Introduction: “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls
“Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls first appeared in American Literary History in 2011 (Walls, 2011). In this article, Walls explores the intersections between literature, geography, and history, emphasizing the ways in which spatial analysis enhances literary theory and cultural studies. Drawing on the work of thinkers such as Alexander von Humboldt and Henri Lefebvre, she critiques the historical fragmentation of disciplines that has separated literature from geography and argues for a reintegration of spatial and literary studies. Walls illustrates how geography has always been a narrative of history, shaping human experiences and cultural identities through landforms, territorial expansions, and ideological constructs. She highlights how American literature has mediated anxieties over space and expansion, shaping national and regional identities while also enabling resistance to dominant spatial narratives. The article engages with works by Hsuan L. Hsu, Mark Rifkin, and Miles Orvell, among others, to demonstrate how literature functions as both a representation of space and a tool for reimagining place-based identities. By examining the literary production of spatial belonging, Walls underscores the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding cultural and historical processes. Her work contributes significantly to literary theory by advocating for “scale-jumping”—a concept that connects the personal, local, national, and global dimensions of space, thereby challenging fixed, hegemonic notions of geography and identity (Walls, 2011).
Summary of “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls
- Interdisciplinary Fusion of Literature and Geography
Walls advocates for an interdisciplinary approach that merges literature, geography, and history, arguing that modern geography is inherently shaped by historical processes. She references Alexander von Humboldt’s idea that “their form is their history” to emphasize that both landforms and languages develop through time (Walls, 2011, p. 860). However, she critiques the 19th-century fragmentation of disciplines, which led to a rigid separation of literary and geographic studies instead of their integration. - The Spatial Turn in Literary Studies
Walls highlights the “spatial turn” in the humanities, which emerged in the 1980s through theorists like Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and Edward Soja. This movement challenges “space-blinkered historicism” and redefines geography as an active force rather than a passive backdrop (p. 861). She explains that spatial analysis allows scholars to explore literature’s role in shaping cultural and national identities, particularly in relation to American territorial expansion and its ideological foundations. - Geography, Colonialism, and American Expansion
The article examines how geography has been instrumental in American colonial expansion, citing Hsuan L. Hsu’s study on spatial expansion as a response to economic crises. She discusses how expansion functioned as a “spatial fix” to internal economic instability but also generated new conflicts and contradictions (p. 862). Literature, Walls argues, plays a crucial role in mediating these anxieties by depicting the struggles over land, identity, and displacement. - Scale-Jumping and Literary Representation
Walls introduces the concept of “scale-jumping,” describing how literature enables readers to shift perspectives between local, national, and global spaces (p. 862). She illustrates this with figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, who depicted America’s geography as an expansive, poetic entity (p. 863). However, she also warns that scale-jumping has historically been used to justify imperial expansion, as seen in the rhetoric of U.S. missionaries and colonial explorers. - Borders, Sovereignty, and Indigenous Geographies
Drawing on Mark Rifkin’s work, Walls critiques the ideological construction of borders as a means of erasing Indigenous sovereignty. She argues that the true violence of American expansion was not just territorial conquest but the “conceptual violence” that forced Indigenous peoples into a framework of dispossession and marginalization (p. 865). By analyzing “subaltern geographies,” Walls explores how Indigenous resistance continues to challenge dominant spatial narratives. - Public and Private Spaces in American Culture
Walls extends her discussion of geography to urban spaces, referencing studies by Orvell and Meikle on the contested nature of public spaces. She highlights how sites like Washington D.C.’s National Mall have historically been arenas for political struggle and national identity formation (p. 868). However, she contrasts these organic public spaces with the increasing privatization of urban life, where commercialized areas like shopping malls and gated communities threaten democratic engagement (p. 869). - Literature’s Role in Reimagining Space
Walls concludes by emphasizing that literature is not merely a reflection of spatial realities but an active force in shaping them. She argues that literature offers “alternate geographies” that allow readers to challenge dominant spatial structures and reimagine power relations (p. 870). She calls for an interdisciplinary approach that reconnects literature with geography to better understand the socio-political landscapes that shape human experience.
Theoretical Terms/Concepts in “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls
| Theoretical Term/Concept | Definition/Explanation | How Walls Defines and Uses It |
| Interdisciplinarity | The integration of different academic disciplines, particularly literature and geography, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of spatial and cultural narratives (Walls, 2011, p. 860). | Walls argues for an interdisciplinary approach that unites literature and geography, challenging the traditional fragmentation of disciplines. She suggests that reconnecting these fields can help us better understand historical and cultural processes. |
| Spatial Turn | A shift in humanities and social sciences that emphasizes space as an active, constructed entity rather than a passive setting, influenced by thinkers like Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja (Walls, 2011, p. 861). | Walls traces the emergence of the spatial turn in the 1980s and highlights its impact on literary studies, particularly in reconsidering American national identity and historical narratives. |
| Scale-Jumping | The ability of literature to move between different spatial scales—local, regional, national, and global—to create a sense of interconnectedness (Walls, 2011, p. 862). | Walls explains that literature allows readers to shift perspectives across different spatial levels, sometimes reinforcing national myths and at other times challenging dominant ideologies of expansion. |
| Subaltern Geographies | The study of spaces marginalized by dominant spatial narratives, particularly Indigenous territories erased or overwritten by colonial expansion (Walls, 2011, p. 866). | Walls draws on Mark Rifkin’s work to show how American imperial expansion erased Indigenous spaces and histories, arguing that literature can help recover these subaltern geographies. |
| Public vs. Private Space | The contested nature of public spaces, where capitalist interests often encroach upon communal and civic spaces, shaping social interactions (Walls, 2011, p. 868). | Walls discusses how spaces like Washington D.C.’s National Mall serve as arenas of political struggle while contrasting this with the increasing privatization of urban life. |
| Conceptual Violence | A form of ideological violence that frames marginalized groups as outsiders, effectively erasing their agency and presence in spatial histories (Walls, 2011, p. 865). | Walls critiques the ways in which national maps create a false sense of unity while systematically excluding Indigenous and marginalized communities from historical narratives. |
| Geographical Belonging | The way literature and geography shape individuals’ emotional and cultural attachments to spaces, influencing identity formation (Walls, 2011, p. 862). | Walls explains how literature creates feelings of spatial belonging, helping readers connect to local, regional, and national identities, often in response to colonial expansion. |
| Territorial Coherence | The idea that national maps create a false sense of unity by obscuring the histories of Indigenous and contested spaces (Walls, 2011, p. 865). | Walls critiques the “fetishized image of territorial coherence,” arguing that maps reinforce an artificial unity that ignores spatial conflicts and erased geographies. |
| Empire for Liberty | Thomas Jefferson’s concept of the U.S. as an expanding “empire for liberty,” which paradoxically justified territorial expansion and Indigenous displacement (Walls, 2011, p. 865). | Walls analyzes how Jefferson’s rhetoric framed expansion as a moral project while simultaneously legitimizing the dispossession of Indigenous peoples. |
| Environmental Unconscious | A term describing how literature and culture reveal suppressed environmental and spatial histories, particularly through representations of landfills and waste (Walls, 2011, p. 869). | Walls references Don DeLillo’s Underworld and other literary works to illustrate how hidden landscapes, like landfills, symbolize forgotten ecological and social histories. |
Contribution of “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls to Literary Theory/Theories
- Spatial Theory and the Spatial Turn in Literary Studies
Walls contributes to spatial theory by emphasizing the role of space as an active force in shaping literature and culture. She draws on the spatial turn initiated by Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and Edward Soja, arguing that space is “not merely a backdrop but an active participant in history and literature” (Walls, 2011, p. 861). By engaging with spatial theory, Walls positions literature as a medium that constructs, contests, and redefines geographic and ideological boundaries. - Postcolonial Theory and Subaltern Studies
Walls’ discussion of subaltern geographies aligns with postcolonial theory, particularly the work of Gayatri Spivak and Edward Said, by exploring how imperial expansion erases Indigenous and marginalized spatial histories. She engages with Mark Rifkin’s concept of “territorial coherence” to show how national maps “fetishize territorial unity while suppressing Indigenous sovereignty” (Walls, 2011, p. 865). Her work contributes to postcolonial literary theory by revealing how literature can recover and reimagine erased geographies. - Ecocriticism and Environmental Humanities
Walls incorporates ecocritical perspectives by discussing how literature engages with the environment and suppressed ecological narratives. She references Klaus Benesch’s idea of the “environmental unconscious,” showing how literature reveals hidden landscapes such as landfills and abandoned industrial sites (Walls, 2011, p. 869). Her argument supports ecocritical readings of literature as a means of uncovering historical and environmental transformations. - Cultural Geography and Literary Cartography
By linking literature with geography, Walls advances the field of literary cartography, which studies how literary texts map spatial relations and cultural identities. She demonstrates how literary texts engage in “scale-jumping,” allowing readers to shift between local, national, and global perspectives (Walls, 2011, p. 862). This contribution aligns with Franco Moretti’s concept of distant reading, where geographic and spatial relationships shape literary analysis. - Critical Regionalism and National Identity
Walls’ analysis of critical regionalism contributes to discussions on national and regional identity formation in literary studies. She engages with Hsuan L. Hsu’s argument that “regional identification is constructed externally through economic and ideological forces” (Walls, 2011, p. 867). By challenging the nostalgia of regional literature, Walls suggests that literature both reflects and critiques the formation of national and regional identities. - Urban Theory and the Politics of Public Space
Drawing on studies of public space by Miles Orvell and Jeffrey Meikle, Walls discusses the contestation of urban spaces in literature. She examines how capitalist forces privatize urban environments, reducing public spaces to sites of commercial activity (Walls, 2011, p. 868). Her analysis contributes to urban theory by revealing how literature critiques and reimagines urban landscapes as spaces of resistance and civic engagement. - American Studies and the Ideology of Manifest Destiny
Walls critiques the ideological construction of America as a unified space, engaging with the concept of Manifest Destiny. She argues that Thomas Jefferson’s vision of an “empire for liberty” justified territorial expansion while displacing Indigenous peoples (Walls, 2011, p. 865). By challenging the myth of national coherence, Walls’ work contributes to American Studies by exposing how literature interrogates expansionist ideologies. - Literary Globalization and Transnational Studies
Walls contributes to transnational literary studies by analyzing how literature navigates global, national, and regional scales. She explores how “cosmopolitan rhetoric has been used both for liberatory and imperialist purposes” (Walls, 2011, p. 864). Her discussion aligns with transnational literary theories that examine the movement of ideas, people, and narratives across borders.
Examples of Critiques Through “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls
| Literary Work | Concepts Applied | Critique Through Walls’ Framework |
| Edgar Huntly (1799) by Charles Brockden Brown | Gothic Geographies, Subaltern Geographies | Walls, drawing on Hsuan L. Hsu’s spatial analysis, critiques Brown’s novel for its portrayal of Gothic geographies, where space becomes unmappable, and repressed Indigenous voices disrupt dominant colonial narratives (Walls, 2011, p. 863). The novel illustrates how American expansion is inherently unstable, challenging the idea of a smoothly integrated national space. |
| Leaves of Grass (1855) by Walt Whitman | Scale-Jumping, Literary Cartography | Walls uses Whitman’s poetry to explore scale-jumping, showing how he transforms America into an expansive poetic geography (Walls, 2011, p. 863). His work fosters national unity through literary cartography, imagining America as a unified poetic space, but Walls cautions that this vision often overlooks colonial violence and the exclusion of marginalized groups. |
| Underworld (1997) by Don DeLillo | Environmental Unconscious, Hidden Geographies | DeLillo’s novel is examined through the lens of the environmental unconscious, where waste dumps and industrial ruins serve as suppressed spatial histories (Walls, 2011, p. 869). Walls highlights how the novel’s geography reveals hidden ecological and social consequences of capitalist expansion, exposing the discarded remnants of industrialization. |
| Manifest Destiny Writings (Various American Authors) | Conceptual Violence, Territorial Coherence | Walls critiques the ideological construction of U.S. expansionist narratives, showing how writings associated with Manifest Destiny reflect conceptual violence (Walls, 2011, p. 865). She argues that these texts reinforce the illusion of territorial coherence while erasing Indigenous geographies and legitimizing territorial dispossession, shaping the ideological foundations of U.S. expansionism. |
Criticism Against “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls
- Overemphasis on Spatial Theory at the Expense of Other Critical Lenses
Walls heavily focuses on spatial theory, often prioritizing it over other important theoretical frameworks such as gender, race, and class. While she addresses Indigenous erasure, some critics may argue that she does not sufficiently engage with feminist geography or intersectional perspectives in her analysis. A more comprehensive critique could have integrated these dimensions to offer a fuller interdisciplinary approach. - Limited Engagement with Contemporary Globalization Studies
Although Walls discusses scale-jumping and transnational perspectives, her work primarily centers on American spatial dynamics. Critics might argue that she does not sufficiently address the implications of global capitalism, migration, or transnational literature, which would expand the scope of her argument beyond U.S.-centric spatial concerns. - Idealization of Interdisciplinarity Without Addressing Institutional Constraints
While Walls advocates for interdisciplinary approaches that merge literature and geography, she does not fully address the institutional barriers that often hinder such integration in academia. Critics might point out that disciplinary divisions are not merely theoretical but are reinforced by academic structures, funding, and publishing norms that make interdisciplinary work difficult to implement in practice. - Potential Overgeneralization of Literary Spatial Dynamics
Walls makes broad claims about literature’s role in shaping and contesting space, but some critics might argue that she does not sufficiently account for variations across different genres, historical contexts, and literary traditions. Her focus on spatial readings of canonical American literature could be expanded to include more diverse literary traditions that engage with space in different ways. - Insufficient Engagement with Alternative Indigenous Spatial Theories
While Walls discusses Indigenous geographies and subaltern spaces, some critics may argue that her analysis is largely grounded in Western theoretical frameworks, such as Lefebvre and Soja. A stronger engagement with Indigenous scholars and spatial theorists could provide a more nuanced and decolonial approach to the study of space in literature. - Abstract Theoretical Language May Limit Accessibility
The complex theoretical discussions in Walls’ essay, particularly regarding the spatial turn and conceptual violence, might be difficult for readers unfamiliar with spatial theory. Some critics could argue that her work would benefit from a more accessible writing style or additional concrete literary examples to illustrate her arguments more clearly.
Representative Quotations from “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls with Explanation
| Quotation | Explanation |
| “The American map, which lies so apparently flat and solid, is in fact yeasty with such heterogeneous spaces.” | Walls critiques the illusion of a unified American space, emphasizing its internal diversity and contestation, challenging the perception of the nation as a singular entity (Walls, 2011, p. 860). |
| “Their form is their history.” | Quoting Humboldt, Walls highlights how geography and history are interconnected, shaping landscapes, cultures, and national identities over time (Walls, 2011, p. 861). |
| “Could have been, but was not. The watchword for the nineteenth century was disciplinary specialization, not fusion.” | She argues that academic disciplines fragmented rather than fused knowledge, limiting interdisciplinary understanding and preventing a holistic view of literature and geography (Walls, 2011, p. 862). |
| “The interpretive significance of space” is a concept that challenges “space-blinkered historicism.” | Walls references postmodern geographers to emphasize the role of space as an active, interpretive force rather than a neutral backdrop, challenging traditional historical readings (Walls, 2011, p. 863). |
| “America itself as a ‘place’—that is, a ‘space’ made meaningful—becomes ‘the record of assertion and displacement, of authority and the subversion of authority.'” | This statement underscores how American spatial identity is defined through contestations, exclusions, and power struggles, making space a site of ideological conflict (Walls, 2011, p. 864). |
| “What does it mean to identify not with a fixed national space but with a panoply of changing and contested spaces?” | Walls explores Hsu’s concept of scale-jumping and literary identification, showing how texts mediate instability in spatial belonging and national identity (Walls, 2011, p. 865). |
| “The real puzzle is not how an expanding US conquered its territory, but how that territory became ‘manifested’ as a free union of, by, and for the people.” | She critiques the ideological mechanisms that portray territorial expansion as consensual and natural rather than contested, exposing the constructed nature of U.S. nationalism (Walls, 2011, p. 866). |
| “Public space, in the sense of functional space, is always a construction, and as such an expression of someone’s will.” | Walls examines how public spaces are shaped by political, economic, and ideological interests, challenging assumptions about their neutrality and accessibility (Walls, 2011, p. 867). |
| “Cosmopolitan scale-jumping can use regionalism as a springboard, connecting what seem to be merely local struggles with similar struggles abroad.” | She highlights how regionalism can serve as both a site of resistance and complicity in global capitalism, emphasizing the role of literature in shaping political consciousness (Walls, 2011, p. 868). |
| “The boundary separating the disciplines of literature and geography is itself a geographical question, a problem of form which is simultaneously a problem of history.” | Walls argues for a transdisciplinary approach, suggesting that spatial and literary analyses must be understood as mutually constitutive, rather than as separate fields (Walls, 2011, p. 870). |
Suggested Readings: “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity” by Laura Dassow Walls
- Walls, Laura Dassow. “Literature, geography, and the spaces of interdisciplinarity.” American Literary History 23.4 (2011): 860-872.
- Walls, Laura Dassow. “Literature, Geography, and the Spaces of Interdisciplinarity.” American Literary History, vol. 23, no. 4, 2011, pp. 860–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41329618. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
- Porteous, J. Douglas. “Literature and Humanist Geography.” Area, vol. 17, no. 2, 1985, pp. 117–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20002164. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
- Pocock, Douglas. “Literature and Humanist Geography.” Area, vol. 18, no. 1, 1986, pp. 55–56. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20002260. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.