In this chapter, we investigate another aspect of contemporary discourse and identity research: the links between place, space and identity construction. We write against a backdrop of academic theorising about the discursive construction of identity that has recently started to take account of spatial, or place-relevant aspects. In addition to language practices, however, we consider the function of other practices and semiotic domains, such as symbols, embodied movement and gesture, in the production of place/space and identity. In other words, we consider two interrelated themes: (1) place/space as produced in and as a topic of discourse, and (2) place/space as the location for discourse.

We start by considering the links between space, social action and identity – particularly how space channels human activity along identity lines – via photographic representations of people's activities in places. Next, we review the history of the ‘spatial turn’ across the social sciences and humanities, and the ways that writers have theorised its relevance to identity construction. We then discuss a number of approaches to the empirical study of place-identity, including narrative, ethnomethodological and discursive psychological methods. Throughout the chapter, we examine analyses of both visual and discourse data in order to explicate an emerging theme in discourse and identity literature: the inextricable links between identity and location.