Through the labyrinth: Identity as spatial practice

Abstract: This thesis explores the mutual constitution of self and space through the everyday practice of being in space. It argues, first, that knowledge is a practice; it accrues to a particular someone situated somewhere and, so, is necessarily embodied, contextual, and partial in all its guises. It argues that personal identity too is a practice; it is not someone one "has" but something one "does." Finally, it contends that space is more than a passive container; it is apprehended as practices, and this apprehension makes space a powerful shaping force in social life, an ingredient to personal identity, and a political entity of some importance. The principal argument of this thesis is that personal identity is a spatial practice. It concludes by considering the implications of this argument for three issues that mark contemporary life, the theory and practice of international development, and the possibilities of "ethical" spatial practice.

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