Meaning of nonplace | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An anthropological space of transience where human beings remain anonymous, such as an airport or shopping mall.
2. That which is not a place but has some aspects of one, such as cyberspace.

Equivalents

Examples

“Marc Auge identifies the nonplace as both a symptom and product of supermodernity. Auge's designation of the nonplace is neither prescriptive nor apocalyptic, realizing that the differential relation between place⟳ and nonplace is never absolute. The proliferation of nonplaces, however, is directly related to transnational capital and "supermodernity"; indeed, the nonplace is one of its products and mechanisms. Accordingly, the nonplace "designates two complementary but distinct […]”

“Nonplace does not mean⟳ no place⟳, nor does it mean⟳ a nonexistent place⟳. It just lacks certain conditions that a place⟳ should have⟳, such as a name⟳ and a referential reality. Commonsense tells us that to have⟳ a name⟳ but no referential reality, or to have⟳ referential reality but no name⟳, does not count⟳ as a “place⟳” in the strict sense⟳. Yet, for a cartographer, so long as it is included in the area of a map, even though it does not have⟳ a name⟳ or a referential reality, no twodimensional space at […]”

“And so the followers of Seferis, although they inherit⟳ a method, practice an unmethod, a methodological void. Or, to put⟳ it more precisely: although not forced to travel⟳ fleetingly from place⟳ to place⟳, they travel⟳ anyway—to nonplaces, […]”

CEFR level