%0 Generic
%A Wenzlhuemer, Roland
%C Köln
%D 2010
%E Wenzlhuemer, Roland
%F heidok:19668
%I Center for Historical Social Research
%K space, globalization, communication, global history, telecommunication, telegraphy
%P 19-47
%R 10.11588/heidok.00019668
%T Globalization, Communication and the Concept of Space in Global History
%U https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/19668/
%X To study changing patterns of communication, interactions and transfers is a principal focus of global history. Such shifting connectivity patterns produce new spaces that co-exist with and are complementary to geographic space. The creation, transformation and interaction of these spaces become a central object of study in global history if we want to understand processes of globalization – such as the alleged “shrinking of the world”. At the same time, practitioners of global history constantly struggle with  spatially delineating their field of study. Therefore, global history needs a new understanding of space that provides a framework for both – looking at space as an  object of study as well as clearly identifying and demarcating the field of study. In this article, I propose an abstract, multi-layered and strictly relativistic understanding of space that will help the global historian to better master both challenges.