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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Global capitalism guided by desire- Solvang, CA, as a “real” place

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Abstract How to deal with the transformation of place in the face of global capitalism is marked by many active debates. This paper dives into the transformation of the city of Solvang in California, from an agricultural village to a tourist destination. One way to analyse the process is to treat it as commodification, where values produced in places are being turned into exchangeable commodities. What results from such critical studies of capitalism too often result in apathy rather than positive action, it tends to deal less with ‘the real world’ than thought experiments about possible worlds. Another approach connects to the relational turn and the application of assemblage theory in studies of the dialectic process between economy and society. Critics question the ability of also assemblage theory to point us towards what should be done. We end up seeing assemblages everywhere, but then what? This paper makes the case for an alternative positive critical geography, inspired by Deleuze and Guattari (1972, 1987) and their conceptualization of desire as an active and positive force. Policies should depart from already existing subjectivities that have an interest in their social mileu and have a desire to make it even better. This is the appropriate ground for political engagement, the place to start if we want to contribute to a different future. An analytical scheme for a positive critical geography is presented and “tested out” in a case study of Solvang, where a “real” place continuously emerge.