In this paper, drawing on my own empirical studies, I will shed light on the question of identity construction within the present theoretical current that de-centres the subject. Drawing on my research conducted on foreign artists living in Venice, I will combine two theories, that of identity construction and that of social practices. The former was developed by the German social psychologists Keupp et al. (2002); I extended it from a geographer’s point of view. The latter was elaborated by the US-American social philosopher Schatzki (1996, 2002), saying that the social consists of practices.

I argue that the assumption of a de-centred subject doesn’t necessarily lead to a subject that is merely determined by discursive or symbolic patterns. Rather, social changes increasingly urge the subject to actively and permanently construct his or her own identity, drawing on techniques of the self. Furthermore, personal identities are constructed in relation to place and space. In my paper, I explore these modes of identity creation using my empirical studies on the importance of place of residence in Venice for the identity construction of foreign artists.