Introduction

This introductory chapter draws on Massumi’s notion of the felt force of affect as an ‘echo’ to construct place as a ‘constellation of processes’. This is the way that spatial ecologies are framed by variable events – twists and fluxes of interrelation – rather than specific moments of encounter, fixed in space and time. In doing so, the chapter frames affect within the social and material ordering of space before going on to discusses the ‘in between’ nature of these reverberations through encounters with bodies, objects and space. Here, the chapter visits the multiple ways in which we move through the material and social world, highlighting how the intersection of gender and place are woven into affective experience. Finally, the chapter sets out the rationale and aims of the book, positioning gender as inclusive of cis-gender, trans, gender queer and non-binary identities. The chapter concludes with a summary of contributions that make up this edited volume, outlining the structuring themes.