ABSTRACT
This chapter draws the works of Bourdieu, Giddens, and Pred, to provide a theoretical framework for political sociology in which place is central. It then focuses on identifying the major definitional elements of place, locale, location, and sense of place, and grounding these in structurational sociology. The chapter explores as follows: firstly, the problem of defining place is discussed; secondly, a place-centered approach to social science is described; and thirdly, the relationship between place and the state is examined. The concept of place as context for social relations has suffered particularly from its assimilation in sociological discourse to the concept of community. In recent years there has been a convergence between the work of some human geographers and that of some social theorists. The chapter then reviews the 'theory of structuration' by Pred's approach, developed as a place-centered social theory.
