The study of place naming, or toponymy, has recently undergone a critical reformulation as scholars have moved beyond the traditional focus on etymology and taxonomy by examining the politics of place-naming practices. In this article, we provide a selective genealogy of the ‘critical turn’ in place-name studies and consider three complementary approaches to analyzing spatial inscription as a toponymic practice: political semiotics, governmentality studies, and normative theories of social justice and symbolic resistance. We conclude by proposing that future scholarship should explore the political economy of toponymic practices as a step toward expanding the conceptual horizon of critical place-name studies.
A growing number of geographers are beginning to explore Foucault's later work on 'governmentality', which examines the relations between the production of governmental rationalities and the technologies of modern power. The current paper traces this critical engagement between geographical scholarship and governmentality studies. Many geographical accounts consider governmentality in terms of the mechanisms of knowledge production that states have used to constitute their subjects and territories as 'governable'. While this line of inquiry has produced considerable insights, I argue that analyses of governmentality should also explore how various non-state actors have utilized technologies of government in myriad ways. I further suggest that geo-coding was one of the main spatial prerequisites for the larger biopolitical projects of census-taking and mapping at least since the eighteenth century. A critical spatial history of the 'geo-coded world', therefore, is required if we are to understand the geographical underpinnings of governmental knowledge production.
The spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in the most devastating global public health crisis in over a century. At present, over 10 million people from around the world have contracted the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), leading to more than 500,000 deaths globally. The global health crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic has been compounded by political, economic, and social crises that have exacerbated existing inequalities and disproportionately affected the most vulnerable segments of society. The global pandemic has had profoundly geographical consequences, and as the current crisis continues to unfold, there is a pressing need for geographers and other scholars to critically examine its fallout. This introductory article provides an overview of the current special issue on the geographies of the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes 42 commentaries written by contributors from across the globe. Collectively, the contributions in this special issue highlight the diverse theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and thematic foci that geographical scholarship can offer to better understand the uneven geographies of the Coronavirus/COVID-19.
In this article, we explore the nature, value, and challenges of dialogue both within and outside the academy. After considering the possibilities and limits to dialogue, we divide our analysis into three sections, first discussing dialogue as a form of embodied action, next examining dialogue as a means of enacting a critically affirmative politics, and finally exploring the challenges of engaging in dialogue as a way of practicing public geographies. In each case, we raise a number of questions concerning the potential of, and limitations to, dialogue in an age of increasing social tensions and political divides. We conclude by suggesting that although there are times when dialogical disengagement is warranted if the conditions of possibility for meaningful dialogue are unfulfilled, scholarly dialogue continues to play an important role in fostering spaces of mutual engagement in a polarized age.
This qualitative study examines the social interaction patterns among international students at a large research university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Based on semistructured interviews with 60 international graduate students, the researchers provide a conceptual framework that identifies 4 primary types of social interactions that shape international student experiences at US higher education institutions: self-segregation, exclusive global mixing, inclusive global mixing, and host interaction. The results indicate that conceptions of cultural identity as well as alternative forms of social capital play a crucial role in the formation of international social networks within a university setting.
This qualitative study examines the social interaction patterns among international students at a large research university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Based on semistructured interviews with 60 international graduate students, the researchers provide a conceptual framework that identifies 4 primary types of social interactions that shape international student experiences at U.S. higher education institutions: self-segregation, exclusive global mixing, inclusive global mixing, and host interaction. The results indicate that conceptions of cultural identity as well as alternative forms of social capital play a crucial role in the formation of international social networks within a university setting.
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