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Place and Defilement: Signposts Toward a New Theory of Purity in Sibley’s Geographies of Exclusion

Duschinsky, R.; Brown, D.M.

Place and Defilement: Signposts Toward a New Theory of Purity in Sibley’s Geographies of Exclusion Thumbnail


Authors

R. Duschinsky



Abstract

Following Douglas and Kristeva, Sibley theorizes in Geographies of Exclusion that socio-spatial boundaries necessarily activate discourses of purity and impurity. Yet there is also a second, more sophisticated theory present in the text. Sibley offers three qualifications to Douglas and Kristeva, emphasizing the culturally specific nature of purity and impurity classifications, their status as contested and metaphorical discourses, and their irreducibly spatial organization and operation. Furthermore, beyond these qualifications, a close reading of the grain of Sibley’s argument suggests an account in which (a) temporal closeness to the origin and (b) spatial homogeneity are the standard against which “purity” is measured. Purity and impurity, then, would not attend any “matter out of place” but operate within particular cultural contexts as assessments of whether a phenomenon or space corresponds, in its relative homogeneity, to its impure origin and essence. This perspective offers support for addressing the materiality of purity and impurity discourses.

Citation

Duschinsky, R., & Brown, D. (2015). Place and Defilement: Signposts Toward a New Theory of Purity in Sibley’s Geographies of Exclusion. Space and Culture, 18(3), 243-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331213511722

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Jan 30, 2014
Publication Date Aug 1, 2015
Deposit Date Aug 17, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Space and Culture
Print ISSN 1206-3312
Electronic ISSN 1552-8308
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 18
Issue 3
Pages 243-256
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331213511722

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Copyright Statement
Duschinsky, R. and Brown, D. M. (2015) 'Place and defilement : signposts toward a new theory of purity in Sibley’s geographies of exclusion.', Space and culture., 18 (3). pp. 243-256. Copyright © 2014 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.




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