index

Presuppositions of completeness

click on images for full-size:

The Japanese folk pottery at Shigaraki, near Kyoto, has for centuries been destined for trade.

There is clearly much that is right about the commodification critique, but when used as a totalizing characterization of today's places, it depends on questionable presuppositions.

The first presupposition is that earlier people were solidly in their places, completely enclosed within their norms and rituals, with no internal tourism or distancing self-reflection.

The second presupposition is that places change their nature totally when they are inserted into the realm of exchange.