Theorizing time-space compression - Time-Space Compression: Historical Geographies - page 36

that are always embedded in each other and mutually constituted. She (2005)
argues passionately that Cartesian conceptions of space as a passive surface
inevitably deemphasize the temporal flux that are always an inherent part of

geographies, and simultaneously create a false dichotomy between the local
and the global. As an alternative, she suggests three maxims: (1) that space be
seen as the product of interrelations, i.e., of embedded social practices in
which identities and human ties are co-constituted; (2) that space be under-
stood as the sphere of multiple possibilities, i.e., as a contingent simultaneity
of heterogeneous historical trajectories; and (3) that space must be conceived
as always under construction, in the process of forever being made, implying
a continual openness to the future. These steps are fundamental to an
appreciation of the deeply political nature of geography: “Conceptualising
space as open, multiple and relational, un

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nished and always becoming, is
a prerequisite for history to be open and thus a prerequisite too, for the
possibility of politics” (p. 59).
Relational geographies should not, therefore, be considered as some bizarre
invention by overly theoretical academics; rather, because human beings are
always entwined in relations with others, via transportation and communica-
tion, relational space speaks directly to the issue of what it means to be
human, to live in a social and spatial context. In short, space is emergent
rather than existing a priori , it is composed of relations rather than structures.
Because time and space are inseparable (but not identical), the relational view
of space is central to understanding time-space compression: for places to be
tied together relationally, the meaning and structure of time must change;
conversely, if time changes in its structure and organization, the meanings of
place, distance, and location must also change.

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Theories of time-space compression in perspective
This analysis of time-space compression selectively incorporates several
aspects of the schools of thought articulated above. Rather than viewing
technocratic, Marxist, structurationist, world-systems, and poststructuralist
views as mutually opposing, it seeks to bring them into a creative tension with
one another. Indeed, I have little patience with narrow-minded and often
arrogant perspectives that uphold one view only at the expense of all others
(which is not to say that all views are equally valid). This approach, therefore,
happily draws from all of these literatures as necessary. From transportation
geography, the analysis is informed by an understanding of the critical
importance of systems for moving people, goods, and information across the
Earth's surface. Because technology plays a key role in this story, transporta-
tion and communication systems figure prominently. Such a move is not a

retreat into a simplistic technological determinism, in which technological
change is seen as the driving force and society is the passive receptor. The
origins and impacts of technologies can only be understood within their
historical and cultural context, and their consequences are always contingent:

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