Proxemics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Recenti studi affermano che le attività a reale valore aggiunto in ufficio non superano oggi il 5% delle ore lavorative e che, mediamente, un impiegato subisce più di 70 interruzioni al giorno. L'autore affronta le problematiche... more

Recenti studi affermano che le attività a reale valore aggiunto in ufficio non superano oggi il 5% delle ore lavorative e che, mediamente, un impiegato subisce più di 70 interruzioni al giorno. L'autore affronta le problematiche dell'efficienza nel mondo dell'ufficio partendo dalle fondamenta esistenziali dell'uomo ed analizzando tutte le molteplici perturbative che ne affliggono il compito lavorativo attraverso un percorso di rilettura dello spazio esistenziale che, nel mondo dei white collars, vuole restituire alla persona una nuova dignità intellettuale, più umanizzata e meno approssimativa. Lo spazio di relazione viene affrontato, dal micro al macrocosmo, analizzando tutti i livelli di interazione tra l'uomo ed il suo ambiente di lavoro. Partendo radialmente dal mondo degli oggetti, del corpo, della dimora lavorativa, del contesto urbano, fino ad arrivare al paesaggio-azienda. La relazione tra i vari livelli viene ricostruita da zero in una logica contestuale che tocca aspetti storici, psicologici, ergonomici, prossemici ed ambientali generando le fondamenta di una nuova disciplina che l'autore definisce, parafrasando i concetti di "Lean" dell'era efficientista della prima modernità: Lean Workspace Activities. Il fine è definire le regole per il recupero dell'efficienza, attraverso la generazione di benessere psicofisico.
Il presente studio si rivolge dunque a progettisti, managers, imprenditori ed in generale a tutti coloro che operano nel mondo dell'ufficio, nel tentativo di diffondere nell'era della Knowledge Society, una coscienza di "efficienza sostenibile" legata a principi etici, spaziali e di benessere ambientale.

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt our ways of working and living, organizations would do well to consider how spatial relationships (proxemics) will impact communication, formal and informal knowledge networks, and relationship-building in... more

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt our ways of working and living, organizations would do well to consider how spatial relationships (proxemics) will impact communication, formal and informal knowledge networks, and relationship-building in both physical and virtual relationships. Based on novel research from a workplace ethnography conducted in 2019, this paper will outline why the proxemics zones that anthropologist Edward T Hall pioneered in the 1960s are still so important to communication in both physical and in digitally mediated settings today. We will conclude by providing practical guidance on how organizations can put their understanding of the importance of proxemics for facilitating communication into practice in working environments, both virtual and physical, which continue to be impacted by the ongoing effects of the current pandemic.

The focus of the present paper is the spatial organisation of daily life in dwellings related by their occupying households, or to sub-groups of these. Experimental social psychology and ethnoarchaeological data provide a basic syntax for... more

The focus of the present paper is the spatial organisation of daily life in dwellings related by their occupying households, or to sub-groups of these. Experimental social psychology and ethnoarchaeological data provide a basic syntax for human spatial behaviour in dwellings. The present paper makes use of this in outlining and discussing a framework for the interpretation of the
spatial organisation of archaeological dwellings, on the basis of repeated organisational patterns observed in excavated dwellings, drawing further on the analysis of recent ethnographic contexts
and existing experimental social-psychological data about humans’ non-verbal interaction in space. This paper deliberately engages with a very broad chronological and cultural range of
domestic buildings, in order to make the best use of the detailed recording of prehistoric, as well as historic material.

Vietnam is becoming an increasingly inviting market for foreign investment. However, working with foreigners and expanding business abroad can be risky for all parties involved. The diversity among business cultures frequently leads to... more

Vietnam is becoming an increasingly inviting market for foreign investment. However, working with foreigners and expanding business abroad can be risky for all parties involved. The diversity among business cultures frequently leads to confusion, misunderstanding, and failure in cross-cultural endeavors. It is therefore important to study business negotiation in a cross-cultural setting. This paper addresses nonverbal communication during negotiations between Vietnamese and American businesses. The proxemics within traditional Vietnamese companies are examined, with specific consideration given to the choice of negotiation site and the room arrangement of that site to further determine how American people perceive them and how these factors might affect the negotiation process.

The most important feature of this book is that it serves a vast range of audiences like anthropologists, ethnographers, architects, psychologists, linguists and philosophers. As a student of architecture, this book is extremely helpful... more

The most important feature of this book is that it serves a vast range of audiences like anthropologists, ethnographers, architects, psychologists, linguists and philosophers. As a student of architecture, this book is extremely helpful as it opens various perspective of looking at architecture and associated subjects. It helps in sensitizing the understanding about humans and its significance in architectural domain that is currently neglected. It helps in clearing the preconceived notion of architecture that many students would be fancily fascinated with.
There is no single theme that the book tends to reflect. However if we try to analyze it, we can conclude that it revolves around Proxemics and overlapping subjects and issues. It also helps in giving a broader sense of the significance of art, culture, linguistics, senses, perception, notion of space and how these rotate around Proxemics.. It broadly explains what can be classified into human sciences.
Starting from culture, the author delves into what he means by the hidden dimension of the aspects like art, language, senses, space, perception and broadly explaining the distances in man by comparing people of different cultures and how these distance originate, and govern human behavior at any time. By the hidden dimension, he tries to say that what is often not spoken is taken for granted. He extracts out all this taken for granted notions about art, culture, language, perception, senses and breaks them by explaining them extensively. It successfully opens up new and varied perspective of looking at previously ignored or unnoticed things.
Finally, he ends up criticizing the technology and widespread acceptance of the technocratic world. Technology is a lends us short lived pleasures but it horrifyingly and un/sub consciously changes the way we live, exist and the hence is ending up losing the very essence of being human.

Резюме. Комуникацията с хора в състояние на психологическа криза е сериозно предизвикател-ство за много професионалисти като психолози и социални работници. Настоящият доклад цели да представи спецификата и значението на невербалната... more

Резюме. Комуникацията с хора в състояние на психологическа криза е сериозно предизвикател-ство за много професионалисти като психолози и социални работници. Настоящият доклад цели да представи спецификата и значението на невербалната комуникация в процеса на раз-познаване на психологическата криза и при провеждане на кризисна интервенция. На базата на проведени фокус-групи и интервюта с представители на помагащите професии-психолози в кризисен център, психотерапевти, консултанти на телефонни линии-са изведени както ти-пични невербални реакции на кризата, така и начини, по които професионалистите могат да ползват невербалната комуникация с цел по-бързо и ефективно овладяване на кризата, както и за предотвратяване на ескалирането на напрежението. Темата е разгледана през призмата на различните форми на невербална комуникация-кинесика, проксемика, вокализация, значение на външния вид.

Crowds occur frequently in modern society. A major sporting or entertainment event can attract tens of thousands of avid fans. Usually, these large gatherings of people occur without serious problems. Occasionally, however, the... more

Crowds occur frequently in modern society. A major sporting or entertainment event can attract tens of thousands of avid fans. Usually, these large gatherings of people occur without serious problems. Occasionally, however, the combination of inadequate facilities and deficient crowd management results in injury and death. Outdoor music festivals (OMFs) are increasingly common events on the summer entertainment landscape for young people around the world. Attending these OMFs is associated with an increased risk of injury and, in extreme cases, death. A considerable proportion of these risks can be attributed to high-risk behaviour in the general admission or standing room only areas in front of the stages, or 'mosh pits'. During the ten year period from 1992 to 2002, 66, 787 people have suffered significant injury and 232 people have died at 306 outdoor music concerts around the world. Fatality data over a longer period (1974 to 2003) indicates that at least 136 fatal incidents at concert events have not been scientifically explained. Forty one (41) of these involved persons who died in front of a concert stage. Crowd incidents show different types of group motivation. In some cases there is an interruption of a simple traffic process such as exiting a stadium or a passenger conveyor, resulting in a critical crowd pressure point. Others fall into the two general behavioural categories of either a flight response or a craze. Flight occurs where people experience either a real or perceived threat. Frequently mislabelled as panic, a closer investigation usually shows that flight was a reasonable group reaction under the perceived circumstances. A mass craze is a competitive rush to obtain some highly valued objective. Such group behaviour is created where participation in an event, or viewing of a public personage, is intensively promoted. General admission events and so called " festival seating " concerts, in particular, cause competition for favourable seats or standing positions close to entertainers. October, 2005

Este trabajo es parte de una investigación en antropología vial que desarrolla el grupo Culturalia en la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA). Se trata de una exploración antropológica de los imaginarios viales en la Argentina. El... more

Este trabajo es parte de una investigación en antropología vial que desarrolla el grupo Culturalia en la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA). Se trata de una exploración antropológica de los imaginarios viales en la Argentina. El estudio parte de la idea de que los hechos viales son hechos sociales y que, como tales, son parte de la trama de representaciones colectivas que definen las múltiples dimensiones de la ocupación del espacio público por parte de los ciudadanos, en una tensa y ambigua relación entre las normas estatales y las prácticas concretas que uno puede observar en la calle. Dado que la conducta social es una acción simbólica, nos interesa identificar los principales símbolos que condensan estos imaginarios viales en situaciones cotidianas. El objetivo del trabajo es hacer explícita la urdimbre de significados culturales que dan sentido a los principales patrones de comportamiento vial, comenzando por el área de Buenos Aires y el Conurbano. Este conjunto de datos antropológicos servirán de insumos conceptuales y empíricos para la elaboración a largo plazo de una necesaria política de estado sobre el campo vial en nuestro país. Una política tal debe necesariamente aproximarse al fenómeno vial, que es una suma de variables de gran complejidad, desde un enfoque igualmente complejo, en donde la seguridad es un aspecto clave aunque no el único de este sistema de interacciones sociales en el espacio público.

Our article focuses on the invisible bubbles of physical closeness and distancing, that normally constitute each person's territory and the intersubjective space, for how they have been deeply altered since the outbreak of the pandemic.... more

Our article focuses on the invisible bubbles of physical closeness and distancing, that normally constitute each person's territory and the intersubjective space, for how they have been deeply altered since the outbreak of the pandemic. COVID-19 has highlighted this silent interpersonal language, studied by proxemics and made of spatial attitudes and behaviour, by preventing any kind of physical contact. Starting from Paolo Fabbri's investigations on “proxemics” and after a specific seminar in Urbino, we will revisit the issue here. In particular, we will examine the new forms of greeting and the ancient relation between greetings and health wishes.

Outdoor music festivals (OMFs) are increasingly common events on the summer entertainment landscape for youth in Australia. Attending these OMFs is associated with an increased risk of injury and, in extreme cases, death. Although there... more

Outdoor music festivals (OMFs) are increasingly common events on the
summer entertainment landscape for youth in Australia. Attending these OMFs is associated with an increased risk of injury and, in extreme cases, death. Although there have been a number of incidents and fatalities internationally, in Australia there has been only one fatality
at a live music event and, as a result, significant attention is now being paid to crowd safety and security issues, as well as infrastructure and production safety issues. The crowd incident model developed by Fruin and its derivative guidelines outlined in this article show that many crowd disasters could have been avoided with appropriate advance
planning and management techniques. Reliable real-time communication between those responsible for crowd management and authoritative communication with the crowd are also critical elements in defusing a potentially Iethal crowd incident.

A book review and commentary.

The selfie generation is a term commonly used to describe people born after 1981 because of the supposed proliferation of selfies they take daily. If Selfies indeed define a generation of people, then they require close consideration as... more

The selfie generation is a term commonly used to describe people born after 1981 because of the supposed proliferation of selfies they take daily. If Selfies indeed define a generation of people, then they require close consideration as an evolution of social interaction. This interdisciplinary study focuses on photography as performance of looking involving social relationships between people. I ask How might selfies suggest a transformation of everyday social relationships? The selfie as active photographic performance is first examined through illustrative ethnographic observation. Then as performative photographic object the selfie is examined as interactive (Kress and Van Leeuwen's, 2006; 2009) visual communication. Finally, the performative spaces of the selfie in process(from initial performance, to object and as it is shared and moves between private and public spaces) is examined as relationships of proxemic perception(Hall, 1966).For the selfie generation the private spaces in social relationships has perhaps evolved not simply because of changes in photographic technology, but also new spaces of socialising where private and public contexts are often blurred and unfixed.
Paper is open access here; http://vista.sopcom.pt/edicao/300

The pandemic outbreak has put in crisis some values of the contemporary metropolis that seemed to have been achieved: the trend to urban concentration and the widely shared equation between density and sustainability, the speed and ease... more

The pandemic outbreak has put in crisis some values of the contemporary metropolis that seemed to have been achieved: the trend to urban concentration and the widely shared equation between density and sustainability, the speed and ease of physical mobility, the idea of space sharing, and more generally all sharing economies. Beyond the rhetoric of a return to "normality", it is necessary to rethink even the structure of our cities by enhancing the positive acquisitions of modernity and some experiences prematurely discarded - proxemics, the city as a place of the relationship between bodies and spaces, the resumption of reflection on public space as a shared value of civitas.

This study deals with the daily life of women in traditional communities within the household spaces. Women are important indicators of the changes in a community, particularly in traditional ones. Thus, they are considered as an... more

This study deals with the daily life of women in traditional communities within the
household spaces. Women are important indicators of the changes in a community,
particularly in traditional ones. Thus, they are considered as an important indicator
in observing the changes in traditional communities. Based on this idea, this study
aims to understand the daily life of Turkish Muslim women of the island of Cyprus
in a household space by observing their living spaces and the changes occurred in it
over the period of time covered by the study. The space where the women spend
their time from dawn to dusk has been analyzed by focusing on the household space
and its immediate surroundings. As a contribution to the previous studies concerned
with the relationship between the women and their household spaces, this study
exploits the term of proxemics developed by Edward T. Hall which is essentially a
concept of distance analysis. To benefit from the visuality and from seyahatnames
(travel books), some photographs and drawings were also used to better understand
the intimate and social life of Turkish Muslim Cypriot women living in traditional
urban houses and its annexes. The study analyzes the social life of Muslim Cypriot
woman living in traditional urban houses by using the distance analysis approach.
The year of conquest of the island in 1571 by the Ottomans, determines the starting
point of the study and extends to the period of Ataturk in 1930’s where the
structural changes occurred in the life styles of the islanders in line with the modern
standards. The major finding of the study is that, the process of change in the
household space where women lived in triggered the process of change in their
lifestyles. Additionally, the two processes went hand in hand and influenced each
other in the period of time covered by the study.

This paper critically reviews the current status of the concept of distance in human geography in order to argue that recent experimentally-driven work in construal-level theory offers ample opportunities for recasting distance as a key... more

This paper critically reviews the current status of the concept of distance in human geography in order to argue that recent experimentally-driven work in construal-level theory offers ample opportunities for recasting distance as a key geographical trope. After analysing the four entangled dimensions of distance revealed by construal-level theory (spatial distance; temporal distance; social distance; and hypothetical distance), the paper articulates this research program from experimental psychology with geographical work on non-representational theory, geographical imaginations/imaginative geographies, learning as a geographical process, TimeSpace theorizing, and ontogenetic understandings of space. It is argued that the subjective understanding of distance afforded by construal-level theory can rescue distance from its entrenched association with positivistic geography and spatial analysis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.07.018

Vietnam has joined the globalization trend to make itself an inviting market for foreign investment. However, working with foreigners and expanding business abroad can be a risky venture. The diversity among business cultures frequently... more

Vietnam has joined the globalization trend to make itself an inviting market for foreign investment. However, working with foreigners and expanding business abroad can be a risky venture. The diversity among business cultures frequently leads to confusion, misunderstandings, and failures in cross-cultural endeavors. There is hence a need to study business negotiation in a cross-cultural setting. Among the investing countries, America has always been on top of the list, with a strong strategic partnership for years and billions of U.S. dollars in registered invested capital. Many studies have been conducted to understand this important partner, yet none of them so far have addressed nonverbal communication during negotiations between Vietnamese and American businesses. This paper examines through reviewing related studies on the proxemics within a traditional Vietnamese company, specifically the choice of negotiation site (e.g. location) and the room arrangement of that site to see how American people perceive them and how they affect the negotiation process.

Based on Edward Hall's theory of proxemics, this study delves into the inter-disciplinary sciences that link architecture with human psychology and urban design to look at how human behaviour, spatial configurations and prevalent urban... more

Based on Edward Hall's theory of proxemics, this study delves into the inter-disciplinary sciences that link architecture with human psychology and urban design to look at how human behaviour, spatial configurations and prevalent urban condition of crowding affect each other. Recognizing the western base of the literature in hand, the present study appropriates Hall's theory to suit the present day context of Delhi. Taking transit systems of Delhi as a case in point to investigate how people respond to crowding and how crowds hold the potential to be a bane or a boon for the city, the study brings forward certain aspects of design often overlooked while designing urban public spaces. Furthermore, it challenges certain notions that have so far been considered prime for the design of public spaces and adds a new dimension to them.

Âge d’or de la civilisation minoenne, la période néopalatiale (1600-1425 avant notre ère) révéla un paysage architectural foisonnant et complexe. Bien que cette architecture fut largement étudiée et commentée, à ce jour, elle reste... more

Âge d’or de la civilisation minoenne, la période néopalatiale (1600-1425 avant notre ère) révéla un paysage architectural foisonnant et complexe. Bien que cette architecture fut largement étudiée et commentée, à ce jour, elle reste l’objet de bon nombre d’interrogations et souffre de l’absence d’approches réellement systématiques et exhaustives. En se basant sur les principes de la théorie de la syntaxe spatiale et en les étoffant de méthodologies auxiliaires, cet ouvrage se propose d’analyser le bâti néopalatial sous ses formes les plus diverses. Ce faisant, il vise également à une meilleure compréhension du fonctionnement de la société minoenne au début de l’âge du Bronze Récent. Ce livre s’adresse à toute personne ayant un intérêt pour la civilisation minoenne, et en particulier son âge d’or et sa production architecturale. De manière plus générale, il sera également utile aux lecteurs s’intéressant aux rapports complexes entre la société et son espace bâti, ainsi qu’à l’application de l’analyse de la syntaxe spatiale dans le cadre de la recherche en archéologie.

When people use language, they express thoughts and feelings, describe their connection with or distance from different social groups, and define the communicative events in which they are engaged. Whorf and Sapir, therefore, have argued... more

When people use language, they express thoughts and feelings, describe their connection with or distance from different social groups, and define the communicative events in which they are engaged. Whorf and Sapir, therefore, have argued that human “language is a guide to social reality” and that “the real world is…built on the language habits of the group,” which means, in other words, that our worldview depends to a large degree on the lexicon and grammar of the language we speak (Fasold 51), while Halliday and Hasan claimed that our languages encode the “contexts of situation,” that can be reconstructed from the registers, because “the words that are exchanged in these contexts get their meaning from the activities in which they are embedded” (Halliday 5).

The Late Bronze Age on Cyprus (c. 1650–1100 BCE) saw the appearance of monumental buildings that came to play an important role in changing patterns of social interaction and reproduction. Although these buildings often shared... more

The Late Bronze Age on Cyprus (c. 1650–1100 BCE) saw the appearance of monumental buildings that came to play an important role in changing patterns of social interaction and reproduction. Although these buildings often shared similarities in overall plan and the use of common design elements, I argue that the process of placemaking resulted in considerable variation in both their spatial configuration and the design of contexts for particular social interactions. Through its design and use in daily practice and social occasions, each monumental building developed its own biography and sense of place, ensuring that the experiences of its occupants and visitors were, in many ways, unique. I investigate this through a comparative study of two court-centred buildings, Building X from Kalavasos-Ayios Dhimitrios and Building II from Alassa-Paliotaverna. I apply an integrative approach that acknowledges the agency of both builder and building, combining access analysis with an examination of how built environments encode and nonverbally communicate meanings to those who used them.

The paper examines the use of the familiar (“the T form”) and the polite (“the V form”) personal pronouns in prayers, such as we find in the New Testament Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic text, in Jerome’s Vulgate and in several French... more

The paper examines the use of the familiar (“the T form”) and the polite (“the V form”) personal pronouns in prayers, such as we find in the New Testament Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic text, in Jerome’s Vulgate and in several French translations, in the King James version and several other English version. The meaning of T/V alternation in this context is analyzed within the theoretical framework of Politeness theory (BROWN and LEVINSON, 1987; LEECH, 1983; MILLS, 2009. In addition, the spatial aspect of prayer (close/distant) is compared to the personal zones of Edward T. HALL’s “Proxemics” (The Hidden Dimension, 1966), belonging to our “body language” (A. PEASE, 1981). We argue that the use of the T pronoun in prayer corresponds to closeness to deity as desirable (Positive Face) and the V form to such a facework aiming at keeping distance from God as desirable, according to the formula Protect/Respect (Negative Face).

This research project starts out with the premise that the symbolic orders of any society should include constant typological distinctions, such as 1) spatial order, 2) movement order, and 3) speech order. All these orders involve... more

This research project starts out with the premise that the symbolic orders of any society should include constant typological distinctions, such as 1) spatial order, 2) movement order, and 3) speech order. All these orders involve time-dependent configurations of symbols, which are represented in systems of 1) proxemic, 2) kinetic, and 3) verbal signs. The results of this semiotic analysis are summarized in my postdoctoral thesis, which I presented to the faculty of sociology and history at the University of Constance (Germany). The study examined processes of standardization and differentiation of verbal and nonverbal behavioral patterns (such as dance, fencing, greeting, politeness in speech and comportment, etc.) in the context of establishing diplomatic and court ceremonial in Germany, Ottoman Empire, Russia and France. Communicative practices in Eastern and Western Europe have been studied comparatively. The phenomenon of the so-called modernization of behavior has been considered with regard to the dissolution of traditional forms of community and the emergence of formal and bureaucratic structures of communication. The author has attempted to develop sociological frameworks in order to explain cases of unsuccessful nonverbal communication as well as the continuity of visual stereotypes in the 17-20 cent. from Peter the Great up to Stalin.

2 2013), and the broader public was analysed by approaching the digital memes with theories of proximity (Hall, 1956). The analysis of the 66 PGUF memes shows that ‘viewers’ and ‘subjects’ are both active agents and objects of... more

2 2013), and the broader public was analysed by approaching the digital memes with theories of proximity (Hall, 1956). The analysis of the 66 PGUF memes shows that ‘viewers’ and ‘subjects’ are both active agents and objects of observation. The performativity and exaggeration in the images suggests that women contributors use humour (the joke) to simultaneously acknowledge and subvert conventional ideas about feminine appearance. The concept of ‘conversation’ is used to theorise how memes help members of online communities communicate as they engage in what I describe as a ‘semeful socialibility’. The findings suggest people communicate through photographic digital memes by use of active semes (signs). Close observation of semes suggests that visual communication involves practices of looking (rather than viewing) that are active, interactive and reactive. Communities of ‘produsers’ of digital memes are involved in an interactive visual conversation. This visual social interaction al...

Scribes of Space' posits that the conception of space—the everyday physical areas we perceive and through which we move—underwent critical transformations between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. The book examines how natural... more

Scribes of Space' posits that the conception of space—the everyday physical areas we perceive and through which we move—underwent critical transformations between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. The book examines how natural philosophers, theologians, poets, and other thinkers in late medieval Britain altered the ideas about geographical space they inherited from the ancient world. In tracing the causes and nature of these developments, and how geographical space was consequently understood, this study focuses on the intersection of medieval science, theology, and literature, bringing a wide range of writings—scientific works by Nicole Oresme, Jean Buridan, the Merton School of Oxford Calculators, and Thomas Bradwardine; spiritual, poetic, and travel writings by John Lydgate, Robert Henryson, Margery Kempe, the Mandeville author, and Geoffrey Chaucer—into conversation. This pairing of physics and literature uncovers how the understanding of spatial boundaries, locality, elevation, motion, and proximity shifted across time, signaling the emergence of a new spatial imagination during this era.

The research project starts out from the premise that the symbolic orders of any society should include constant typological distinctions, such as 1) spatial order, 2) movement order, and 3) speech order. All these orders involve... more

The research project starts out from the premise that the symbolic orders of any society should include constant typological distinctions, such as 1) spatial order, 2) movement order, and 3) speech order. All these orders involve time-dependent configurations of symbols, which are represented in systems of 1) proxemic, 2) kinetic, and 3) verbal signs. The results of this semiotic analysis are summarized in my postdoctoral thesis, which I presented to the faculty of sociology and history at the University of Constance (Germany). The study examined processes of standardization and differentiation of verbal and nonverbal behavioral patterns (such as dance, fencing, greeting, politeness in speech and comportment, etc.) in the context of establishing diplomatic and court ceremonial in Germany, Ottoman Empire, Russia and France. Communicative practices in Eastern and Western Europe have been studied comparatively. The phenomenon of the so-called modernization of behavior has been considered with regard to the dissolution of traditional forms of community and the emergence of formal and bureaucratic structures of communication. The author has attempted to develop sociological frameworks in order to explain cases of unsuccessful nonverbal communication as well as cases of failed integration in the twentieth century.

The ‘smart city’ is an oft-cited techno-urban imaginary promoted by businesses and governments alike. It thinks big, and is chiefly imagined in terms of large-scale information communications systems that hinge on the collection of... more

The ‘smart city’ is an oft-cited techno-urban imaginary promoted by businesses and governments alike. It thinks big, and is chiefly imagined in terms of large-scale information communications systems that hinge on the collection of real-time and so-called ‘big data’. Less talked about are the human-scale implications and user experience of the smart city. Much of the current academic scholarship on smart cities offers synoptic and technical perspectives, leaving the users of smart systems curiously unaccounted for. While they purport to empower citizens, smart cities initiatives are rarely focused at the citizen-scale, nor do they necessarily attend to the ways initiatives can be user-led or co-designed. Drawing on the outcomes of a university studio, this article rethinks the smart city as a series of urban scales—metropolis, community, individual, and personal—and proposes an analytical model for classifying smart city initiatives in terms of engagement. Informed by the theory of proxemics, the model proposed analyses smart city initiatives in terms of the scope of their features and audience size; the actors accountable for their deployment and maintenance; their spatial reach; and the ability of design solutions to re-shape and adapt to different urban scenarios and precincts. We argue that the significance of this model lies in its potential to facilitate modes of thinking across and between scales in ways that can gauge the levels of involvement in the design of digitally mediated urban environments, and productively re-situate citizens as central to the design of smart city initiatives.

Vietnam has joined the globalization trend to make itself an inviting market for foreign investment. However, working with foreigners and expanding business abroad can be a risky venture. The diversity among business cultures frequently... more

Vietnam has joined the globalization trend to make itself an inviting market for foreign investment. However, working with foreigners and expanding business abroad can be a risky venture. The diversity among business cultures frequently leads to confusion, misunderstandings, and failures in cross-cultural endeavors. There is hence a need to study business negotiation in a cross-cultural setting. Among the investing countries, America has always been on top of the list, with a strong strategic partnership for years and billions of U.S. dollars in registered invested capital. Many studies have been conducted to understand this important partner, yet none of them so far have addressed nonverbal communication during negotiations between Vietnamese and American businesses. This paper examines through reviewing related studies on the proxemics within a traditional Vietnamese company, specifically the choice of negotiation site (e.g. location) and the room arrangement of that site to see how American people perceive them and how they affect the negotiation process.

The article deals with passenger behavior in the Marshrutki in Tbilisi. People which use the minibuses in the capital of Georgia, have a certain way to move and to place themselves in the vehicle. Exploring the idea of proxemic,... more

The article deals with passenger behavior in the Marshrutki in Tbilisi. People which use the minibuses in the capital of Georgia, have a certain way to move and to place themselves in the vehicle. Exploring the idea of proxemic, elaborated by Edward T. Hall, critically, I argue that individuals have certain strategies to deal with the violation of there intimate space. In the Marshrutka this strategies are very elaborated, because the violation of space is inevitable. Thats why there exist a learned passenger behavior in the minibuses in Tbilisi.

Western popular music is a field of creative production intrinsically tied to urban spatiality. The places where the historical forms of entertainment music originated were in most cases frightening areas, connoted by social marginality... more

Western popular music is a field of creative production intrinsically tied to urban spatiality. The places where the historical forms of entertainment music originated were in most cases frightening areas, connoted by social marginality and cultural intermingling. This article aims to discuss how the spatial dimension of musical creativity is currently going through a moment of dramatic change, primarily triggered by the shift from the material creative environments of the cities to the immaterial environments of the network society, where human interaction is mediated by machines. In fact, a number of processes (starting from the emergence of the participatory culture of digital media all the way to the recent measures of interpersonal distancing imposed by the ongoing health crisis) seem to have contributed to the consolidation – in the environments where material culture is
expressed – of what it will be called 'haphephobia' -- the fear of physical contact. The article, through some specific examples, aims to stimulate a reflection on the centrality of human interaction and urban proxemics in the creative processes that define the popular arts, introducing some considerations about the alarming idea that such spaces may one day disappear permanently.