Scalarity and Its Method: A Brief Proposition

Abstract

Scalarity, or the scalar dimension of spatiality, brings together reflections on the processes of division and organization of the parts of space into spatial totalities, which is indispensable for the understanding of phenomena and the identification of possible ways of acting on reality. Its presence has been remarkable in studies on the spatial dimension since Antiquity. In these pages, we start by recognizing that the study of scalarity is one of the dimensions of spatiality, fundamental for constructing systems of concepts with geographical meaning, which are so important when discussing the geographical content of research objects. We present preliminary reflections on the methodological potential that is of interest in the scalarity of spatial production processes, especially when we recognize the two faces that constitute this dimension of spatiality—the zonal one, from one side, and the reticular one, from the other. We begin by highlighting three axes of the debate on geographical scales in recent decades in the Anglophone sphere, which is where these discussions have gained the most visibility. We then argue that these two faces of scalarity constitute the embryo of a scalar method of spatial analysis. Finally, we indicate challenges and possibilities for researchers interested in this methodological alternative.