Aleksandar Sasha Dundjerović and María José Sánchez Martínez, eds. Placeness and the Performative Production of Space

This review provides a critical analysis of Placeness and the Performative Production of Space, edited by Aleksandar Dundjerović and María José Martínez Sánchez, examining how the volume conceptualises, develops, and positions its central theoretical construct – placeness – within the intersecting discourses of performance studies, architectural theory, and spatial humanities. While recognising the work’s significant contribution as an interdisciplinary curatorial project, showcasing global case studies across performance, urban design and curating, social justice, policymaking, digital media performances (VR/AR/AI), and pedagogical practices, the review asks whether and how far the proposed terminology of placeness advances methodological rigour in analysing the dynamic relationships between space, place, and performativity. Particular praise is given to the volume’s dialogic structure (with practitioner interviews comprising half the text) and its synthesis of contemporary spatial theories, assessing both the framework’s analytical potential and its limitations in addressing embedded sociopolitical dimensions of placemaking. KEYWORDS: placeness; performativity; place; space; digital