Space and Social Reproduction in Local Organizations: A Social Constructionist Perspective

Abstract

An attempt is made to broaden the agenda for institutionalist studies in urban and regional analysis by demonstrating that local managers are important social reproductive variables. A study of two social-service managers documents their need to socialize workers into an organizational culture and the influence of past sociospatial landscapes on their regulatory methods. It is posited that managers are bearers of spatiality, mediating the imprint of past and present sociospatial configurations through the lens of evolving biographies. The results suggest that (1) managers are critical constructors of organizational reality and that (2) past processes of spatiality influence such manager constructions.