A space for place in sociology
Abstract
Sociological studies sensitive to the issue of place are rarely labeled thus, and at the same time there are far too many of them to fit in this review. It may be a good thing that this research is seldom gathered up as a “sociology of place,” for that could ghettoize the subject as something of interest only to geographers, architects, or environmental historians. The point of this review is to indicate that sociologists have a stake in place no matter what they analyze, or how: The works cited below emplace inequality, difference, power, politics, interaction, community, social movements, deviance, crime, life course, science, identity, memory, history. After a prologue of definitions and methodological ruminations, I ask: How do places come to be the way they are, and how do places matter for social practices and historical change?
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The study's results align closely with Alexander and Blazquez Cano's (2020) theme of shifting from scalability to appropriateness and Cheetham et al.'s (2018) vision of kaleidoscope place with a detachment from physicality.
“Our results align closely with Alexander and Blazquez Cano's (2020:5) theme of 'shifting from scalability to appropriateness' and Cheetham et al.'s (2018) vision of kaleidoscope place with a detachment from physicality (Gieryn, 2000).”
From Retail futures: Customer experience, phygital retailing, and the Experiential Retail Territories perspective (2025) · cites this paper as Gieryn, 2000
Cites
Bourdieu, P. (1990) · doi:10.1515/9781503621749 · Cited by 17,271 · see citing works
Psychiatric implications of displacement: contributions from the psychology of place
(1996) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.153.12.1516 · Cited by 697 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The loss of place, it follows, must have devastating implications for individual and collective identity, memory, and history—and for psychological well-being (Fullilove 1996).”
BackgroundDissident Groups, Personal Networks, and Spontaneous Cooperation: The East German Revolution of 1989
Opp, K.-D., & Gern, C. (1993) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2096280 · Cited by 419 · cited 1× · see citing works
“PLACE IN SOCIOLOGY 479 East German protests in 1989 (Opp & Gern 1993), Groveland Church for political rallies in a Chicago African-American community (Pattillo-McCoy 1998).”
BackgroundGupta, A. (1992) · Cultural Anthropology · doi:10.1525/can.1992.7.1.02a00050 · Cited by 414 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…Spillman 1997, Wagner-Pacifici & Schwartz 1991) inspire patriotism, at least in theory (on place and contested national identities: Borneman 1997, Gupta 1997, Zelinsky 1988), just as sacred places become the destination of pilgrimages because of their mythic or symbolic connection to the…”
BackgroundFinding the Building in Wayfinding
Peponis, J., Zimring, C., & Choi, Y. K. (1990) · Environment and Behavior · doi:10.1177/0013916590225001 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
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The Emergence and Development of Life Course Theory
Elder, G. H., Johnson, M. K., & Crosnoe, R. (2003) · Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research · doi:10.1007/978-0-306-48247-2_1 · Cited by 3,322 · see citing works
The sociology of the local: action and its publics.
Fine, G. A. (2010) · Sociological Theory · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9558.2010.01380.x · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Alexander, B., & Varley, R. (2025) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104108 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
A Place for Integration: Refugee Experiences in Two English Cities
Platts‐Fowler, D., & Robinson, D. (2015) · Population, Space and Place · doi:10.1002/psp.1928 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Quiroz, P. A., Milam-Brooks, K., & Adams-Romena, D. (2014) · Childhood · doi:10.1177/0907568213496654 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gieryn, T. F.
- Affiliations
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405;
- Venue
- Annual Review of Sociology
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2000-08
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 463-496
- ISSN
- 0360-0572
- 1545-2115
- Cited by
- 1,701
- References
- 5
- Language
- en
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