The Doreen Massey Reader

by Doreen Massey, Brett Christophers (Editor), Rebecca Lave (Editor)

Doreen Massey (1944-2016) was one of the most influential geographers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Her ideas on space, region, identity, ethics, and capital transformed the field itself, while also attracting a wide audience in sociology, planning, political economy, cultural studies, gender studies, and beyond. The significance of her contributions is difficult to overstate. Massey established both scholarly substance and political salience for the claim that "geography matters," not as a dry defense of disciplinary turf but as a rallying cry.

This collection of Massey's writings brings together for the first time her formative contributions, showcasing the continuing relevance of her ideas to current debates on financialization, globalization, immigration, and nationalism, among other topics. With introductions and explanatory notes from the editors, the collection provides an unrivaled introduction to the range and depth of Massey's contributions, which are sure to remain an essential touchstone for social theory and critical geography for generations to come.

Genres: Nonfiction

347 pages, Hardcover

Published July 31, 2018

About the author

From Wikipedia: Doreen Barbara Massey FRSA FBA FAcSS (3 January 1944 – 11 March 2016) was a British social scientist and geographer, working among others on topics involving Marxist geography, feminist geography, and cultural geography. Her work on space, place and power has been highly influential within a range of related disciplines and research fields. She served as Emeritus Professor of Geography at the Open University.

Massey was born in Manchester and spent most of her childhood in Wythenshawe, a large council estate. She studied at Oxford and later did a Masters in Regional Science at the University of Pennsylvania, beginning her career with a thinktank, the Centre for Environmental Studies (CES) in London. CES contained several key analysts of the contemporary British economy, and Massey established a working partnership with Richard Meegan, among others. CES was closed down and she moved into academia at the Open University.

Massey retired in 2009 but remained a frequent media commentator, particularly on industry and regional trends. In her role as Emeritus Professor at the OU she continued her speaking engagements and involvement in educational TV programmes and books.