Tag: Geography

How tourism is deeply implicated in the antagonistic global structures that lead to war.

August 9, 2016

BY DEBBIE LISLESchool of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast After the emergence of organized mass tourism in the mid-19th century, billions of people have indulged their desires to visit cultures, landscapes, and experiences different from their own. No place on the planet is immune to the tourist gaze: alongside familiar visits … More How tourism is deeply implicated in the antagonistic global structures that lead to war.

The Internet of Things and the rise of planetary computerization: How environmental sensing technologies multiply rather than consolidate versions of the planet.

March 2, 2016

BY JENNIFER GABRYS Reader in sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London Planetary computerization—and the making of a computational planet—are terms and concepts that now occupy considerable attention in media studies and environmental theory and practice. Yet these developments have been underway since at least the post-war context, since renderings of the planet as expressed through … More The Internet of Things and the rise of planetary computerization: How environmental sensing technologies multiply rather than consolidate versions of the planet.

Fight for 15 shines spotlight on harsh daily realities for low-wage workers

October 28, 2015

Fast-food workers, university workers, students, janitors, retail workers, and airportworkers rally on April 15, 2015, near the University of Minnesota to demand a $15/hourminimum wage.Image via Wikimedia Commons. BY MARC DOUSSARDRecipient of the 2015 Paul Davidoff Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning for his book Degraded Work The list of cities and state … More Fight for 15 shines spotlight on harsh daily realities for low-wage workers

Hurricane Katrina, ten years later: When the investor class goes marching in

August 28, 2015

A view of flooded New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, September 2005.It’s been ten years since, and yet it left lessons that remain to be learned. BY CEDRIC JOHNSONAssociate professor of African American studies and political sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago It has been ten years since New Orleans was … More Hurricane Katrina, ten years later: When the investor class goes marching in

On California’s Water-Free Future

April 7, 2015

California’s Mono Lake, pictured in August 2014. BY KAREN PIPERProfessor of postcolonial studies in English and adjunct professor in geography at the University of Missouri The solution to California’s drought is simple: stop shipping water to China. Farmers, who use 80% of the state’s water, ship crops containing “virtual water” (the water used to grow … More On California’s Water-Free Future

Ethical Geography: How abolitionists used spatial practice to reject their own authority

November 26, 2014

Ralph Waldo Emerson ca. 1857.  Photograph: George Eastman House Photography Collection BY MARTHA SCHOOLMANAssistant professor of English at Florida International University I. Toward a New New Abolitionism Abolitionism, the movement formulated in the United States north to bring about an immediate end to slavery in the US south, was, in its moment, the watchword for … More Ethical Geography: How abolitionists used spatial practice to reject their own authority

Explore the frightening landscape where water and thirst are political, and drought is a business opportunity.

September 3, 2014

Click here to download the graphic version of this article. This week is World Water Week in Stockholm, where more than 200 organizations are convening to discuss global water and development issues. In light of this event, we wanted to take the opportunity to feature a new book that responds to these same issues and … More Explore the frightening landscape where water and thirst are political, and drought is a business opportunity.

"No money, no water" for Detroit—and possible punitive actions from the UN.

June 27, 2014

In addition to the water news out of Detroit, the UN has declared the U.S.to be in violation of international human rights laws by not supplying cleanwater to the poor. BY KAREN PIPERAuthor and professor of postcolonial studies in English and adjunct professor in geography at the University of Missouri Flushing a toilet in Detroit … More "No money, no water" for Detroit—and possible punitive actions from the UN.

On the challenge of co-existence.

March 25, 2014

Paul Carter writes about his book Meeting Place, in which waiting, meeting, non-meeting, and communication have possibilities in unexpected manifestations. BY PAUL CARTERRMIT University in Melbourne, Australia Meeting Place is like its subject: where people meet, there are always many voices and views. So Meeting Place brings together stories, insights, beliefs and experiences from many … More On the challenge of co-existence.