Emotional labour and the regional question

Abstract

This paper argues that the analysis of the regional question has neglected the importance of emotional labour in conceptualising regions. It suggests that emotional labour provides the link between analysing the region as a socio-economic entity and as a source of localised identity. The paper introduces the concept of the region as a space of emotion, created by combining conventional views with that of theorising the region as an informal organisation. The argument is substantiated by examining the evidence base of the organisational context of regional development processes. As a consequence of these processes, regeneration agencies help create regional use values, from which exchange values are realised. It is the interaction between the two that helps us conceive of the region as a space of emotion and thus a better understanding of the regional question in contemporary economic and society.