Sanctuaries of the City

Book excerpt: This book proposes that we can learn from Tokyo about the instrinsic importance of in-between realms to an international culture: the sanctuaries. It argues that certain urban societies are more robust than others because they offer socio-spatial capacities that enable the development of skills for coping with modern forms of living. It studies places that may open the way to an international culture, namely market places, venues for performing arts and religious sites, which – with particular reference to the Durkheimian tradition – are considered here in their quality as sanctuaries. From its empirical analysis of such sanctuaries in Tokyo, this book develops a more general theory about mega-cities, urban sociability and identity.