Thinking Spatially?

Submitted byJeeraik009 onSat, 08/25/2007 - 06:00

I've been in the Caribbean for most of the summer. It's been great thinking about the Diaspora and preparing for my classes there. Sometimes it feels like 'home' and I don't have the same 'rootless feeling' that I get when I am in the States or the UK. Being there makes me consider how one's geographical location affects spatial thinking. For instance, I found it was easier discussing ideas about the Diaspora and my course with people accustomed to the notion of dispersal (as we all are in the Caribbean). This is unlike what happens when I am in North America where despite its vastness, people's minds do not seem as open to what's happening beyond there own territorial borders. It makes me wonder how is it possible for people from a smaller place to think bigger? Any ideas?