Power, Knowledge, and Space: A Geographical Introduction

Abstract

The interest of geographers in relations between knowledge, power, and space has a long tradition but it was reinvigorated by critical engagements with Foucault and Gramsci. For Foucault, space is fundamental in any exercise of power, and knowledge and power are integrated with one another. New inventions of communication have influenced the ways in which those in power can generate, store, evaluate and transmit information; the distance over which rulers or headquarters of organizations can give orders and execute control; the spatial division of labor, the scope of surveillance, and the optimal locations for exercising power. Being at or near the center of a domain also has psychological significance because it denotes importance, reputation, competence, and trustworthiness. It increases the chances that experts and scholars will receive public attention and be able to influence key decision-makers. Centers can function as truth spots, and sites of knowledge generation, information control, and power execution.