Abstract
In everyday and academic language identity, representation and discourse are often just vague terms. Each academic discipline has its own definitions, and uses the terms differently according to its own traditions. Therefore, their inherent ambiguity becomes especially problematic if research positions are transverse to disciplines and if multi- or interdisciplinary approaches become necessary. But even within the same discipline, they may be seen as terms with indistinct borders. These observations make up the starting point of this book, in the course of which the author develops an action-oriented discourse analysis that combines these three terms, with the goal of opposing their vagueness, making them operationalizable and illustrating the construction process of space-oriented identity patterns.
Marxhausen’s book consists of six chapters. In the first chapter, the academic discourse on European identity is reflected upon. Apart from giving this multidisciplinary state of research, Marxhausen uses this chapter to expound on the fact that terms like EU/Europe and identity are used inconsistently within this discourse (p. 36). From this starting point, the aim of her work is outlined, creating a theoretically solid basis to avoid these vaguenesses and uncertainties and to make the interrelations between identity and representation more specific (p. 40).
In the second chapter, Marxhausen argues that social psychological theories on identity function as a ‘hinge’ between the societal generation of meaning and individual cognition (p. 66). As time and space are especially important social categories, Marxhausen integrates another theoretical approach: the critical geopolitics. This theory is based on research on geographic representation in rhetorics and practices (p. 65). Within this frame, representation and identity are constructed by social communication. In order to operationalize this construction process, the author suggests discourse analysis and embeds it in the approach of discursive psychology as the critical continuation of the theory of social representation.
Before making more explicit which tools from the ‘discourse analytical tool box’ she wants to use and how, Marxhausen uses the third chapter to explore the discursive field of European concepts of identity, and gives the reader a wide understanding of the context which she summarizes as the order of representations (p. 127).
The central question of the fourth chapter is: How do discourses need to be conceptualized and methodically operationalized to make space-oriented social representations knowable? In the fifth chapter, Marxhausen tries out her scheme of analysis. First, the chosen text is put into its context of education policy and the selection of the text is explained (pp. 271–272). Then she describes the results of her text analysis, feeds them back with the context and interprets them in regards to this background. Strategies of doing geography arise and convey how, based on essentialist and normative arguments combined with metaphoric and persuasive language, Europe is constructed as an entity of culture and space.
In addition to a short summary, the final chapter gives a critical reflection on operationalization and the analytical gain of the theoretical–methodological thoughts and the analytical scheme.
Very precisely and using great detail, Marxhausen demonstrates the theoretical steps leading to her scheme and develops a highly complex analytical system to show ‘how words make place and space’. This young researcher handles a remarkable range of knowledge and makes it presentable to the reader. Two of her own premises forced her to meet these high standards. First, she aims to make each step also selectively adaptable (p. 18) and, second, she argues that only with disclosed basic assumptions can research be made accessible and open for constructive critique (p. 134). It is unquestionable that these aims are sensible and worthy of support, but it may at some points leave the reader struggling to keep all strands of this argumentation together.
The book would have benefited from better editing and more consistent formatting. The reader might find the extensive use and mixture of italics, bold and bold-italics confusing. The frequent use of inverted commas also sometimes makes it unnecessarily difficult to follow the argument. Reading joy and comprehensibility might also have gained from giving more ‘power to the verb!’ (Billig, 2008: 798). Billig continues: ‘[c]ritical analysis requires clear thinking and clear writing. It will not be easy. Nor should it be’ (p. 798).
Still, Marxhausen supplies the reader with a tremendous wealth of theoretical background. Her book makes a useful and interesting contribution not only to social geography but also to readers who are looking for a well-argued, step-by-step approach from complex theory down to applicable method. Especially because her analytical scheme (p. 227ff.) can be applied to many different research questions, it gives helpful guidance for researchers who focus on the discursive construction of identity.