Digital Turn, Digital Geography?

Posted: 16 Oct 2015

See all articles by James Ash

James Ash

Newcastle University - Department of Media, Culture and Heritage

Rob Kitchin

National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Maynooth University) - NIRSA

Agnieszka Leszczynski

University of Auckland, School of Enviornment

Date Written: October 14, 2015

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the relationship between the digital and geography. Our analysis provides an overview of the rich scholarship that has examined: (1) geographies of the digital, (2) geographies produced by the digital, and (3) geographies produced through the digital. Using this material we reflect on two questions: has there been a digital turn in geography? and, would it be productive to delimit ‘digital geography’ as a field of study within the discipline, as has recently occurred with the attempt to establish ‘digital anthropology’ and ‘digital sociology’? We argue that while there has been a digital turn across geographical sub-disciplines, the digital is now so pervasive in mediating the production of space and in producing geographic knowledge that it makes little sense to delimit digital geography as a distinct field. Instead, we believe it is more productive to think about how the digital reshapes many geographies.

Keywords: digital, geography, computing, digital turn, digital geography

Suggested Citation

Ash, James and Kitchin, Rob and Leszczynski, Agnieszka, Digital Turn, Digital Geography? (October 14, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2674257 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2674257

James Ash

Newcastle University - Department of Media, Culture and Heritage ( email )

School of Arts and Cultures
Armstrong Building
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
United Kingdom

Rob Kitchin (Contact Author)

National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Maynooth University) - NIRSA ( email )

2nd Floor
Iontas Building
Maynooth, County Kildare W23 F2H6
Ireland

Agnieszka Leszczynski

University of Auckland, School of Enviornment ( email )

Private Bag 92019
Auckland, Auckland 1142
New Zealand

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
3,735
PlumX Metrics