A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa (Oxford English Dictionary)[1]. A synechdoche is what makes a city recognizable; a singular notion of how a city is perceived. In this blog we want to show that Port of Spain is not defined by only one image, but that it is a multiplex city with a diverse image.

Two problems of synecdoche are the methodological dangers of overgeneralizing from one or a few examples, and the danger of overemphasizing particular spaces, senses of time and partial representations within the city (Amin and Graham 1997)[2]. Instead, Rob Shields (1995)[3] has argued that we need to construct multi-dimensional analyses which, rather than imposing monological coherence and closure, allow parallel and conflicting representations to coexist in analysis.

This blog aims to identify how the things which make this city “pulse” can be used to show the multiplex image of Port of Spain.

References

[1] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/synecdoche

[2] Amin, A., and Graham, S. "The Ordinary City." Trans Inst Br Geog Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 22, no. 4 (1997): 411-29.

[3] Shields, R. 1995. “A Guide to Urban Representations and what to do About it: Alternative Traditions in Urban Theory” in King A ed. Re-Presenting The City: Ethnicity, Capital And Culture In The Twenty-First Century Metropolis. London: Macmillan.