The Region as a Discursive Construct

Abstract

By treating concepts of space, such as that of the region as discursive constructs the author attempts to introduce a perspective that seems to be lacking in current accounts about Hungarian regionalisation. The discursive approach rests on the assumption that language is central to our knowledge about reality. On this basis, the emergence and role of spatial concepts is discussed in terms of their ability to coordinate human action. Furthermore, particular attention is paid to those questions that arise in connection with spatial concepts the meaning of which is not rooted in the Habermasian lifeworld and is thus not intersubjectively shared. Emphasis is put on the importance of the discursive context and power and possible modes of resistance are equally mentioned. Allusion is made to several strands of philosophical thought, such as poststructuralism and Habermasian action theory. These admittedly diverging accounts agree on looking at entities as discursively constituted and can thus be fruitfully exploited to develop a position, which rejects the taken-for-granted representations of space and aims at their deconstruction. This is hoped to result in uncovering oppressed points of view, as well as in canalizing current debates.