The spatial turn in Catalan cultural studies: theoretical approaches and new perspectives

Dasca, Maria, 1977-

doi:https://doi.org/10.3828/jrs.2023.21

The spatial turn in Catalan cultural studies: theoretical approaches and new perspectives

Citation

Dasca M. The spatial turn in Catalan cultural studies: theoretical approaches and new perspectives. Journal of Romance Studies. 2023;23(4):429-65. DOI: 10.3828/jrs.2023.21

Abstract

In recent years several projects have emerged that address Catalan culture from a spatial point of view. This article aims to review the theoretical framework of what is known as the spatial turn in order to evaluate its main contributions, and some potential future orientations, in Catalan cultural studies. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part provides an overview of the main approaches inside spatial studies. In the second part, a selection of studies on Catalan culture and literature is reviewed from the perspective of their connections with spatial studies. Finally, the third part presents three case studies focused on examples from Catalan poetry, film, and science fiction and interprets them from three different spatial perspectives: the first based on the phenomenological perspective, the second on the methodology of emotional and sensory geography and the concept of cognitive mapping, and the third on the spatial figurations of postmodern empire. This final section aims to broaden the applications of spatial analysis, extending it to the interpretation of an open, diverse selection of representations of contemporary Catalan culture.