Spatial Justice After Apartheid: Nomos in the Postcolony

This book considers the question of spatial justice after apartheid, from several disciplinary perspectives – jurisprudence, law, literature, architecture, photography and psychoanalysis are just some of the disciplines engaged here.

Format: Hardback
Length: 266 pages
Publication date: 25 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the multifaceted exploration of spatial justice in the aftermath of apartheid, drawing upon a diverse range of disciplinary perspectives. Jurisprudence, law, literature, architecture, photography, and psychoanalysis are just a few of the disciplines engaged in this scholarly endeavor. However, the central theoretical framework upon which the authors comment is the legacy of what Carl Schmitt refers to as "nomos," which represents the spatialized normativity of sociality. Each author takes into account the practical and theoretical limitations of their respective topic while critically examining the potential contributions of "nomos" in its modern configuration to the pursuit of spatial justice after apartheid.

Overall, the collection fosters a compelling dialogue between the spatiality of law in a "postcolonial" era and the traumatic legacies of what Paul Gilroy has termed the "colonial nomos." This dialogue raises and confronts critical questions of continuation, extension, disruption, and rewriting in novel and innovative ways, both challenging Schmitt's account of "nomos" and affirming the centrality of the constitutive relationship between law and space. The book holds the promise of re-establishing the trajectory of "nomos," while also considering critical instances that may ultimately help to overcome the spatial legacy of apartheid.

This interdisciplinary book will be of interest to scholars engaged in critical legal theory, political philosophy, aesthetics, and architecture.

Weight: 670g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138559370