ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY, GLOBALIZATION, AND GEOGRAPHICAL IMAGINATION

Abstract

The beginning of the 21st century is marked by consummate globalization, on the one hand, and the rise of right-wing nationalism with a return to xenophobia, on the other hand. Although it seems a paradox at first glance, globalization processes seem to stir certain anxieties and even a fear of “the stranger.” In this chapter, we explore these globalization anxieties from a geographical perspective and through the lens of “ontological security”: what type of insecurity is raised through the continuously intensifying processes of economic exchange, international migration, and communication? And, more importantly: which spatial practices and geographical imaginations can reassure us in times of disorienting societal dynamics? Based on our qualitative empirical case study in Berlin, we elaborate on particular geographical imaginations that people hold that can help to establish ontological security in a globalized world.