Normalising jurisdictional heterotopias through place
branding : the cases of Christiania and Metelkova

Kanellopoulou, E; Ntounis, N

Abstract

This paper explores the political dimensions of place branding as a path to normalisation for areas where
a paradoxical relationship with the law exists, places that we coin “jurisdictional heterotopias” borrowing
from Foucauldian literature. We posit that place branding plays a fundamental role in facilitating scale
jumping in the otherwise vertically aligned legal space, a hierarchy designed to exclude spatial
multiplicity from its premise. By examining the role of place branding in such areas, we endeavour to
understand and appreciate the selective application of the law, the perpetuation of unregulated and illegal
activity, as well as the place – specificity of legal practice. Ultimately, we argue that strong place
branding associations permit the engulfment of this type of heterotopias in the “mainstream” leading to
their normalisation; such a normalisation results not only in the acceptance of their uniqueness by the
institutional elements, but also in the potential nullification of the liberties their communities advocate.

Citation

branding : the cases of Christiania and Metelkova. Environment and Planning A, 49(10), 2223-2240. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17725753

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 5, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Aug 18, 2017
• Publication Date: Aug 18, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jul 24, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 24, 2017
• Journal: Environment and Planning A
• Print ISSN: 0308-518X
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-3409
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Volume: 49
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 2223-2240
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17725753
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17725753
• Related Public URLs: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/epn#