Topologies of Power calls into question the idea that power is simply extended across a given territory or network. The pervasive quality of governments to reach into our lives, the ability of far flung corporations to register their presence at close quarters and the ease with which NGOs fold global harms into local campaigns, all speak to a world in which distance is no longer a question of what is near or far. Proximity and distance now play across one another; topology not topography offers a better grasp of the workings of power today. Drawing upon a range of case studies, this book will be invaluable for students in human geography, politics, cultural studies, STS and urban studies.

John Allen is Professor of Economic Geography in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The Open University. His publications include Lost Geographies of Power (2003), in addition to twelve books, both authored and edited.

1. Introduction: The changing same of power Part I: Topological Twists 2. Power that Comes with the Territory: An easy geometry 3. Power's Shifting Reach: A topological distortion 4. Power Reproduced Differently: A topological practice Part II: Powers of Reach 5. The Financial Engineering of Advantage: Power that defies maps 6. Folding in Distant Harms: Spatial experiments with NGO power 7. A Distorted State: Reproducing the power of borders differently 8. Conclusion: Power on the quiet