Space and Identity: Comparing the Production of Queer Spaces in Amsterdam and Hong Kong

By Katie Poltz



Summary

Queer (LGBTQ+) subjectivities and the production of space is well researched in the U.S. context. This chapter investigates the link between queer identity movements and their urban context to explain the formation of queer spaces. A framework for analyzing the production of space is detailed, developed through comparing the U.S. with two novel cases: Amsterdam, Netherlands and Hong Kong, China. Five dimensions are identified: identity, spatial, social, economic and governance.

This chapter argues that a focus on capitalism has obfuscated the importance of other variables in the production of space. A holistic perspective acknowledges the path-dependent context embedded within a globalized world, exposing an over-reliance on economic explanations in contemporary research on the production of space and illuminating the crucial and neglected relationship between identity and governance.


Full text: Space and Identity: Comparing the Production of Queer Spaces in Amsterdam and Hong Kong (paywall)