CSS213 | Space and Society: Reading Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space

Henri Lefebvre’s (1901–91) contributions to our understanding of space and of space–society relations have had a signal influence across anthropology, geography, history, sociology, and many other disciplines and fields of inquiry. This course shall offer students a systematic, careful engagement with Lefebvre’s The Production of Space, published in French in 1974 and made available to the English-speaking world in 1991 through Donald Nicholson-Smith’s translation.

This is a standalone course—although, in offering a close reading of The Production of Space, it shall speak to several of the approaches and concepts (to, for example, capitalism, everyday life, architecture and urban planning, modernity, and the state) introduced through foundational courses in the social sciences and humanities.

There are many ways to read this book and many aspects from the mix of insights it provides to examine. This course shall focus on understanding Lefebvre’s method to the study of space; his main insights on the nature of the contemporary space–society relation and its connection with capitalism; and the validity of these insights for scholars of India/South Asia. While the book evinces Lefebvre’s productive encounters with several key thinkers and social theorists, this course will concentrate on his engagement with Karl Marx’s work. Prior familiarity with Marx will be beneficial but is not required.

The course will proceed through lectures and classroom discussions that closely follow the structure of The Production of Space. Students are required to read each session’s assigned chapter/section in advance and to actively participate in classroom discussions.