Towards a sociology of spatial event

ABSTRACT

The concept of "event” is used in some fields of research in urban, regional and environmental sociology, but has not so far received a univocal definition and consistent developments. However, it is at the centre of numerous debates in contemporary philosophy, as well as in other fields of knowledge. This article examines some aspects of this reflection, trying to draw from them indications for a more solid foundation of the idea of the spatial event, considered as an unforeseen and contingent phenomenon, which refers not only to the effects of social interactions, but involves at the same time a multiplicity of non-human elements endowed with specific agency, be they natural or technological entities. This task also requires defining the relationship between the event and the situation from which it originates, as well as the ways in which it can bring about a radical transformation of this situation. Based on these considerations, the article concludes by posing the question of the Covid 19 syndemics as a catastrophic event, which nevertheless has the potential to transform the situation at various spatial levels. Copyright © FrancoAngeli.