Handling distances as a key factor in social power dynamics

Over recent decades, there has been an extensive amount of research linking globalisation to increased mobility, so much so that some have even proclaimed the “death of distance”. The recent dramatic events related to the coronavirus pandemic have foregrounded the issue of distance, which can be further understood through a complex system of “layering”, including social distancing (micro scale), closure of borders (national scale) and slowing down/blocking mobility (global scale, in addition to other scales, such as urban and regional). Drawing on reflections from our research on distance and proximity, in this chapter we intend, first of all, to place the issue of distance within some key geographical concepts, particularly the concept of space, or rather space-time. We propose three articulations of distance: absolute, relative and relational. For each of these distances, we investigate how political, social and economic stakeholders act through technologies and practices of distancing and, furthermore, how their policies of/about distancing are essential in defining the dynamics of power in and between societies.