Research in human geography after the practice turn

• Applicant: Dr. Susann Schäfer
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 317780968

With his 'Theory of Social Practices' published in 1996 Theodore Schatzki has developed a new concept of human actions in the social sciences. The concept addresses the configuration of the social and the relatedness between individual actions and social phenomena by considering so-called 'practice-arrangement-bundles' and the 'time-space' of human activity. To apply Schatzki's ideas as a theoretical and methodological frame in human geography, researchers have to analyze the interrelations between time, space, and practices and their consolidation to 'place-path-arrays'. The goal of this research network is to discuss Schatzki's work among human geographers with the focus on future theoretical and methodological developments for the spatial analysis of social processes. Members of the network belong to different sub-fields in human geography; therefore the network will exemplify advancements for geographical research in the following cross topics: political practices, practices of economic transformation and markets, and practices of consumption. The results of the discussions and advancements will be presented at the Annual German Conference of Geography in 2017 with those geographers interested in human actions and practices, and will be published in a textbook titled 'Practices and Space'.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks