Geographical Vs Political Perspectives

Introduction

Home can be thought of in various ways, and one of them is geographical imagination, which involves increasingly spatial ways of thinking about the world. It enables viewing of the small space people call home as the drawing together of things from various places and times. Through geographical imagination, the home is seen as a place where many different things meet across space and time. It enables seeing the connections and flows between places, their differences, and similarities as well as the locations of power and inequality. Another way of viewing the home is through a politics and international relations perspective where individuals identify themselves with particular national homes and the political significance of such choices. It points out that the home is more than a matter of collective and personal identities as there are many practices and symbols of nationalism that can often be divisive and indicative of inequalities of power regarding whose home it is. This paper aims at comparing and contrasting how geographers and political scientists study the relationship between the ideas of home and power by showing the similarities and differences that exist between these schools of thought.

One of the similarities between geographers and political scientists regarding ideas of home and power involves the use of maps and symbols. Both geographers and political scientists agree that power plays an essential role in how the concept of the home is viewed and depicted and in driving inequalities. A map is an essential tool used by geographers, and their construction is influenced by the different ways of seeing the world as well as the dominant culture. Ryan (1996), cited in Murji and Silva (2015, p.115), argues that power is embedded in maps as they can ignore places of interest and highlight others. They can make particular people or community invisible therefore promoting inequality. De Certeau argues that the map is a representation made by and for those who design and build it.

Similarly, political theorists have argued that what nationalism as the idea of the home is and how it emerges is subject to various claims and definitions. Practices and symbols of patriotism can unconsciously and meaningfully symbolize home and aid in creating collective national identities (Murji and Silva, 2015, p.155). They can also lead to divisions and protests against the state as they indicate the power inequalities regarding whose home it is. An example is the red post box that can symbolize national home, as well as British state power and nationalists groups seeking to contest and remove that power, especially in colonialized nations, can view it as a divisive and unwelcome symbol. Collectively, national symbols can cause divisions as they can mark out who does not belong and who belongs.

Another similarity involves the notion of globalization and international relations. Massey places emphasis on the role of power in the creation of a sense of place, which includes a sense of home. Massey points out the inequality evident in globalization by arguing against what most geographers' term as the time-space compression as a powerful and unstoppable force swiping across the world, and it has led to a shrinking world (Massey and Massey, 2005). Massey argues that it is not a force sweeping across the globe, but rather, some are more in charge of it than others with some initiating flows and movements while others can't, and some are more on the receiving end than others. Such uneven connections and flows across have led to power geometries where different spatial movements and associations for different groups of people are created. An extreme example is given as Apartheid in South Africa, as well as the everyday expectations and laws that impact people in unequal and different ways. The emphasis is that even though globalization may look like a universal phenomenon where we are all part of a shrinking world, within the interconnections, various groups have more power and mobility than others.

Similarly, in political science and international studies, one viewpoint about how global systems work that is in line with that of Massey is the realist approach. Unlike the liberal view that believes in the equality of states as an ideal, the realist view of the interaction of states argues that there is no legitimate authority internationally, and international order is based on the balance of power (Bromley, 2009). States are primarily self-interested in the realistic view, and politics in the global system is driven mainly by the pursuit of power and national interests. An unequal balance of power is evident as the realist perspective points out that a state of anarchy characterizes the international system. Also, every state attempts to maximize its own military and strategic position leading to the emergence of a balance of power in the global system. States attempt to shift alliances and increase spending on the military to nullify or exceed the strategic advantages of other competitor states. The case of the Kurds presents an excellent example of the complexities and capabilities of the international system of various countries and nations to support, influence, or deny the claims of others. The Kurds represent the largest ethnic group in the world without a nation-state.

One difference between geographers and political scientists' view is what has driven or influenced inequality in the home. Development geography describes neoliberalism as a reduced role of governments in directing economic output and increased roles of private sectors in the provision of services and goods for wealth to trickle down to those with lesser resources (Murji and Silva, 2015, p.125). While some associate neoliberalism with reductions in poverty, others argue that it has led to increased relative poverty related to inequality in various contexts, even in wealthier regions like the US and UK. One argument involving power geometry is that the global economy is dominated and driven by neo-liberal development approaches since particular groups are favored over others to encourage its continuation. Many movements of protest emerging after events like the banking crisis are based on statistics showing those with already high degrees of power consolidate it and prevent the trickling down of wealth from occurring. Business offshoring to countries that have wage bills that are lower creates employment and wealth in those countries, positively impacting the home there while at the same time causing unemployment in former power centers like the US or UK, therefore negatively impacting the home.

In contrast, political scientists argue that the state can shape inequality as it influences societal interactions and everyday activities in a variety of ways. The extents by which people feel they live or belong to particular territories that are their homeland or home is something that can be constructed or made by the state. Many nation-states have in their borders groups who feel that they are not part of the dominant national culture or grouping. One problem that exacerbates this issue is that the state acts on the basis that these groups do not exist and that their population is only one nation (Murji and Silva, 2015, p.163). National groupings that are different within the state usually require various political considerations for them to feel as part of the country or at home and to ensure that competing nationalisms do not the focus of violent and political conflicts.

In conclusion, various similarities and differences are evident in how geographers and political scientists study the relationships between the ideas of the home and power. Similarities include the use of maps and symbols, globalization, and international relations. At the same time, one of the differences involves the drivers of inequality in the home from the geographic and political perspectives.

Reflection

Feedback from the tutor in the past assignments drew attention to the use of module materials, and this enabled me to focus more on absorbing and condensing the materials from the module in answering the question. All the answers and arguments in this assignment were obtained from the module materials in weeks 9 and 10. The feedback also aided in improving the structure of the paper with the introduction clearly pointing out a thesis on what to expect in the body as well as a conclusion wrapping up all the information and points given in favor of the argument.

References

• Bromley, S. (2009) ‘Pirates and predators: authority and power in international affairs’, in Bromley, S., Clarke, J., Hinchliffe, S. and Taylor, S. (eds) Exploring Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
• Massey, D., & Massey, D. B. (2005). For space. Sage.
• Murji, K., & Silva, E. (2015). Exploring home: sociology, social divisions and social change. p 115-163