Politics of Scale

The term scale refers to a spatial level of analysis, representation, reference, or articulation. Scale operates through the social, economic, and political processes of human geography as well as through the biological and ecological processes of physical geography. Though the conventional scalar classifications are often viewed as static, discrete, and hierarchical, many scholars within and outside the academy have noted the dynamic, interrelated, and [Page 329]constructed nature of standard scales of reference. Rather than being ontological givens, scales have come to be recognized as inherently political in nature. The term politics of scale gained purchase within the context of economic globalization and the resistances and strategies calling for socially just and ecologically sustainable alternatives. Recently, as neoliberal economic structures, states, supranational agencies, and numerous grassroots ...