Space… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.” Queue theme music. As a Trekkie, I could not resist.<\/p>\n
Valentine is not referring to this kind of space, although the book would have been more enjoyable. J \u00a0Rather this space that Valentine is referring to is understood to play an active role in the constitution and reproduction of social identities; and social identities, meanings and relations and is recognized as producing material and symbolic or metaphorical spaces.”[1]<\/a> The overall discipline of this space-ology, is defined as Social geography.\u00a0Social geography as Valentine defines it as an “inherently ambiguous, an electric field of research and writing.” He says it is best summed up as “the study of social relations and the special structures that underpin those relations.”[2]<\/a><\/p>\n This discipline went through a major shift after WW2 as the focus changed from descriptions of uniqueness to concerns with similarities of different geographic location.[3]<\/a> Valentine\u00a0seems to suggest that the focus was “on spatial order and the use of quantitative methods to explain and predict human patterns of behavior.”[4]<\/a> Yet, even in Valentine\u2019s opinion, space is not a static issue rather it is “a product of intricacies and complexities that interlock and have non-interlocking parts of relations with the unimaginable cosmic to the intimately tiny. It is a product of relations, relations which are active practices, material and embedded, practices which have to be carried out, space is always in a process of becoming it is therefore always being made.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n Valentine deviates from the typical social geography textbook where each section discusses separate issues such as gender, class, race or other social aspects. Valentine structured his text book where space remains the focus through a gradual movement outward, e.g., body, home, community, institutions, street, suburban street, city, rural, nation, and outer space. (no he didn\u2019t go that far. But, it would have been so cool if he did. \u201cEngage!\u201d)<\/p>\n All this is highly academic and somewhat interesting for my inner Nerd, however, time does not allow a full in-depth investigation and therefore I am left with a weird feeling that I have just brushed up against something that could be controversial to my inner Child of God who knows of a universal love that transcends time and yes, space. If we regulate our developmental selves to where we come from only than that places limitations on my transformative God.<\/p>\n It is not so much where I come in regards to the geography as much as what I believe.\u00a0Miller states it this way, “All people and cultures have a particular model of the universe, or worldview. Their worldview does more to shape their development, their prosperity or poverty, than does their physical environment or other circumstances.\u201d[6]<\/a> Simple comparisons of geographic space reveals remarkable things that cannot be explained except through worldviews and cultural norms. Somalia with a population of 9.9 million is a country constantly in distress and famine with 16 people per square kilometer. However, compared to Japan, population 126 million and having a density of 334 people per square kilometer we see a nation with 21 times more people per square kilometer but doing much better. Another comparison can be made between The Congo \u2013 population 47.7 million at 21 people per square kilometer and the Netherlands \u2013 population 15.6 million at 461 people per square kilometer but doing much better with less space. And finally we can compare China \u2013 population 1.4 million at 131 people per square kilometer and Taiwan \u2013 population 23.4 million at 671 people per square kilometer yet China, although ranked 84th<\/sup> in population density, has imposed forced abortion denying young families the opportunity to raise large families, or any family beyond one child. Taiwan has no law and has 5 times more people per square kilometer. Again Miller states, “Each worldview creates different cultural stories and produces different values. Ideas produce behaviors and lifestyles and affect people, cultures, nations, and history.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n Space, is God\u2019s frontier whether it be in the body or out of the body. Space is not the determining factor of my direction and I cannot manipulate it to suggest a different out come for my age, or gender. What I can do is allow God to move into my space and transform my mind to understand His will regarding the space I find myself in. To this end I will continue to venture into His space as I travel around this space.<\/p>\n _________________________<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Gill Valentine, Social Geographies: Space and Society<\/em> (New York, N.Y: Routledge, 2001), Loc. 345.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Ibid., Loc. 256.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Ibid., Loc. 274.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Ibid., Loc. 286.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Ibid., Loc. 346.<\/p>\n