Toward a Sociological Concept of Space

Abstract

A Vol in the Theory, Culture & Society series (Featherstone, series editor) offers a collection of Georg Simmel's essays, 1890s-1918, on culture & related issues, many previously untranslated, that give insight into his interest in cultural phenomena & the importance of cultural analysis in his work. Simmel's work on defining culture & its cultivation & the nature & function of cultural change in terms of the crisis in culture brought on by industrialization & modernization, is discussed. His theme of the cultural manifestations of everyday social interactions, seen in the role of the senses in face-to-face interactions & relationships between spatial & urban culture, is described. The importance of the struggle to maintain personal identity in the face of modernity, as in the function of fashion, adornment, & style, is explored. Simmel's discussion of the function & impact of other key features of modern culture, including leisure culture & the culture of money & commodities, is presented. His interests in political matters are expressed in essays on the culture of belief & politics of female culture. Simmel's impact on contemporary sociology is assessed. It is hoped that his work on culture will serve as a starting point for investigations into cultural analysis, cultural theory, & the philosophy of culture.