Multiple proximities: culture and geography in the transport logistics of newsprint manufactured in Australia

Three types of proximity are argued to be present in the research material in this paper. First, put simply, geographic proximity refers to two entiti es being physically next to each other. Second, cultural proximity refers t o two entities being relationally close to one another, with geographic pro ximity often not being required. Third, network proximity refers to two ent ities being associated through or with a third entity, again with geographi c proximity often not being required. Geographies of links between entities -people, enterprises, places, etc-trace networks of relations. Geographic p roximity remains crucial, but the relational spaces of geographic networks that selectively connect entities in different ways around the world are ju st as important. In this paper some elements from actor-network theory are used to approach the investigation of multiple proximities. The argument is exemplified through a recent case study of the restructuring of transport logistics of newsprint manufactured in Australia.