The world seen in passing or experienced through dwelling presents contested sites of meaning: a social geography of layered spaces, officially and unofficially constituted by presences and absences. The concept of a second geography has been put forward by Michel de Certeau as a geography created by walkers and placed on top of the geography of the literal, forbidden or permitted meaning.
Taking this as inspiration, this special issue of Space & Culture gathers together photos and writings that examine prominent destinations from the point of view of walkers—a view that may or may not coincide with the official meaning of these places. An eccentric reading of second geography suggests also secondary spaces, those residing on the margins or the periphery of primary geographies. These spaces are the b-list sites of world tourism, they are the shabby theatres and mini-malls of suburbia. The secondary geographies are also not urban, they might be derelict oil-rigs, abandoned pastures, and forgotten streams. These are the places that are neither seen, nor sought out.
Project status: published as a special issue of Space & Culture (February 2008, Volume 11, No. 1).
editors, Elena Siemens & Craig Campbell
