The representation of social Infrastructure in contemporary literature – A new approach to an interdisciplinary concept

Abstract

Klinenberg’s concept of social infrastructure has gained significant attention both within and outside academia, particularly about well-being and social cohesion among others. While the importance of places that foster social connections is widely acknowledged, the concept still lacks a consensually accepted definition, making both its theoretical framing and empirical study challenging. This study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the concept through an innovative approach that engages with, and aims to move beyond, two key challenges related to the concept (such as their contrasting nature: universality vs. hyperlocality, and social vs. infrastructural side). Drawing on literary texts from 12 contemporary novels set in more than 12 countries selected through snowball sampling, the paper identifies three main patterns that appear across diverse socioeconomic and geographical contexts in social infrastructure. These are the (1) dynamism, meaning complex socioeconomic impacts that affect local social infrastructure such as globalization, gentrification or political regime changes; (2) the reasons behind a place can become anti-social infrastructure; (3) the diverse interactions that a „real” social infrastructure can facilitate, ranging from short encounters to sustaining lifelong friendships. The findings demonstrate that a literary-geographical approach offers unique possibilities to explore the material and constructed dimensions of space and their temporal and spatial embeddedness, making it especially suitable for investigating broad and complex concepts such as social infrastructure.