The Nordic Atlantic area has seen remarkable examples of social formations in areas that many would perceive as too remote to allow the construction of functioning communities. But through innovations, networking and the formation of identities people have coped with distances, thus continuously rebuilding societies in Northern Norway, Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland. Living conditions in the Nordic Atlantic are so extreme that one might ask whether the notion of society is applicable under these circumstances. The author argues that, yes, there is a meaningful way of comprehending these social formations, which is through the spatial and temporal practices that produce, reproduce, stabilize, destabilize and change them. He introduces the concept of coping, which means neither mastering nor adapting but relates to in-between strategies and tactics reflected in practices of securing people's way of life under conditions that are never totally under their control.

'Baerenholdt's compelling work addresses themes and ideas that extend well beyond the North Atlantic...His well-researched, intriguing study delves into theories of social formation as well as the histories and intricacies of historical and modern Nordic societies... and] presents the complexity of social formation in the Nordic Atlantic in an in-depth and approachable format.' Choice

'In many ways, Baerenholdt's work constitutes a departure from traditional approaches to thinking about territory and society making. It challenges the dominant, traditional views of societies, namely theoretical perspectives on societies as contained within given territories and shaped largely by external forces.' Canadian Review of Sociolog

The Nordic Atlantic area has seen remarkable examples of social formations in areas that many would perceive as too remote to allow the construction of functioning communities. But through innovations, networking and the formation of identities people have coped with distances, thus continuously rebuilding societies in Northern Norway, Iceland, the Faroes, and Greenland. Living conditions in the Nordic Atlantic are so extreme that one might ask whether the notion of society is applicable under these circumstances. The author argues that, yes, there is a meaningful way of comprehending these social formations, which is through the spatial and temporal practices that produce, reproduce, stabilize, destabilize and change them. He introduces the concept of coping, which means neither mastering nor adapting but relates to in-between strategies and tactics reflected in practices of securing people's way of life under conditions that are never totally under their control.

This book looks at the making and the consuming of places in the contemporary world. Illustrated through various case-studies from Denmark, it considers how places, performances and peoples intersect. It examines the fascinating circumstances through which visitors to a place, in part, produce that place through their performances. Places are intertwined with people through various systems that generate and reproduce performances in and of that place. These systems comprise networks of 'hosts, guests, buildings, objects and machines' that contingently realize particular performances of specific places. The studies featured here develop an exciting 'new mobility' paradigm emerging within the social sciences.

Design Research is a new interdisciplinary research area with a social science orientation at its heart, and this book explores how scientific knowledge can be put into practice in ways that are at once ethical, creative, helpful, and extraordinary in their results. In order to clarify the common aspects - in terms of features and approaches - that characterize all strands of research disciplines addressing design, Design Research undertakes an in-depth exploration of the social processes involved in doing design, as well as analyses of the contexts for design use. The book further elicits 'synergies from interdisciplinary perspectives' by discussing and elaborating on differing academic perspectives, theoretical backgrounds, and design concept definitions, and evaluating their unique contribution to a general core of design research. This book is an exciting contribution to this little explored field, and offers a truly interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of design and the design process. It is valuable reading for students in disciplines such as design studies and theory, participatory design, informatics, arts based education, planning, sociology, and interdisciplinary programmes in humanities and technology.

The nature of spatial imaginations has become central to a range of major social and political debates. Narratives on spatial inequality, from the North-South divide in global economic and political visions, to marginalisation and 'ghettoisation' in Western cities, appear regularly in our daily newspapers. Such examples indicate that issues of space/spatiality are as crucial in our current societies as never before. 'Space Odysseys' brings together leading social scientists including John Urry and Derek Gregory to address a number of central issues in spatiality and social relations in the early 21st century. Starting from the presupposition that space is a social dimension and a social construct, it then presents examples of these conceptions of space at work. While the book title's indirect reference to the film '2001: A Space Odyssey' indicates the contributors' interest in questions of voyages and mobility, the plural use shows that the approaches to this conceptual exploration are multiple, reflecting differences in experience, in social context and/or in gender, class and ethnicity. The book is divided into three main sections. The first explores issues of 'mobility, immobility and embodied narratives', the second section deals with 'territoriality, mobility and identity politics and the final section concludes with chapters on 'the spatial production of knowledge'.

The Northern peripheries of Europe, which are covered by this book, are associated with remoteness, the frontier, isolated communities, colonialism and resource extraction. Recently, huge projects in petroleum and hydropower have been located there, and the region has become better known as an attractive tourist destination. Although these spaces are perceived as being marginal, they are inhabited and linked into globalization and international agendas. This book examines how people live in such remote spaces in an emerging global world of connectivity, interdependency, mobility and non-linear dynamics. The various case studies examine a wide range of experiences, ranging from tourists and local settlers to those who migrate for labour in old or new industries, or to pursue the hybrid urban/rural life of the periphery. In this book, mobility and place come together. The analyses demonstrate how mobility and place mutually constitute each other and how specific relationships between the two aspects are crucial in the making of societies. The authors study attempts to reinvent places, together with connections and the opening of 'new scapes' in order to sustain businesses, municipalities and people's livelihood.

The Northern peripheries of Europe, which are covered by this book, are associated with remoteness, the frontier, isolated communities, colonialism and resource extraction. Recently, huge projects in petroleum and hydropower have been located there, and the region has become better known as an attractive tourist destination. Although these spaces are perceived as being marginal, they are inhabited and linked into globalization and international agendas. This book examines how people live in such remote spaces in an emerging global world of connectivity, interdependency, mobility and non-linear dynamics. The various case studies examine a wide range of experiences, ranging from tourists and local settlers to those who migrate for labour in old or new industries, or to pursue the hybrid urban/rural life of the periphery. In this book, mobility and place come together. The analyses demonstrate how mobility and place mutually constitute each other and how specific relationships between the two aspects are crucial in the making of societies. The authors study attempts to reinvent places, together with connections and the opening of 'new scapes' in order to sustain businesses, municipalities and people's livelihood.

The nature of spatial imaginations has become central to a range of major social and political debates. Narratives on spatial inequality, from the North-South divide in global economic and political visions, to marginalisation and 'ghettoisation' in Western cities, appear regularly in our daily newspapers. Such examples indicate that issues of space/spatiality are as crucial in our current societies as never before. 'Space Odysseys' brings together leading social scientists including John Urry and Derek Gregory to address a number of central issues in spatiality and social relations in the early 21st century. Starting from the presupposition that space is a social dimension and a social construct, it then presents examples of these conceptions of space at work. While the book title's indirect reference to the film '2001: A Space Odyssey' indicates the contributors' interest in questions of voyages and mobility, the plural use shows that the approaches to this conceptual exploration are multiple, reflecting differences in experience, in social context and/or in gender, class and ethnicity. The book is divided into three main sections. The first explores issues of 'mobility, immobility and embodied narratives', the second section deals with 'territoriality, mobility and identity politics and the final section concludes with chapters on 'the spatial production of knowledge'.

This book looks at the making and the consuming of places in the contemporary world. Illustrated through various case-studies from Denmark, it considers how places, performances and peoples intersect. It examines the fascinating circumstances through which visitors to a place, in part, produce that place through their performances. Places are intertwined with people through various systems that generate and reproduce performances in and of that place. These systems comprise networks of 'hosts, guests, buildings, objects and machines' that contingently realize particular performances of specific places. The studies featured here develop an exciting 'new mobility' paradigm emerging within the social sciences.

Design Research is a new interdisciplinary research area with a social science orientation at its heart, and this book explores how scientific knowledge can be put into practice in ways that are at once ethical, creative, helpful, and extraordinary in their results.

In order to clarify the common aspects - in terms of features and approaches - that characterize all strands of research disciplines addressing design, Design Research undertakes an in-depth exploration of the social processes involved in doing design, as well as analyses of the contexts for design use. The book further elicits 'synergies from interdisciplinary perspectives' by discussing and elaborating on differing academic perspectives, theoretical backgrounds, and design concept definitions, and evaluating their unique contribution to a general core of design research.

This book is an exciting contribution to this little explored field, and offers a truly interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of design and the design process. It is valuable reading for students in disciplines such as design studies and theory, participatory design, informatics, arts based education, planning, sociology, and interdisciplinary programmes in humanities and technology.