HENRI LEFEBVRE'S THEORY OF SPACE IN THE "SPATIAL TURN" WITHIN CULTURAL STUDIES

Abstract

B a c k g r o u n d . The "spatial turn" as a radical positing of spatiality as the central problem and foundation of inquiry in the humanities and social sciences inevitably relies on a new, and distinctly cultural theory of space. Deriving from the conceptual framework of the 1970s French discourse on space in general, and of Henri Lefebvre's approach in particular, this basis of the late-modern spatial turn and its generalizing potential within cultural studies still calls for theoretical clarification.

M e t h o d s . The study employs general theoretical methods of critical analysis and conceptual synthesis.

R e s u l t s . The "revaluation" of space, inspired and delineated by the French intellectual milieu of the 1970s, encompasses two dimensions: on the one hand, revealing the crucial activity and organizational efficacy of space in its inseparable connection with knowledge and power production; and on the other hand, outlining "other spaces," alternative to this abstract configuration, as immanently meaningful outcomes and drivers of lived experience. The significance of Lefebvre's approach lies not only in unifying these dimensions within the interrelated tripartite structure but, most importantly, in his direct articulation of a new theory of (social) space – or rather, of spaces – as always, the products of diverse, contradictory, and interdependent practices, which simultaneously shape those very practices. These real-and-imaginary spaces range from almost purely material and body-related, yet always saturated with meaning, to almost purely abstract concepts, no less real in their production and effect.

С o n c l u s i o n s . Henri Lefebvre's theory offers a foundation for the spatialization of cultural studies, proposing a general conceptual framework that reveals and systematizes diverse, always practically produced real-and-imaginary spaces. These spaces exist in parallel – often unnoticed by one another – yet constantly interact and alter the overall balance of their fundamental socio-cultural influences.