Progressive Geographies

Simon Brown, ‘Intellectual Journalism and Intellectual History‘, Journal of the History of Ideas blog

In an interview at the Chronicle Review with the writer and teacher Maggie Doherty about academic humanities and public writing, I encountered a term for the first time that described in a new way what felt very familiar: “Intellectual Journalism.” The interviewer used it to gesture toward the book reviews, trade titles and essays that authors — or readers — with graduate training might write (or read) outside of their own formal disciplines and the peer-reviewed journals and book series that sustain them. My experience turning over the category of “Intellectual History” on its many sides to better understand how it held together led me to wonder about this congruent term. [continues here]

Confronting the Long Arc of U.S. Border Policy

THE CELEBRATORY CLAMOR surrounding President Joe Biden’s 100-day deportation moratorium was short-lived, as a federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the pause on deportation within a few days of its announcement. Even though the court order did not require the Biden administration to proceed with deportations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement swiftly deported hundreds of people to Guatemala, Honduras, and Jamaica anyway. [continues here]

This article is adapted from Harsha Walia’s forthcoming book, “Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism” (Haymarket, February 9, 2021), with a foreword by Robin D.G. Kelley and an afterword by Nick Estes. Excerpts are included here with permission of the publisher.

Paul Simpson, Non-Representational Theory – Routledge, January 2021

Non-representational Theory explores a range of ideas which have recently engaged geographers and have led to the development of an alternative approach to the conception, practice, and production of geographic knowledge. Non-representational Theory refers to a key body of work that has emerged in geography over the past two and a half decades that emphasizes the importance of practice, embodiment, materiality, and process to the ongoing formation of social life. This title offers the first sole-authored, accessible introduction to this work and its impact on geography.

Without being prescriptive the text provides a general explanation of what Non-representational Theory is. This includes discussion of the disciplinary context it emerged from, the key ideas and themes that characterise work associated with Non-representational Theory, and the theoretical points of reference that inspires it. The book then explores a series of conjunctions of ‘Non-representational Theory and…’, taking an area of geographic enquiry and exploring the impact Non-representational Theory has had on how it is researched and understood. This includes the relationships between Non-representational Theory and Practice, Affect, Materiality, Landscape, Performance, and Methods. Critiques of Non-representational Theory are also broached, including reflections on issues on identity, power, and difference.

The text draws together the work of a range of established and emerging scholars working on the development of non-representational theories, allowing scholars from geography and other disciplines to access and assess the animating potential of such work. This volume is essential reading for undergraduates and post-graduate students interested in the social, cultural, and political geographies of everyday living.

Henri F. Ellenberger, Ethnopsychiatry, edited by Emmanuel Delille, translated by Jonathan Kaplansky, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2021

What is the relationship between culture and mental health? Is mental illness universal? Are symptoms of mental disorders different across social groups? In the late 1960s these questions gave rise to a groundbreaking series of articles written by the psychiatrist Henri Ellenberger, who would go on to publish The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry in 1970. Fifty years later they are presented for the first time in English translation, introduced by historian of science Emmanuel Delille.

Ethnopsychiatry explores one of the most controversial subjects in psychiatric research: the role of culture in mental health. In his articles Ellenberger addressed the complex clinical and theoretical problems of cultural specificity in mental illness, collective psychoses, differentiations within cultural groups, and biocultural interactions. He was especially attuned to the correlations between rapid cultural transformations in postwar society, urbanization, and the frequency of mental illness. Ellenberger drew from a vast and varied primary and secondary literature in several languages, as well as from his own findings in clinical practice, which included work with indigenous peoples. In analyzing Ellenberger’s contributions Delille unveils the transnational and interdisciplinary origins of transcultural psychiatry, which grew out of knowledge networks that crisscrossed the globe. The book has a rich selection of appendices, including Ellenberger’s lecture notes on a case of peyote addiction and his correspondence with anthropologist and psychoanalyst Georges Devereux.

These original essays, and their masterful contextualization, provide a compelling introduction to the foundations of transcultural psychiatry and one of its most distinguished and prolific researchers.

Christopher S. Browning, Pertti Joenniemi, and Brent J. Steele, Vicarious Identity in International Relations: Self, Security, and Status on the Global Stage – Oxford University Press, March 2021

Vicarious identification, or “living through another” is a familiar social-psychological concept. Shaped by insecurity and a lack of self-fulfilment, it refers to the processes by which actors gain a sense of self-identity, purpose, and self-esteem through appropriating the achievements and experiences of others. As this book argues, it is also an under-appreciated and increasingly relevant strategy of international relations. 

According to this theory, states identify and establish special relationships with other nations (often in an aspirational way) in order to strengthen their sense of self, security, and status on the global stage. This identification is also central to the politics of citizenship and can be manipulated by states to justify their global ambitions. For example, why might the United States look at Israel as a model for its own foreign policies? What shaped the politics of Brexit and why is the United Kingdom so attached to its transatlantic “special relationship” with the United States? And, why did Denmark so enthusiastically ally with the United States during the global War on Terror? Vicarious identity, as the authors argue, is at the core of these international dynamics.

Vicarious Identity in International Relations examines the ways in which vicarious identity is relevant to global politics: across individuals; between citizens and states; and across states, regional communities, or civilizations. It looks at a range of cases (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark), which illustrate that vicarious political identity is dynamic and emerges in different contexts, but particularly when nations face crisis, both internally and externally. In addition, the book outlines a qualitative methodology for analyzing vicarious identity at the collective level.

“This is a path-breaking work. Its focus on vicarious identity and identification takes the discussion on subjectivity and ontological (in)security in International Relations to new dimensions by offering a theoretically sophisticated and powerful reading of the relationship between vicarious identification and foreign policy strategies. In paying attention to the vicarious bonding of US-Israel, US-UK, and Denmark and the world, the authors insightfully address some of the most pressing issues of our times.” – Catarina Kinnvall, Professor of Political Science, Lund University

“Built on sophisticated engagement with a range of theoretical literature and a nuanced discussion of contemporary case studies, this important book introduces the IR community to the concept of vicarious identity. In the process, the authors manage the impressive achievement of shining a light on what is hidden in plain sight in contemporary IR, pointing to the relevance of dynamics of vicarious identity in making sense of foreign policy, interstate relations, and identity politics. A crucial book for any scholar of identity in IR, and an important book for any scholar of IR.” – Matt McDonald, Reader in International Relations, University of Queensland

“Vicarious Identity in International Relations contends not only that a phenomenon common in everyday life is also prevalent in relations between states, but that it does some surprisingly significant work in global politics. Developing a sophisticated new approach for the study of vicarious identity at the state and international levels, Browning, Joenniemi, and Steele offer an erudite and accessible analysis of how ‘living through others’ matters in international relations. This fascinating study will no doubt ignite a fruitful and welcome new research agenda in IR.” – Ty Solomon, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of Glasgow

Rob Kitchin, Data Lives: How Data are Made and Shape Our Lives – Bristol University Press, February 2021

Companion website with some open access material, discount codes and a lot of endorsements.

The word ‘data’ has entered everyday conversation, but do we really understand what it means? How can we begin to grasp the scope and scale of our new data-rich world, and can we truly comprehend what is at stake? 

In Data Lives, renowned social scientist Rob Kitchin explores the intricacies of data creation and charts how data-driven technologies have become essential to how society, government and the economy work.

Creatively blending scholarly analysis, biography and fiction, he demonstrates how data are shaped by social and political forces, and the extent to which they influence our daily lives. 

He reveals our data world to be one of potential danger, but also of hope.