Routledge Library Editions: Social Theory

<p>Timely and original, this collection of essays from the leading figures in their fields throws new and valuable light on the significance and future of <i>flânerie</i>. The <i>flâneur</i> is usually identified as the ‘man of the crowd’ of Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Baudelaire, and as one of the heroes of Walter Benjamin’s <i>Arcades Project</i>. The <i>flâneur</i>’s activities of strolling and loitering are mentioned increasingly frequently in sociology, cultural studies and art history, but rarely is the debate developed further. <i>The Flâneur</i> is the first book to develop the debate beyond Baudelaire and Benjamin, and to push it in unexpected and exciting directions.</p>