ABSTRACT

Reflecting on African-American literature in the United States, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (1992, 31) wrote that “[a] well-marked anthology functions in the academy to create a tradition, as well as to define and preserve it.” One could make a similar statement about this collection of readings on planning theory. Seymour Mandelbaum's catholic claims to the contrary, his inclusionary and accommodating introductory essay, “The Talk of the Community,” signals the emphasis on communicative practice that follows. Consequently, these initial chapters can be read as an attempt to establish the boundaries of an emerging, dominant domain of planning theory, with the remainder of the anthology exploring its internal diversity.