Thinking about Making a Difference
In: The British journal of politics & international relations, Band 6, Heft 1, S. 65-80
ISSN: 1369-1481
This article works across disciplines: politics, geography, & social & cultural theory. Issues of space & body are brought to bear on how we think about the question 'making a difference.' By considering difference in terms of the sociospatial impact of the presence of hitherto socially excluded groups, such as women & racialized minorities, the gendered & racialized nature of the body politic & most specifically its 'elite' positions is brought into focus. The coexistence of women & 'black' & Asian MPs in Westminster demonstrates how these 'groups' are both historically & conceptually 'space invaders.' This positionality underlies a series of social processes, which illustrate how their very presence is a disruption as well as a continual negotiation. While accepting the agnostic perspective that there are 'no guarantees' that the arrival of these 'new' bodies will articulate a different politics, in terms of policy outcomes & political debate, this article asserts that the sociological terms of their presence deserves in-depth attention. 79 References. Adapted from the source document.