the operationalisation of Lefebvre’s triad of social space in a social context provides a theoretical contribution to social theory, one to be taken up by gerontology and social science.