Inhabiting the ‘posts’

• Published in: Dialogues in human geography Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 474 - 477
• Main Author: Oldfield, Sophie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.11.2021
• Subjects: Dialogue; problem spaces; ordinary words; South African cities; intellectual practice
• ISSN: 2043-8206; 2043-8214
• DOI: 10.1177/20438206211030057

In this commentary, I reflect on Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch’s critical re-conceptualization of the ‘post’ as space-time regime and a means to unearth and engage complex geographies of change in South Africa and other post-colonial and post-socialist contexts. I situate our parallel imperatives to work through entanglements: in Myriam’s case, through metaphors that help engage the complex directionalities that might articulate space-time configurations and their possibilities; in my case, in the wide array of practices, the dialogues and collaboration, the contestations, which root intellectual practice, and the ways in which we inhabit ‘post space-time’. I particularly explore her invitation to engage critically with language to create vocabularies – metaphors and ordinary words – which help ground our work in the imperatives and urgencies, as well as the productive tensions and inspirations, which shape complex ‘post’ configurations.