Eric Vilmer
10/26/20
Richard Simpson
A Theory of Production of Space
This week's reading is the second method on a theory of production of space. Last time we went
over Marxists idea of space production. This time we go over the production of space from John Berger
and Henri Lefebvre. Henri Lefebvre writes an essay titled “Work and Leisure in Everyday Life” which
he tries to explain how our system sets up spaces in various ways which control us. “Through this
global structure we can reconstruct a historically real picture of man and the human at a certain step in
their development: at a certain stage of alienation and disalienation.” (Lefebvre, 40) The whole idea of
producing the space around us really is about control and bringing the system of production or
capitalism as others call it to its peak in hegemonic power. “The Eaters and the Eaten” by John Berger
discusses the distinctions between how the bourgeois eat and the peasants. “The bourgeois overeat.”
(Berger, 372) “To the peasant, food represents work done and therefore repose.” (Berger, 372) “To the
bourgeois the drama of eating, far from being reposeful, is a stimulus.” (Berger, 372) Berger mentions
that the peasant is more likely going to embrace a conservative mindset which was created by the
bourgeois. Their is a lack of understanding for the peasant as their attitudes are obstructed by the system
of capital created by the bourgeois. “At least until recently, the physical reality of the peasant’s
conservatism has hindered his understanding of the political realities of the modern world.” (Berger,
374) One might wonder if it is possible to break the mindset of conservatism and get more people to see
reality for what it is right now, and how we can fix the problems that have been created over
generations.
I find it a sobering thought to realize that we eat as stimulus and not repose and we overeat. We are those who eat more than our share and waste even more. Understanding you are the bourgeois, in a lot of contexts, is a good step to understanding the world differently.
ReplyDeleteEric, that is an important quote form Lefebvre. Note that his interest in finding "dis-alienation" suggests that social is not solely one of domination, exploitation, and control. How does Lefebvre propose we identify this concept and how do we in fact critique the social structure nearly every chance we get?
ReplyDeleteLikewise, regarding the peasant, note that Berger mentions "until recently." Indeed awareness of the politics of food has become more and more widespread, and many agricultural workers have become the sources of incredibly progressive social movements. See for example the Coalition of Immokalee Farmworkers: ciw-online.org