4.07.2006

Psychogeography vs. Neogeography

We have to credit the people at Platial for coining (we believe, or at least popularizing) the term neogeography. It's a much needed term to replace the often overused psychogeography. The term is sufficiently abstract to serve as a broad category of un/non-professional geographic practices (walking mapping, tagging, etc.). It would often be appropriate to replace a number of activities/projects currently denoted as psychogeographic, with neogeographic. Psychogeography could then be a narrower term evoking the implicit political ambitions of the Situationists.

UPDATE HERE.

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6 comments:

jason wilson said...

you are hip to the vocab issues, and are totally correct in noting the wholesale misuse of psychogeography as just having anything to do with basically just being outside these days. it's a catchy term though, and i think people like to use it, write it, say it. some terms are just bound to stick.

DilettanteVentures said...

Well we're going to do our best to make neogeography "stick," as it is an infinitely more appropriate and useful term.

deisnor said...

Your post is getting posted in what is now the "neogeography" debate between old school GIS and social geowankers. http://www.mcwetboy.net/maproom/2006/04/neogeography.phtml

Catholicgauze said...

I just jumped on the trend myself. It has potential to be a really useful tool.

Jeffrey Barke said...

I agree that neogeography would make a good replacement for the incorrect use of psychogeography, but I don't think psychogeography should refer to "the implicit political ambitions of the SI". Psychogeography isn't tied to politics, but to psychology. When we talk about how concrete places make us feel, the emotions they evoke, the ambiances they are capable of, this is psychogeography. When we talk about abstract places such as home, the fatherland or motherland, utopia, this is psychogeography.

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