Places, practices and (soft) power

Abstract

This special issue explores places, practices and (soft) power to examine issues pertinent to socio-economic inclusion and exclusion. Through the evaluation of these topics, further insight is offered on social, cultural and political impacts on places and local economies. Soft power is a term used widely in political geography, political science and international affairs. The term, coined by Nye (1990, 2004), refers to the ability to shape attitudes, perceptions and preferences through culture and/or political ideals in order to build a particular appeal, or create attractive (and affirmative) value. Academics in fields from international relations, marketing, sociology, urban/regional studies and human geography periodically engage with this term (e.g. Chatin and Gallarotti, 2019; Chitty et al., 2016; Surowiec, 2019), and it is useful to try and further explore this idea from international and interdisciplinary perspectives as it can influence and impact ongoing or ever-changing practices in different places. Critical scholars, such as Lefebvre (1991), Mitchell (2003) and Soja (1989), argue that the very semblance of power is framed around notions of inclusion and exclusion; therefore, it is important to assess insight surrounding the socio-economic considerations of soft power based on different practices in different places.