See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: [Link]
net/publication/275368778
Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections
Article in Australian Planner · June 2013
DOI: 10.1080/07293682.2012.685082
CITATION READS
1 130
1 author:
Iris Levin
Swinburne University of Technology
22 PUBLICATIONS 82 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Multi-owned housing and neighbours' relations View project
The Migrant House View project
All content following this page was uploaded by Iris Levin on 31 August 2015.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
This article was downloaded by: [[Link]]
On: 16 January 2013, At: 14:36
Publisher: Routledge
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer
House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Australian Planner
Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
[Link]
Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections
a
Iris Levin
a
Flinders University and the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Australia
Version of record first published: 30 Oct 2012.
To cite this article: Iris Levin (2012): Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections, Australian Planner,
DOI:10.1080/07293682.2012.685082
To link to this article: [Link]
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE
Full terms and conditions of use: [Link]
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic
reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to
anyone is expressly forbidden.
The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents
will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses
should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions,
claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or
indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
Australian Planner
iFirst, 2012, 12
BOOK REVIEW
Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections, ‘groundedness’ during movement, including those
edited by Katherine Brickell and Ayona Datta, everyday movements that are not necessarily transna-
Surrey, UK, Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2011, xi tional. Nevertheless, the editors understand them as
226 pp., £50 (hardback), ISBN 9780754678380 translocal because they believe that these places and
spaces need to be examined both through their
The cover photograph of the edited volume situatedness and their connectedness to a variety of
Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections other locales (4).
is a brilliant and very engaging choice. It depicts a This is a book edited by two emerging researchers
large number of people sitting on deckchairs beside in the field of transnational migration who aim to
Downloaded by [[Link]] at 14:36 16 January 2013
round tables on a green, grass-like surface, in a place further develop the idea of translocality and thus have
that is at once out of context but very much in place. gathered different empirical examples. The book has
People of different ages and diverse cultural back- three main parts which cover different scales of
grounds talk to each other, relax and enjoy each translocal geographies. The first scale is focused on
other’s company on a pleasant summer day, in a place home and family and discusses the translocal nature
that cannot be defined because it is nowhere and of Cambodian homes (Chapter 2, Brickell), translocal
everywhere at the same time. It is hard to capture the family relations among the Lahu in northern
concept of translocality through an image, but I think Thailand (Chapter 3, Tan and Yeoh), and British
this is exactly the premise of this book that families and their homes in Singapore and Britain
translocality means being in a place and at the same (Chapter 4, Hatfield). Of the three chapters in this
time being connected to other places. first part only the last chapter explores traditional
The notion of translocality has been around for translocality involving transnational migration, while
some time now, gaining prominence through the the other two chapters deal with other kinds of
recent publication of a number of books which translocality, as promised by the editors. The second
deal with it in different regions and societies scale focuses on neighbourhoods, with chapters on
(e.g. Copeland-Carson 2004; Lanchenmann and Polish migrants in London (Chapter 5, Datta), a
Dannecker 2008; Oakes and Schein 2006). In its multicultural suburb in Sydney (Chapter 6, Wise),
early form, this idea is attributed to Appandurai and translocal landscapes in Buenos Aires after the
(1996a, 1996b), who wrote about translocality while Argentine economic crisis (Chapter 7, Centner).
criticising the idea of nation states as bounded by Lastly, the third scale focuses on urban translocali-
territory. Appandurai argued that contemporary ties with chapters about Douala, Cameron and
social life is structured along a ‘range of spatial London (Chapter 7, Page), Greek migrants in Athens,
horizons’ that act separately to national borders Berlin and New York (Chapter 9, Christou), and
(8). This book explores the notion of translocality Washington D.C. and Addis Ababa (Chapter 10,
in a way that expands it beyond Appandurai’s Chacko).
understanding and beyond the debates on transna- This book is a rich and varied collection of case
tionalism. As the editors explain in the introduction, studies that broaden the concept of translocality, and
‘translocality is now widely seen to be a form of use a range of methodologies. It also brings together
‘‘grounded transnationalism’’ a space where deter- locales from across the globe Europe, Africa, South
ritorialised networks of transnational relations take and North America, Asia and Australia, as well as
shape through migrant agencies’ (3). The editors a blend of established and emerging scholars. The
argue, however, that there is a need to understand book is well presented and includes some photo-
translocality in other spaces, places and scales beyond graphs in black and white. It could be a useful text
the national. Thus they interpret translocality as book in subjects such as geographies of migration
ISSN 0729-3682 print/ISSN 2150-6841 online
[Link]
2 Book Review
and movement or transnational geographies. I truly Lanchenmann, G., and P. Dannecker. 2008. Negotiating
recommend this book to everyone who is interested in Development in Muslim Societies: Gendered Spaces
movement, migration, locales and the relationship and Translocal Connections. Lanham? MD: Lexington
between them, as they appear in different parts of the Books.
world, in different scales and in different forms. Oakes, T., and L. Schein. 2006. Translocal China: Linkages,
Identities, and the Reimagining of Space. London:
Routledge.
References
Appandurai, A. 1996a. Modernity at Large: Cultural
Dimensions of Globalisation. Minneapolis: University
of Minnesota Press. Iris Levin
Appandurai, A. 1996b. ‘‘Sovereignty without territoriality: Flinders University and the Brotherhood of
notes from a postnational geography.’’ In The Geogra- St Laurence
phy of Identity, edited by P. Yaeger, 4057. Ann Arbor: Australia
University of Michigan Press. Email: ilevin@[Link]
Copeland-Carson, J. 2004. Creating Africa in America: # 2012, Iris Levin
Translocal Identity in an Emerging World City.
[Link]
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Downloaded by [[Link]] at 14:36 16 January 2013
View publication stats