This volume explores interdependencies between knowledge, action, and space from different interdisciplinary perspectives. Some of the contributors discuss knowledge as a social construct based on collective action, while others look at knowledge as an individual capacity for action. The chapters contain theoretical frameworks as well as experimental outcomes. Readers will gain insight into key questions such as: How does knowledge function as a prerequisite for action? Why are knowledge gaps growing and not diminishing in a knowledge society? How much knowledge is necessary for action? How do various types of knowledge influence the steps from cognition to action? How do different representations of knowledge shape action? What impact have spatial conditions for the formation of knowledge? What is the relationship between social and geographical space? The contributors consider rationality in social and economic theories as well as in everyday life. Attention is also given to action theoretic approaches and rationality from the viewpoints of psychology, post-structuralism, and human geography, making this an attractive book for students, researchers and academics of various backgrounds. This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

This book presents theoretical and methodical discussions on local knowledge and indigenous knowledge. It examines educational attainment of ethnic minorities, race and politics in educational systems, and the problem of losing indigenous knowledge. It comprises a broad range of case studies about specifics of local knowledge from several regions of the world, reflecting the interdependence of norms, tradition, ethnic and cultural identities, and knowledge. The contributors explore gaps between knowledge and agency, address questions of the social distribution of knowledge, consider its relation to communal activities, and inquire into the relation and intersection of knowledge assemblages at local, national, and global scales. The book highlights the relevance of local and indigenous knowledge and discusses implications for educational and developmental politics. It provides ideas and a cross-disciplinary scientific background for scholars, students, and professionals including NGO activists, and policy-makers.

Interest in relations between knowledge, power, and space has a long tradition in a range of disciplines, but it was reinvigorated in the last two decades through critical engagement with Foucault and Gramsci. This volume focuses on relations between knowledge and power. It shows why space is fundamental in any exercise of power and explains which roles various types of knowledge play in the acquisition, support, and legitimization of power. Topics include the control and manipulation of knowledge through centers of power in historical contexts, the geopolitics of knowledge about world politics, media control in twentieth century, cartography in modern war, the power of words, the changing face of Islamic authority, and the role of Millennialism in the United States. This book offers insights from disciplines such as geography, anthropology, scientific theology, Assyriology, and communication science.

The broad spectrum of topics surrounding what is termed the 'knowledge economy' has attracted increasing attention from the scientific community in recent years. The nature of knowledge-intensive industries, the spatiality of knowledge, the role of proximity and distance in generating functional knowledge, the transfer of knowledge via networks, and the complex interplay between knowledge, location and economic development are all live academic issues. This book, the fifth volume in Springer's Knowledge and Space series, focuses on the last of these: the multiple relationships between knowledge, the economy, and space. It reflects the conceptual and methodological multidisciplinarity emerging from this scholarship, yet where there has up to now been a notable lack of communication between some of the contributing disciplines, resulting in lexical and other confusions, this volume brings concord and to foster interdisciplinarity. These complications have been especially evident in our understanding of the spatiality of knowledge, the part that spatial contexts play in knowledge creation and diffusion, and the relevance of face-to-face contacts, all of which are addressed in these pages. The material here is grouped into four sections-knowledge creation and economy, knowledge and economic development, knowledge and networks, and knowledge and clusters. It assembles new concepts and original empirical research from geography, economics, sociology, international business relations, and management. The book addresses a varied audience interested in the historical and spatial foundations of the knowledge economy and is intended to bridge some of the gaps between the differing approaches to research on knowledge, the economy, and space.

This book is designed to extend the field of organizational learning in several ways. The contributors from three continents bring different perspectives on processes and outcomes of knowledge creation and sharing in and between organizations in diverse contexts. They use approaches and concepts from numerous disciplines including the arts, economics, geography, organizational studies, psychology, and sociology. The contributions enrich the spatial turn in organization studies by offering fresh insights for researchers who seek to attend to the contextual dimensions of the phenomena they are studying. They provide examples of organizational places and spaces that have not yet received sufficient attention, as diverse as temporary international organizations and computer screens.

The revival of interest in collective cultural memories since the 1980s has been a genuinely global phenomenon. Cultural memories can be defined as the social constructions of the past that allow individuals and groups to orient themselves in time and space. The investigation of cultural memories has necessitated an interdisciplinary perspective, though geographical questions about the spaces, places, and landscapes of memory have acquired a special significance. The essays in this volume, written by leading anthropologists, geographers, historians, and psychologists, open a range of new interpretations of the formation and development of cultural memories from ancient times to the present day. The volume is divided into five interconnected sections. The first section outlines the theoretical considerations that have shaped recent debates about cultural memory. The second section provides detailed case studies of three key themes: the founding myths of the nation-state, the contestation of national collective memories during periods of civil war, and the oral traditions that move beyond national narrative. The third section examines the role of World War II as a pivotal episode in an emerging European cultural memory. The fourth section focuses on cultural memories in postcolonial contexts beyond Europe. The fifth and final section extends the study of cultural memory back into premodern tribal and nomadic societies.

The broad spectrum of topics surrounding what is termed the 'knowledge economy' has attracted increasing attention from the scientific community in recent years. The nature of knowledge-intensive industries, the spatiality of knowledge, the role of proximity and distance in generating functional knowledge, the transfer of knowledge via networks, and the complex interplay between knowledge, location and economic development are all live academic issues. This book, the fifth volume in Springer's Knowledge and Space series, focuses on the last of these: the multiple relationships between knowledge, the economy, and space. It reflects the conceptual and methodological multidisciplinarity emerging from this scholarship, yet where there has up to now been a notable lack of communication between some of the contributing disciplines, resulting in lexical and other confusions, this volume brings concord and to foster interdisciplinarity. These complications have been especially evident in our understanding of the spatiality of knowledge, the part that spatial contexts play in knowledge creation and diffusion, and the relevance of face-to-face contacts, all of which are addressed in these pages.

The material here is grouped into four sections-knowledge creation and economy, knowledge and economic development, knowledge and networks, and knowledge and clusters. It assembles new concepts and original empirical research from geography, economics, sociology, international business relations, and management. The book addresses a varied audience interested in the historical and spatial foundations of the knowledge economy and is intended to bridge some of the gaps between the differing approaches to research on knowledge, the economy, and space."

This collection of essays aims to further the understanding of historical and contemporary geographies of science. It offers a fresh perspective on comparative approaches to scientific knowledge and practice as pursued by geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, and historians of science. The authors explore the formation and changing geographies of scientific centers from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries and critically discuss the designing of knowledge spaces in early museums, in modern laboratories, at world fairs, and in the periphery of contemporary science. They also analyze the interactions between science and the public in Victorian Britain, interwar Germany, and recent environmental policy debates. The book provides a genuine geographical perspective on the production and dissemination of knowledge and will thus be an important point of reference for those interested in the spatial relations of science and associated fields.

The Klaus Tschira Foundation supports diverse symposia, the essence of which is published in this Springer series (www.kts.villa-bosch.de).

The revival of interest in collective cultural memories since the 1980s has been a genuinely global phenomenon. Cultural memories can be defined as the social constructions of the past that allow individuals and groups to orient themselves in time and space. The investigation of cultural memories has necessitated an interdisciplinary perspective, though geographical questions about the spaces, places, and landscapes of memory have acquired a special significance. The essays in this volume, written by leading anthropologists, geographers, historians, and psychologists, open a range of new interpretations of the formation and development of cultural memories from ancient times to the present day. The volume is divided into five interconnected sections. The first section outlines the theoretical considerations that have shaped recent debates about cultural memory. The second section provides detailed case studies of three key themes: the founding myths of the nation-state, the contestation of national collective memories during periods of civil war, and the oral traditions that move beyond national narrative. The third section examines the role of World War II as a pivotal episode in an emerging European cultural memory. The fourth section focuses on cultural memories in postcolonial contexts beyond Europe. The fifth and final section extends the study of cultural memory back into premodern tribal and nomadic societies.

Do traditional distinctions between "belief" and "knowledge" still make sense? How are differences between knowledge and belief understood in different cultural contexts? This book explores conflicts between various types of knowledge, especially between orthodox and heterodox knowledge systems, ranging from religious fundamentalism to heresies within the scientific community itself. Beyond addressing many fields in the academy, the book discusses learned individuals interested in the often puzzling spatial and cultural disparities of knowledge and clashes of knowledge.

Milieus of Creativity is the second volume in the book series Knowledge and Space. This book deals with spatial disparities of knowledge and the impact of environments, space and contexts on the production and application of knowledge. The contributions in this volume focus on the role of places, environments, and spatial contexts for the emergence and perpetuation of creativity. Is environment a social or a spatial phenomenon? Are only social factors relevant for the development of creativity or should one also include material artefacts and resources in its definition? How can we explain spatial disparities of creativity without falling victim to geodeterminism?

This book offers insights from various disciplines such as environmental psychology, philosophy, and social geography. It presents the results of a research conference at Heidelberg University in September 2006, which was supported by the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

This collection of essays aims to further the understanding of historical and contemporary geographies of science. It offers a fresh perspective on comparative approaches to scientific knowledge and practice as pursued by geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, and historians of science. The authors explore the formation and changing geographies of scientific centers from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries and critically discuss the designing of knowledge spaces in early museums, in modern laboratories, at world fairs, and in the periphery of contemporary science. They also analyze the interactions between science and the public in Victorian Britain, interwar Germany, and recent environmental policy debates. The book provides a genuine geographical perspective on the production and dissemination of knowledge and will thus be an important point of reference for those interested in the spatial relations of science and associated fields.

The Klaus Tschira Foundation supports diverse symposia, the essence of which is published in this Springer series (www.kts.villa-bosch.de).

Milieus of Creativity is the second volume in the book series Knowledge and Space. This book deals with spatial disparities of knowledge and the impact of environments, space and contexts on the production and application of knowledge. The contributions in this volume focus on the role of places, environments, and spatial contexts for the emergence and perpetuation of creativity. Is environment a social or a spatial phenomenon? Are only social factors relevant for the development of creativity or should one also include material artefacts and resources in its definition? How can we explain spatial disparities of creativity without falling victim to geodeterminism?

This book offers insights from various disciplines such as environmental psychology, philosophy, and social geography. It presents the results of a research conference at Heidelberg University in September 2006, which was supported by the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

"Ein hAchst verworrenes Quartier, ein StraAennetz, das jahrelang von mir gemieden wurde, ward mit einem Schlage A1/4bersichtlich, als eines Tages ein geliebter Mensch dort einzog. Es war, als sei in seinem Fenster ein Scheinwerfer aufgestellt und zerlege die Gegend mit LichtbA1/4scheln." Walter Benjamin Schriften (Bd. 1.). Frankfurt a. M. (Suhrkamp Verlag) 1955. Die meisten Menschen haben ein bestimmtes VerstAndnis ihres eigenen Lebens und verfA1/4gen A1/4ber mancherlei Kenntnisse der Umgebung - des Viertels, der Stadt, des Landes -, in der sie leben. Doch obwohl die Verflechtungen zwischen den LAndern und Regionen der Erde immer enger und vielfAltiger werden, weiA die Mehrzahl von uns letztlich auAerordentlich wenig A1/4ber das Leben anderer Menschen in anderen Gesellschaften oder auch darA1/4ber, wie deren Leben mit dem unsrigen zusammenhAngt. Das Zitat von Walter Benjamin mag verdeutlichen, dass wir Orte und Regionen erst verstehen kAnnen, wenn sie Bedeutung fA1/4r uns erlangen. Dieses Buch ist eine EinfA1/4hrung in die Humangeographie, die genau dieses Ziel verfolgt. Humangeographie zu studieren, bedeutet, vereinfacht gesprochen, sich mit den dynamischen und komplexen Beziehungen zwischen Menschen und den von ihnen bewohnten RAumen zu beschAftigen. Das vorliegende Buch vermittelt Studierenden die grundlegenden geographischen Techniken und Konzepte, die sie benAtigen, um die KomplexitAt von Orten und Regionen zu erfassen und die Wechselbeziehungen zwischen ihrem eigenen und dem Leben von Menschen in anderen Teilen der Erde richtig einschAtzen zu kAnnen. Das Buch stellt einen neuen humangeographischen Ansatz dar, der den bedeutenden VerAnderungen Rechnung trAgt, die RAume globaler, regionaler und lokaler Dimension in jA1/4ngster Zeit erfahren haben. Diese VerAnderungen umfassen eine Vielzahl von Prozessen und PhAnomen wie die Globalisierung der Industrie oder der Zusammenbruch des sowjetischen Reiches. Der in Humangeographie verfolgte Ansatz fA1/4hrt nicht nur zu einem VerstAndnis neuer Vorstellungen, Konzepte und Theorien hinsichtlich der genannten VerAnderungen, sondern erschlieAt darA1/4ber hinaus die Grundlagen der Humangeographie: die Prinzipien, Konzepte, das theoretische GerA1/4st und das Basiswissen, das fA1/4r weiterfA1/4hrende, speziellere Studien benAtigt wird. Das Buch hat sich A1/4beraus erfolgreich als Lehrbuch der Humangeographie eingefA1/4hrt. Es ist in der Neuauflage komplett aktualisiert, so wurde ein Kapitel A1/4ber Sozialgeographie ergAnzt, und es enthAlt viele neue Grafiken sowie eine Vielzahl an anschaulichen neuen Fotos.

This volume explores interdependencies between knowledge, action, and space from different interdisciplinary perspectives. Some of the contributors discuss knowledge as a social construct based on collective action, while others look at knowledge as an individual capacity for action. The chapters contain theoretical frameworks as well as experimental outcomes. Readers will gain insight into key questions such as: How does knowledge function as a prerequisite for action? Why are knowledge gaps growing and not diminishing in a knowledge society? How much knowledge is necessary for action? How do various types of knowledge influence the steps from cognition to action? How do different representations of knowledge shape action? What impact have spatial conditions for the formation of knowledge? What is the relationship between social and geographical space? The contributors consider rationality in social and economic theories as well as in everyday life. Attention is also given to action theoretic approaches and rationality from the viewpoints of psychology, post-structuralism, and human geography, making this an attractive book for students, researchers and academics of various backgrounds. This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Clashes of Knowledge is the first volume of a series called Knowledge and Space dealing with spatial disparities of knowledge and the impact of the spatial context on the production and application of knowledge. The contributions in this book explore the conflicts between various types of knowledge, especially between orthodox and heterodox knowledge systems, which range from religious fundamentalism to heresies within the scientific community itself. Does the traditional distinction between belief and knowledge still make sense? How is the difference between knowledge and belief understood in different cultural contexts? How have the religious-based knowledge systems been displaced in their hegemonic role by scientific knowledge? In which ways do the agents of hegemonic, orthodox knowledge interact with the representatives of deviating, heterodox knowledge? These and many other questions are addressed in this volume.

This open access volume raises awareness of the histories, geographies, and practices of universities and analyzes their role as key actors in today's global knowledge economy. Universities are centers of research, teaching, and expertise with significant economic, social, and cultural impacts at different geographical scales. Scholars from a variety of disciplines and countries offer original analyses and discussions along five main themes: historical perspectives on the university as a site of knowledge production, cultural encounter, and political interest; institutional perspectives on university governance and the creation of innovative environments; relationships between universities and the city; the impact of universities on national and regional economies and cultures; and the processes of internationalization through student mobility, the creation of education hubs, and global regionalism in higher education.

Der vorliegende Band reflektiert das Thema "Bildung und Wissensgesellschaft," das durch die PISA-Studie, die Diskussion uber die Zukunft unseres rohstoffarmen Landes und die nicht zuletzt kulturell konfigurierten weltpolitischen Spannungen Aktualitat und Bedeutung erlangte, auf eine umfassende und interdisziplinare Weise.

Leitfragen sind dabei: Was heisst "Bildung"? Wodurch wurde unser Begriff von Bildung gepragt? Was sind die unentbehrlichen Komponenten unserer Vorstellung von Bildung? Welche Modifikationen des uberkommenen Bildungsbegriffs sind notig? Welche praktischen Massnahmen zur Sicherung wie zur Modifikation unserer Bildung sind angezeigt?

Was bedeutet demgegenuber der in jungster Zeit zu beobachtende Aufstieg des Begriffs "Wissensgesellschaft"? Sind wir tatsachlich in eine neue, wissensdominierte Epoche gesellschaftlicher Selbstorganisation eingetreten? Reproduzieren sich Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft heute anders als fruher? Welche speziellen Arten von Wissen und Wissensvermittlung werden dafur gebraucht? Wie verhalt sich dieses "Wissen" zur "Bildung"? "

Am Beispiel Ungarns werden die Voraussetzungen, Probleme und Folgen des UEbergangs von der sozialistischen Planwirtschaft zur Marktwirtschaft untersucht. Die 15 von Geographen, Soziologen, OEkonomen und Demographen verfassten Aufsatze untersuchen ein breites Spektrum von Themen. Es umfasst die Privatisierung der Wirtschaft, Probleme des Arbeits- und Wohnungsmarktes, die Veranderung der Frauenerwerbstatigkeit, die demographischen Strukturen und die Rekrutierung von Eliten. Das Buch unterscheidet sich von vergleichbaren Arbeiten vor allem dadurch, dass einige Aufsatze Datenquellen aus der Endphase des Sozialismus und aus der Anfangsphase der Marktwirtschaft verwenden konnten, die noch in keinem anderen Land Ost- und Mitteleuropas zuganglich sind. Bisher noch nicht behandelte Fragen werden hiermit erstmals untersucht.