Space (history)

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In historical studies, the term space is no longer just understood to mean architectural space, but also the not necessarily visible space in which social interactions take place.

Terms

Space theory

Space theory describes the understanding of space in the science of history. The space in the story thus includes not only the architectural space (e.g. house, room), i.e. the visible space, but also the not necessarily visible space that is created by societies. The quote from Karl Schlögel , published in 2003, describes this fact very well:

"The story not only takes place in time, but also in space."

This quote makes it clear that the history of people, cultures or even nations always takes place in a specific space. In this way the understanding of the invisible space becomes recognizable, which is why we are also talking about social, physical-geographical and mental space.

  • The social space, also the lived space, deals with the social space that arises as soon as individuals live together or group themselves. In prehistory and early history, the focus was primarily on natural spaces. The boundaries between social groups were initially drawn through bodies of water, forests and mountain ranges, but this changed with modern times. In addition to the natural boundaries, there are also symbolic points of identification and marks such as language and religion.
  • The physical-geographical space, also perceived space, is the natural features of human history. In contrast to the social space, the physical-geographical space describes a so-called container under which one can imagine a house, a square or a battlefield.
  • The mental space, including the designed space, is not necessarily a visible space, as this space only arises through thoughts. The mental space therefore becomes visible through the creation of images, which ensures that the space experienced is grasped. The ideas and ascriptions that allude to and create spaces therefore form the mental space.

geopolitics

The geopolitics generally refers to spatial and political conditions. Thus, geopolitics plays a special role with regard to spatial conditions for the explanation of political structures and processes, especially in an international context. Geopolitics thus appears as a cultural operation, since it no longer acts like a metabolic process between nature and society on an economic level. This can be explained by the fact that it is no longer about the struggle for resources, but about imperial or global projects, which are about the spread of power of a certain group. A good example of this is the place in the sun , designed by the then State Secretary of the Foreign Office of the German Empire Bernhard von Bülow (1849–1929) in the context of colonial policy .

Spatial turn

The spatial turn , also a topological turn, generally points to an interest in space within the cultural and social sciences . Since the 1980s, the spatial turn has been a discussion of upheaval by the French philosopher Michel Foucault , who perceives space as a cultural dimension. Accordingly, the focus on rooms as historical events comes to the fore together with the perception of space in maps, models and culture. As a cultural or historical code, the spatial turn focuses on the specific space from the interior to the landscape or from the living space to the depicted space. Thus, the spatial turn encompasses aspects of a culture within its own hermeneutic and semiotic field.

The term spatial turn also finds criticism in science , especially through the word turn , which is supposed to describe a paradigm shift and thus pushes space into the center of research. However, it is important to note that the spatial turn is not necessarily the beginning of all turning points, but should initially be captured as a so-called explanatory concept of understanding in the controversies of post-Marxist theorists. In addition, no independent anthology on this term has yet been published. However, the term spatial turn is also used to refer to space theory within historical science.

Historical development

For a long time, the area received a rather negative response in German historical studies, as it was associated with geopolitics, imperialism and nationalism and thus identified directly in connection with Germany's troubled past. This ensured that the topic of space was less of a focus in historical studies. However, this has changed in the last twenty years due to the spatial turn in the cultural and social sciences, as a result of which the importance of space in historical research gained increasing interest.

During the 45th German Historians' Day in 2004, Communication and Space , the concept of space was taken up and received relatively positive feedback from historians. A new wave of publications on the subject of space in historical studies emerged. The studies focus primarily on the historicity and relativity of spaces, with the focus primarily on spatial concepts such as social, physical-geographical and mental space. The aim is to turn against a physical understanding of space and to see space itself as a result of social relationships that arise from the interests and actions of individual people and groups. In addition, it is not sufficient if the space becomes the object of investigation; it is much more important to approach the described objects of the space from the beginning of the investigation, only then is the topological turnaround presented as a paradigm shift. The science of history no longer works with the linear conception of time, but rather, as described by the historian Reinhart Koselleck , with the concept of time itself, which changes the perception of time in the course of history. It was also illustrated that different ideas of time can exist in parallel within an epoch. The space, including the invisible space, has always existed, but the understanding of it has developed in the course of history, which has led to an awareness of a new understanding of space.

New understanding of space in history

Space and military

Despite the increasing interest in space in historical research, relatively few studies with a spatial theoretical approach in the context of German military history have been published. Historians such as Bernhard R. Kroener , Christoph Nübel and Peter Lieb deal with space and military history, among other things. The understanding of space is of particular interest to the military, since the social, physical-geographical and mental space, for example, can analyze the military conditions at the front in a completely different way in historical studies.

Italian mountain troops 1915 (example of the terms environment and terrain)

The military has to guarantee the security of a country. Therefore, since then, the military has had to adapt to different geographical conditions in the area. Natural conditions, such as mountains, were considered a demanding area and were therefore initially seen by the military as more of a transit area. However, a decisive change took place due to new technical achievements. With their help, other areas could be made usable for military purposes. The physical-geographical space was changed by the construction of roads, paths, tunnels, etc. by human hands. Thus, the space also formed the military, as it had to adapt to the spatial and geographical conditions in order to work out a strategy in the fight against the enemy. In particular, factors such as forces, time, space and information became more and more important for the military.

Midday in the trenches 1915 (example of the physical-geographical, social and mental space)

The theory of space is to be used by the military through the physical-geographical factors, the strategic, operational and tactical level. With this information, the space became more than just a terrain, as the spatial order and the information space came into focus. The terms battlefield and war theater, which Nübel mentions in his introduction A History of War Experience 1914-1918 , explain very well the relationship between war and space in military history. The physical-geographical space plays a decisive role in relation to the environment. In times of war, the soldiers had no common infrastructure that would guarantee them independence from nature. Therefore, the soldiers were forced to adapt their living situation to the environment in which they fought. They slept in tents and stayed in trenches, which meant that they were inferior to the seasons and changes in weather such as rain, snow or extreme temperatures. This made the soldiers dependent on the environment. The terrain, for example the battlefield, is to be recorded under the physical-geographical and under the mental space. The terrain influenced the military's combat strategy, as it was easier to fight in open landscapes such as fields than in a mountain region. The field was clearer for the soldiers and also cost them less physical effort than in a rather confusing mountain region. In addition, the soldiers at the front were exposed to constant danger. The adaptation to the living conditions in a certain area presupposed that the soldiers had a certain perception and approach. This also took care of the conception of the mental space. Another important term in connection with war and space is the landscape. However, these do not refer to the military terrain, but to the historical spaces that are based on perception, memory and experience. The landscapes shaped the social and mental space of soldiers in war.

Also, the fact that many contemporaries chose a spatial method during World War I is due to the fact that they got a better understanding. It was also possible to keep records of the effects. Likewise, the landscape, the terrain and the local population at the theater of war were significantly shaped by the relatives of the soldiers from various sources and stories. In addition, an image of the enemy was created that was shaped by the perceptions of the relentlessness of the climate and the landscape, which in turn benefited the group's sense of community. The understanding of space and the use of space theory in historical studies, especially in military history, is therefore of great importance. The space theory allows military historical events to be analyzed in a completely different way.

literature

Monographs and compilations

  • Bernhard R. Kroener: War, Military and Space - Commentary . In: Jörg Echternkamp, ​​Wolfgang Schmidt, Thomas Vogel (eds.): Perspektiven der Militärgeschichte . Space, Violence, and Representation in Historical Research and Education . 1st edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftlicherverlag GmbH, Munich 2010, pp. 165-170, ISBN 978-3-486-58816-3 .
  • Christoph Nübel: Perseverance and survival on the western front. Space and body in the First World War. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, ISBN 978-3-506-78083-6 .
  • Friedrich Ratzel : Political geography or the geography of states, traffic and war. 2nd edition, Oldenbourg, Munich / Leipzig 1903.
  • Jörg Döring , Tristan Thielmann (ed.): Spatial Turn. The space paradigm in the cultural and social sciences. 2nd Edition. Transcript, Bielefeld 2009, ISBN 978-3-89942-683-0 .
  • Joachim Fischer , Heike Delitz (ed.): The architecture of society. Theories for the sociology of architecture. Transcript, Bielefeld 2009, ISBN 978-3-8376-1137-3 .
  • Karl Schlögel: We read the time in space. About the history of civilization and geopolitics. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-446-20381-8 .
  • Critical Geography (Ed.): Geopolitics. On the ideological criticism of political spatial concepts . Promedia, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-85371-167-7 .
  • Michel Foucault : Other spaces. In: Martin Wentz (Ed.): City spaces . Campus-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1991, ISBN 3-593-34578-1 , pp. 65-72.

Magazines

  • Beat Kümin and Cornelie Usborne: At Home and in the Workplace: A historical introduction to the “spatial turn” . In: History and Theory . Vol. 52, 2013, ISSN  0018-2656 , pp. 305-318.
  • Jürgen Osterhammel: The return of space: geopolitics , geohistory and historical geography . In: New Political Literature . Vol. 43, Issue 3, 1998, pp. 374-397.
  • Peter Lieb, Christoph Nübel (ed.): Space and military history . In: Military History Journal . Vol. 73, Issue 2, 2015, ISSN  2196-6850 , pp. 277-284.
  • Riccardo Bavaj : What does the “spatial turn” bring to regional history? A contribution to the methodological discussion. In: Westphalian research. Vol. 56, 2006, ISSN  0083-9027 , pp. 457-484.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Peter Lieb, Christoph Nübel (ed.): Space and military history . In: Military History Journal . Vol. 73, Issue 2, 2015, pp. 277–278.
  2. ↑ Christoph Nübel: Perseverance and survival on the western front. Space and body in the First World War. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, p. 7.
  3. ↑ Karl Schlögel: We read the time in space. About the history of civilization and geopolitics. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2003, p. 9.
  4. ^ Jörg Döring , Tristan Thielmann (Ed.): Spatial Turn. The space paradigm in the cultural and social sciences. 2nd Edition. Transcript, Bielefeld 2009, pp. 20-22.
  5. ↑ Jürgen Osterhammel: The return of space: geopolitics , geohistory and historical geography . In: New Political Literature . Vol. 43, Issue 3, 1998, pp. 374-397.
  6. ^ Jörg Döring , Tristan Thielmann (Ed.): Spatial Turn. The space paradigm in the cultural and social sciences. 2nd Edition. Transcript, Bielefeld 2009, pp. 8-9.
  7. ↑ Peter Lieb, Christoph Nübel (ed.): Space and military history . In: Military History Journal . Vol. 73, Issue 2, 2015, p. 278.
  8. ^ Jörg Döring , Tristan Thielmann (Ed.): Spatial Turn. The space paradigm in the cultural and social sciences. 2nd Edition. Transcript, Bielefeld 2009, pp. 8-11.
  9. ^ Bernhard R. Kroener: War, Military and Space - Commentary . In: Jörg Echternkamp, ​​Wolfgang Schmidt, Thomas Vogel (eds.): Perspektiven der Militärgeschichte . Space, Violence, and Representation in Historical Research and Education . 1st edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftlicherverlag GmbH, Munich 2010, pp. 165–170, p. 165.
  10. ↑ https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/18452/18466/HistFor_4-2004.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  11. ↑ Christoph Nübel: Perseverance and survival on the western front. Space and body in the First World War. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, pp. 1–2.
  12. ^ Bernhard R. Kroener: War, Military and Space - Commentary . In: Jörg Echternkamp, ​​Wolfgang Schmidt, Thomas Vogel (eds.): Perspektiven der Militärgeschichte . Space, Violence, and Representation in Historical Research and Education . 1st edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftlicherverlag GmbH, Munich 2010, p. 170.
  13. ↑ Peter Lieb, Christoph Nübel (ed.): Space and military history . In: Military History Journal . Vol. 73, Issue 2, 2015, p. 277.
  14. ^ Bernhard R. Kroener: War, Military and Space - Commentary . In: Jörg Echternkamp, ​​Wolfgang Schmidt, Thomas Vogel (eds.): Perspektiven der Militärgeschichte . Space, Violence, and Representation in Historical Research and Education . 1st edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftlicherverlag GmbH, Munich 2010, pp. 165–178.
  15. ↑ Christoph Nübel: Perseverance and survival on the western front. Space and body in the First World War. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, pp. 4–5.
  16. ↑ Christoph Nübel: Perseverance and survival on the western front. Space and body in the First World War. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, pp. 12–16.
  17. ^ Bernhard R. Kroener: War, Military and Space - Commentary . In: Jörg Echternkamp, ​​Wolfgang Schmidt, Thomas Vogel (eds.): Perspektiven der Militärgeschichte . Space, Violence, and Representation in Historical Research and Education . 1st edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftlicherverlag GmbH, Munich 2010, pp. 166–168.
  18. ↑ Christoph Nübel: Perseverance and survival on the western front. Space and body in the First World War. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, pp. 7–8.