Cities and spatial construction

Sophie Bouly de Lesdain (1) , Anne Raulin (1, 2)

1 LAU - Laboratoire d'anthropologie urbaine
2 SOPHIAPOL - Sociologie, philosophie et anthropologie politiques

Cities are empirical realities, the concrete dimension of which is fundamental because it is thus that they present themselves through certain architectural styles, certain modes of circulation, habitation, activity, and populations that are more or less heterogeneous. But the sciences concerned with cities that appeared in the twentieth century sought to integrate descriptive intent with theoretical formulations so as to explain the agglomeration as a model, or system, corresponding to a certain type of space.

First defined by all authors in contrast to the rural – in any case, until the mid-twentieth century –, this distinction gradually showed itself to be obsolete as the real and virtual boundaries between urban and rural spaces vanished. This fundamental transformation is one of the most stimulating aspects of contemporary thought on the city.

Mots clés: Cities; mobility; urban minorities; french case

Domaines: Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie; Sociologie; Architecture, aménagement de l'espace

Sophie Bouly de Lesdain, Anne Raulin. Cities and spatial construction. 2008. ⟨halshs-00256310⟩