Nation,market And Production Of Space: The Topography And Practices Of A Village—hancun

Based on the Spatial theory of new Marxism and the topographic path in cultural anthropology,this study tries to analyze the production and reconstruction of space,then to explain why this village's spatial practice changed from something sacred and natural to the instrumental rationality and time-space compression,according to the elaborate investigation of space landscape,architectural style,the layout of the village,and their politics and livelihood,and some iconic events in this area from the late Qing Dynasty to now.First,this paper is going to demonstrate the spatial practice of power.Along with the transformation of China from a traditional dynasty to a modern nation-state,Hancun's original local organization—Gongjia and Huipai became ineffective;then in 1960s,the collectivization across whole China destroyed the spatial pattern of this village,which once took the temples and Huipai as the space symbol.Space became the field of constructing state power,so that the state realized its conformity in rural society.And the spatialization of power became the way the political power to control and penetrate the village.The spatial practice of power shaped and changed Hancun's landscape,it also changed the way of thinking and the social consciousness of villagers.Next,this dissertation analyzes the spatial practice of capital.Capital used space to produce surplus value and improve its value in use,so that space has been materialized.Since 1980s,Hancun has gradually been involved in the economy market.The reasons why Hancun's spatial layout and villagers' consumption concepts both changed are that farmland,woodland and temples are utilized to create new commercial value;and that prosperity and decline of its local farmers' market and township enterprises.Due to the convenient traffic condition and communications technology,traditional collective gathering is replacing by home entertainment,old cottage replaced by western-style house and villa;and the teahouse which also used as mahjong&cards room becomes more popular than temple.Under this circumstance,collective consciousness of the villagers in Hancun is weakened on account of benefit seduction and human condition,current village's spatial distribution and production comply with the logic of capitals.Following the above analysis,this study is to discuss the spatial injustice within the collusion between power and capital.Local authority helps for the capital create new space and provide "legal and qualified" spatial resources in the name of progress;in return,the capital gives the sufficient fund support for the power to prettify the local record of achievements.Under this kind of collusion,Hancun is becoming a landless village,which led to villagers' marginalization.There are many pending issues about the village,such as difficulties of getting jobs and acclimatizing the new surroundings,and other social welfare issues.Hence Hancun is not a cohesive and collective home,it is being transformed into a commercial space which is full of resistance and disappointment.Under the background of building China's nation-state,the production of space in the context of modernity forces traditional villages to change the unique spatial form and urban-rural relationship.The power-and capital-dominated spatial practice ignores the demands of spatial justice,which is not such efficient as it seems.Modern logic of spatial production which produces the homogenous spaces significantly affects the villagers' ideological form and just social welfare.