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In everyday thinking, spaces and places are generally seen as empty vessels where human activity occurs. Digging a bit deeper, we can distinguish spaces from places: places are spaces that have meanings attached... Focusing on the Japanese concept ba – usually translated as ‘place’ – this study recognizes that places imbued with social meaning influence human behavior. Ba takes into account the social context, the norms that dictate behavior, the mood of a place, and the individual’s feelings about it. Conceptualized as ba, places limit and direct what we can do, and in the process, shape who we are.
Partial description of the new book,
Anthropology of Ba (KAJIMARU Gaku, Caitlin Coker, KAZAMA Kazuhiro, 2021, Trans Pacific Press). I haven't read the book yet, but I am looking forward to it...
