Benno Werlen

From Geography

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Benno Werlen (10 October 1952, Switzerland) is a Professor in Human Geography at the University of Jena. He is internationally known for his research in Action theory.

Life
Werlen studied Human Geography in Freiburg, Germany. When he finished his studies he worked and did research in Kiel, Freiburg and Zürich. At the University of Zürich Werlen got his PhD and Habilitation with his research on Action theory. Werlen goes to the London School of Economics and meets Anthony Giddens, a British sociologist, that is the director at that moment. His work is influenced by Giddens ideas about Structuration theory (Structure vs. Structuration).

Work
In 1993 Werlen publishes his most important book: Society, Action and Space: An Alternative Human Geography. The book is internationally recognized as a major contribution to the interface between geography and social theory. Space is not only an important component in research in geography but “a significant number of social processes and problems involve some spatial component” (Werlen, 2005, p. 47).
The theory of Benno Werlen is based on going from a space-centered towards an action-centered Human Geography. Werlen: “In the history of geographical research, ‘space’ has been understood variously as a cause for social action, as a container of the social world or even as objectified social and cultural meaning” (2005, p. 48). But according to Werlen ‘space’ doesn’t exist on itself, is a construction of reality based on the body as naturally given. Body experience is the bases for experience of all objects. There are many concepts of space. The meaning we give to the world around us is not pre-given. Everyone’s personal meaning is changed by experiences, by their own stock of knowledge. The raw material is pre-given, but meaning is always constituted.
With ‘action’ Werlen means an intentional process of an act, from present to future. This differs from ‘behaviour’ which is a respons from past to present. Action meant that a person has ideas of how things could or should be otherwise and also tries to realize these images. We use the elements of the situation to realize the action, or because of the elements we can’t realize the action. So intentionality and creativity are strongly linked to the action-theory of Werlen. But that we have intentions doesn’t mean that all consequences of our actions are intended. Things turn out differently than you expect because you can never have full knowledge, you can’t have total control over a situation and you can’t control how other people will behave and interfere with your goals.

Publications
WERLEN, B. (2009): Gesellschaftliche Räumlichkeit. Bd. 2: Konstruktion geographischer Wirklichkeiten. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
WERLEN, B. (2009): Gesellschaftliche Räumlichkeit. Bd. 1: Orte der Geographie. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
WERLEN, B., P. WEICHHART & C. WEISKE (2006): Place Identity und Images. Das Beispiel Eisenhüttenstadt. Abhandlungen zur Geographie und Regionalforschung 9. Wien: Institut für Geographie und Regionalforschung.
WERLEN, B. (2000): Sozialgeographie. Eine Einführung. Bern: UTB Haupt.
WERLEN, B. (1997): Sozialgeographie alltäglicher Regionalisierungen Bd. 2: Globalisierung, Region und Regionalisierung. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
WERLEN, B. (1995): Sozialgeographie alltäglicher Regionalisierungen Bd. 1: Zur Ontologie von Gesellschaft und Raum. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
WERLEN, B. (1993): Society, Action and Space. An alternative human London: Routledge.
WERLEN, B. (1987): Gesellschaft, Handlung und Raum. Grundlagen handlungstheoretischer Sozialgeographie. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.

References:

-Fontein, R.J., & Broek, J. van den. (n.d.). De Geografische handelingstheorie: het maken van de geografie. Accessed on 21 October 2010, on http://socgeo.ruhosting.nl/html/files/geoapp/Werkstukken/Werlen.pdf
-University of Jena (2010). Wissenschaftliche publikationen. Accessed on 21 October 2010, on http://www.uni-jena.de/unijenamedia/Bilder/faculties/chgeo/inst_geogr/Sozialgeographie/Dokumente+Werlen/Wissenschaftliche_Publikationen_Werlen_September_2009.pdf
-Werlen, B. (1993). Society, Action and Space. An alternative human geography. London: Routledge.
-Werlen, B. (2005). Regions and everyday regionalizations. From a space-centered towards an action-centered human geography. In Houtum, H. van., Kramsch, O., & Zierhofer, W. (Eds) Bordering Space (pp. 47 – 60). Hampshire: Ashgate.

Contributors

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