Identities Across Networks of Scales

 

When geographers use the term "scale," much is implied. The first time the term scale pops up in geography classes is as the mathematical relationship between a map and reality. For example, a map of world population density might be scaled at a ratio of 1:75,000,000, meaning that representation of reality is that fraction of actual size. "Scale" also can refer to the areal extent of spatial structures. Smaller-sized entities exist within larger-sized entities, as for instance, a city within a state. These scales are evident in hierarchical political and administrative jurisdictions that exist to some degree in most contemporary states. On regional and global scales, hierarchies may influence the nature of spatial interactions, as in the functioning of world-economic system (see Taylor 1988).

As appealing as this model of hierarchical scales may seem, it masks the complexity of the multiple and simultaneous, acquired and imagined natures of one's scales of possible place identities. Cox (1998) encouraged geographers to think of scale not as units of areal measurement, but as networks of relationships among places. People are necessarily involved with multiple scales through their everyday experiences. At different times and for different purposes, one may be engaged with more local sovereign entities (e.g., obtaining one's drinking water from local municipal agencies) or more global entities (e.g., shopping for goods produced overseas in a market owned by a transnational company; Fouberg 2002). At the same time, we also participate in networks across scales, not necessarily in a hierarchical fashion. The Internet facilitates such network development, bridging local and global scales, through such phenomena as social networking websites or this very online learning module.

Pause and Reflect: Describe ways in which your daily experiences involve interactions across a variety of scales, considering social networking sites like Facebook, your purchases, hobbies, and interests, or other things.

 

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