Sulla giustizia spaziale

Coming from an anthropology that considers the human being as embedded consciousness - social, temporal and spatial - the text intends to propose an idea of justice which refers to the spatial dimension in particular, with reference not only to the paradigm of distribution but also to that of dominion and oppression. The spatial configurations cannot be understood as mere contexts in which one reads social phenomena, or as backgrounds where justice and injustice occur. They must be seen as contents, which build situations of justice or injustice. Recognising the relevance of spatial dynamics allows one to comprehend asymmetric relations of power and submission, emargination and subordination, which otherwise would remain effective but invisible; it makes it possible to conceive alternative geographies; it highlights factors that are important for the processes of construction of subjectivity, which would otherwise remain disregarded. The text returns, in particular, to the reflections of Edward Soja, which refer to Henry Lefebvre and David Harvey. It seeks on one hand to clarify how one should intend the expression “spatial justice”, and on the other hand to show the theoretical and practical fertility of such an enrichment of semantics of justice.

Keywords: Anthropology; Justice; Space; Cities; Sustainability.