In this paper it is argued that identification and analysis of spatial patterns have an important role to play in the development of materialist social theory. Spatial forms reveal material conditions that govern social processes and, therefore, provide keys to the understanding of how societies work. Two examples are provided. First, it is argued that gravity patterns in spatial interaction are an outcome of human intentionality but that they also show how human actions are controlled by material conditions. Second, it is shown how the spatial structure of multiplant firms reflects the need for cooperation and control in capitalist production.
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