Net:Geography Fieldwork Frequently Asked Questions

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Code, space and everyday life

In this paper we examine the role of code (software) in the spatial formation of collective life. Taking the view that human life and coded technology are folded into one another, we theorise space as ontogenesis. Space, we posit, is constantly being bought into being through a process of transduction – the constant making anew of a domain in reiterative and transformative practices - as an incomplete solution to a relational problem. The relational problem we examine is the ongoing encounter between individuals and environment where the solution, to a greater or lesser extent, is code. Code, we posit, is diversely embedded in collectives as coded objects, coded infrastructure, coded processes and coded assemblages. These objects, infrastructure, processes and assemblages possess technicity, that is, unfolding or evolutive power to make things happen; the ability to mediate, supplement, augment, monitor, regulate, operate, facilitate, produce collective life. We contend that when the technicity of code is operationalised it transduces one of three forms of hybrid spatial formations: code/space, coded space and backgrounded coded space. These formations are contingent, relational, extensible and scaleless, often stretched out across networks of greater or shorter length. We demonstrate the coded transduction of space through three vignettes – each a day in the life of three people living in London, UK, tracing the technical mediation of their interactions, transactions and mobilities. We then discuss how code becomes the relational solution to five different classes of problems – domestic living, travelling, working, communicating, and consuming

Cuestionando y desestabilizando la hegemonía angloamericana y del inglés en geografía

Este artículo analiza el estatus hegemónico de la geografía angloamericana y el papel del idioma inglés como lingua franca del mundo académico. La primera mitad del artículo esboza brevemente el estatus hegemónico de la geografía angloamericana, las estructuras y prácticas de la economía global del conocimiento y de la misma geografía angloamericana que ayudan a mantener y reproducir su hegemonía, así como los efectos cohibidores de esta hegemonía en la geografía practicada en cualquier otra parte del mundo. La segunda mitad examina cómo las normas angloamericanas y la hegemonía del inglés como lingua franca mundial ya están siendo, y todavía pueden serlo más, desafiadas, resistidas, subvertidas y remodeladas a través de intervenciones discursivas y prácticas que persiguen este objetivo transformador y desestabilizador. Centrándose en cómo se ha ido construyendo la historia de esta disciplina y cuáles son los protocolos de publicación y organización de congresos, se estudia cómo se podría abrir la geografía a una mayor pluralidad de voces (no angloamericanas), a formas diferentes de «hacer» geografía y a métodos alternativos de evaluar el quehacer en geografía.Aquest article analitza l'estatus hegemònic de la geografia angloamericana i el paper de l'idioma anglès com a lingua franca del món acadèmic. La primera meitat de l'article apunta de forma breu l'estatus hegemònic de la geografia angloamericana, les estructures i les pràctiques de l'economia global del coneixement i de la mateixa geografia angloamericana que ajuden a mantenir i a reproduir la seva hegemonia, així com els efectes condicionants d'aquesta hegemonia en la geografia practicada arreu del món. La segona meitat examina com les normes angloamericanes i l'hegemonia de l'anglès com a lingua franca mundial ja han començat a ser (però encara ho poden ser més) reptades, resistides, subvertides i remodelades a través d'intervencions discursives i pràctiques que persegueixen aquest objectiu transformador i desestabilitzador. Centrant-se en com s'ha anat constrint la història d'aquesta disciplina i en quins són els protocols de publicació i d'organització de congressos, s'estudia com es podria obrir la geografia a una pluralitat més àmplia de veus (no angloamericanes), a formes diferents de «fer» geografia i a mètodes alternatius d'avaluar la tasca de la geografia.Cet article analyse le statut hégémonique de la géographie anglo-américaine et le rôle de la langue anglaise comme lingua franca dans le monde académique. La première moitié de l'article esquisse brièvement le statut hégémonique de la géographie anglo-américaine, les structures et les pratiques de l'économie globale de la connaissance et de la géographie anglo-américaine elle-même qui aident à maintenir et à reproduire son hégémonie ainsi que les effets influençant la géographie pratiquée dans le reste du monde. La seconde partie examine de quelle manière les normes anglo-américaines et l'hégémonie de l'anglais comme lingua franca mondiale commencent à être (et elles peuvent encore l'être davantage) défiées, repoussées, subverties et demodelées au moyen d'interventions discursives et pratiques que poursuit cet objectif transformateur et déstabilisateur. Se centrant sur la manière dont l'histoire de cette discipline s'est peu à peu construite et quels en sont les protocoles de publication et d'organisation des congrès, on y étudie comment on pourrait ouvrir la géographie à une plus grande pluralité de voix (non anglo-américaines), à des formes différentes de «faire» de la géographie et à des méthodes alternatives d'évaluer la tâche de la géographie.This paper considers the perceived hegemonic status of Anglo-American geography and the role of the English-language as the lingua franca of academia. The first half of the paper outlines in brief the hegemonic status of Anglo-American geography, the structures and practices of the global knowledge economy and Anglo-American geography itself that help sustain and reproduce its hegemony, and the disciplining effects of this hegemonic status on Geography practised elsewhere. The second half, examines how Anglo-American norms and the hegemonic status of English as a global lingua franca are being, and might be further, challenged, resisted, subverted and re-shaped through discursive and practical interventions aimed at disrupting and destabilising them. By focusing on how the history of the discipline is constructed, and the protocols of publishing and organising conferences, how Geography can be transformed to open it up to a plurality of (non-Anglo-American) voices, different ways of «doing» geography, and alternative ways of valuing forms of geographical enterprise, are considered

'Out of Place', 'Knowing One's Place': Space, power and the exclusion of disabled people

Disabled people are marginalised and excluded from 'mainstream' society. In general, our understanding of the processes of exclusion is grounded in time and history. In this paper, it is argued that space, as well as time, is instrumental in reproducing and sustaining disablist practices. Disability has distinct spatialities that work to exclude and oppress disabled people. Spaces are currently organised to keep disabled people 'in their place' and 'written' to convey to disabled people that they are 'out of place' . Furthermore, social relations currently work to spatially isolate and marginalise disabled people and their carers. Disability is spatially, as well as socially, constructed. It is contended that an understanding of society's reaction to, and the experiences of, disability should be framed within an approach that combines a spatialised political economy with social constructivism. Unlike neo-Marxist approaches this approach is centred on notions of power rather than capital. Using this approach, the spatialities of disability are explored

Post-representational cartography

Over the past decade there has been a move amongst critical cartographers to rethink maps from a post-representational perspective – that is, a vantage point that does not privilege representational modes of thinking (wherein maps are assumed to be mirrors of the world) and automatically presumes the ontological security of a map as a map, but rather rethinks and destabilises such notions1. This new theorisation extends beyond the earlier critiques of Brian Harley (1989) that argued maps were social constructions. For Harley a map still conveyed the truth of a landscape, albeit its message was bound within the ideological frame of its creator. He thus advocated a strategy of identifying the politics of representation within maps in order to circumnavigate them (to reveal the truth lurking underneath), with the ontology of cartographic practice remaining unquestioned. As Jeremy Crampton (2003: 90) has argued, Harley’s approach ‘provided an epistemological avenue into the map, but still left open the question of the ontology of the map.’ Recent work has started to probe cartography’s ontology and in this short paper, I detail in brief five such attempts to rethink the ontology of maps to provide a new perspective on how they are conceived, made and used

The editor’s role in refereeing: a response to Johnston and Pattie

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Thinking critically about and researching algorithms. Programmable City Working Paper 5

The era of ubiquitous computing and big data is now firmly established, with more and more aspects of our everyday lives being mediated, augmented, produced and regulated by digital devices and networked systems powered by software. Software is fundamentally composed of algorithms -- sets of defined steps structured to process instructions/data to produce an output. And yet, to date, there has been little critical reflection on algorithms, nor empirical research into their nature and work. This paper synthesises and extends initial critical thinking about algorithms and considers how best to research them in practice. It makes a case for thinking about algorithms in ways that extend far beyond a technical understanding and approach. It then details four key challenges in conducting research on the specificities of algorithms -- they are often: ‘black boxed’; heterogeneous, contingent on hundreds of other algorithms, and are embedded in complex socio-technical assemblages; ontogenetic and performative; and ‘out of control’ in their work. Finally, it considers six approaches to empirically research algorithms: examining source code (both deconstructing code and producing genealogies of production); reflexively producing code; reverse engineering; interviewing designers and conducting ethnographies of coding teams; unpacking the wider socio-technical assemblages framing algorithms; and examining how algorithms do work in the world

Thinking critically about and researching algorithms. Programmable City Working Paper 5

The era of ubiquitous computing and big data is now firmly established, with more and more aspects of our everyday lives being mediated, augmented, produced and regulated by digital devices and networked systems powered by software. Software is fundamentally composed of algorithms -- sets of defined steps structured to process instructions/data to produce an output. And yet, to date, there has been little critical reflection on algorithms, nor empirical research into their nature and work. This paper synthesises and extends initial critical thinking about algorithms and considers how best to research them in practice. It makes a case for thinking about algorithms in ways that extend far beyond a technical understanding and approach. It then details four key challenges in conducting research on the specificities of algorithms -- they are often: ‘black boxed’; heterogeneous, contingent on hundreds of other algorithms, and are embedded in complex socio-technical assemblages; ontogenetic and performative; and ‘out of control’ in their work. Finally, it considers six approaches to empirically research algorithms: examining source code (both deconstructing code and producing genealogies of production); reflexively producing code; reverse engineering; interviewing designers and conducting ethnographies of coding teams; unpacking the wider socio-technical assemblages framing algorithms; and examining how algorithms do work in the world

Geography in Ireland in transition

In this short commentary I want to reflect on Irish Geography in the new millennium, and what I perceive to have been a major transition in the state and development of the discipline since 2000. I will be the first to admit that it is a convenient coincidence that the start of the story I want to tell begins at the point when the new millennium dawned, and the genesis of the tale certainly has it origins in the years beforehand. That said, I do think the date has significance as a rough temporal marker of the beginnings of a remarkable set of factors that I believe has transformed, and continues to transform, Irish Geography. I am mindful that what follows is a situated narrative, and I am sure that others will view differently the development of Irish Geography over the last five years. It would therefore be interesting to compare and contrast personal views of Irish geography and I would welcome dialogue on the health of the discipline on the island of Ireland. Such dialogue, I believe, can only be productive in thinking through the recent past and our stewardship of the future