Narcotic cities: Counter cartographies of drugs and space

Abstract der Sitzung

The discourses and practices of critical cartography and counter mapping are today well known amongst geographers. We think that the (mostly) methodological reflection about maps, mapping and cartography is often enhanced by in-depth research about what is represented. Until now, critical cartography and counter mapping dealt with many topics such as technology and internet, criminology, grass-root movements, migration or environmental issues. With this collective book, we chose to research on a barely touched topic: drugs and urban spaces. We understand drugs as a complex and broad social phenomenon, that encompasses an incredible diversity of practices, subjects, places, issues and discourses.

The collective book “Narcotic Cities - Counter Cartographies of Drugs and Spaces”, edited by JOVIS (spring 2023) is the first attempt to critically examine and question the interconnections between drugs, their institutions, spaces and places with critical cartography and counter mapping. It engages with critical cartographic critic of drug maps and of drug spatialization, questioning policies, governance, emotions and struggles, in different contexts such as historical, virtual and urban contexts. It brings together 26 contributions from a variety of international, more-than-European perspectives, displaying hand drawings, weavings, artistic creations, GIS-based maps and historical maps. Experimenting with various forms of (carto)graphic representation, the contributors reflect on the production of their visual documents in what is called a paramap, with the function of de-blackboxing and situating the maps. This rich mosaic of multiscalar perspectives on drugs makes not only minorised knowledge and perspectives visible, but it questions pitfalls, omissions, and failures in the cartography of drugs.

This session held in English will discuss the book. Insights into the topic of critically mapping drugs will be presented by two of the editors (Mélina Germes and Luise Klaus), and about ten chapters will be presented by the authors in a lightning round (tba).