The Context:
Spaces can become attached to or associated with particular identities in several ways. For example, the textbook authors state that a building can become a gendered space either by being “constructed with the goal of creating gendered spaces within, or a building can become gendered by the way people use it and interact within it” (157). In other cases, certain groups unofficially ‘claim’ spaces as their own, sometimes only for specific times. A student once wrote about a particular Dunkin’ Donuts in northern Massachusetts being a gathering and meeting place for senior citizens on weekdays but only from about 8-10 am; another related that a skateboard park in town was occupied primarily by adolescent males boarding and a few adolescent girls watching, but not participating themselves.
The Task:
In the course or your regular comings and goings, observe places around the MSU campus (or some other place, if you are more familiar with it) for a few days with an eye towards noticing spaces that take on a particular ‘identity’ based on the people occupying them. Observe what goes on, to whom the space ‘belongs,’ how that ‘ownership’ is established and maintained, and write up your findings. If you can, talk with people who are there to get some insight into whether their ‘ownership’ of the space was planned or started randomly, or even if they are aware of it. NOTE: This space should be (at least officially) ‘open’ to all people. Therefore, the IM West women’s locker room is not a good example of a space that is gendered, nor is the field where the football team practices as an example of ‘a space that the football players control.’
Things to Consider (you do not have to specifically write answers to these things, but think about them):
What is the space? To whom does this space belong?
How is this place associated with a particular identity? Is it through access, control, or just dominating by weight of numbers?
How is the space ‘bounded?’ What are its limits/edges? Are they clearly defined or ‘fuzzy?’
What happens when/if an ‘Other’ or non-member enters the space?
Is this space of identity fluid? Does it seem to be ‘owned’ by this group all the time, or is it contingent on particular times or other circumstances? If the latter, do other groups claim it at other times, or is it not a particular ‘space of identity’ then?
The Details:
500-word maximum
Use correct language mechanics (spelling, capitalization, good sentence and paragraph structure, etc.)
Utilize material from the class (correctly) and/or from other sources in formulating your response in order to get the highest possible score
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