Society and space – reconstructing power

Pre-requisites: To successfully participate in this course students must be familiar with theories and general methodologies in sociology, sociology of populations and politics, in other words – knowledge of similar fields and disciplines.

Course objectives: The objective of this course is for students to understand the spatial dimensions of social life, its organization and development and its critical approach to researching all social phenomena (since it is directly involved and contextualized), as well as conceptual challenges presented by change in spatiality of a society.

Course description: We will examine contemporary social theories on the relationship of space and society, especially reconstruction (re-territorialization and re-scaling) of social power in modern, global societies. The changed concepts of space and time will be connected to territorial sovereignty of states (countries), looking at the creation of levels beyond national centers and the de-centralization of parts of social power as well as control of lower territorial wholes (centers). We will critically examine the phenomena of new regionalism and new localism, as well as new territorial identities. Discourse on strategic planning of the quality of life in spaces and centers will be analyzed through the concept of public-private partnerships. We will also address new forms of citizenship (cosmopolitan, transnational, urban, cultural, economic, minority, etc) and questions of social cohesion in and between various spatial levels, under conditions of increasing fragmentation of social space and the privatization of public space. The practical component of this course deals with specific indicators of regional and urban/local development within the EU as a supra-national spatial framework, and subsequent changes in the reconfiguration of social power in more specific areas. Spatial reconfiguration of Serbian society will be specifically addressed.

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to critically analyze characteristics and effects of the reorganization of social power in the dimension of space. Students will gain skills in researching and professionally working on strategic questions regarding regional and local development.

Literature/Reading:

• Brenner, N. Et al (eds) (2003) State/Space: A Reader, Blackwell Publishing
• Isin, E. (ed) (2000) Democracy, Citizenship and the Global City, Routledge.
• Scott, A, (ed) (2002) Global City-Regions: Trends, Theory, Policy, Oxford University Press
• Le Gales (2002) European Cities: Social Conflicts and Governance, Edition European Societies, Oxford University Press.
• Sreten Vujović i Mina Petriović, Urbana sociologija, Zavod za uđbenike i nastavna sredstva, Beograd, 2005.
• zakoni, programska dokumenta, statistički podaci, izveštaji relevantnih organizacija, referentna istraživanja i sl