Speculative Cartographies

Overview & Synopsis

Grzegorz Czemiel examines ways in which cartography has been imaginatively reclaimed in philosophy, literature and art to develop new ontologies that challenge unreflective anthropocentrism and capitalist-driven globalization. Speculative cartographies strive to account for material processes occurring across various spatiotemporal scales. In effect, they open alternative visions of the global, situating humanity in the planetary context and responding to today’s environmental crises. Exploratory map-makers enquire about the relationship between people and Earth, transforming notions of humanism and nature in the process. Such efforts contribute to the development of a materialist cartographical imagination necessary to interrogate capitalist realism and envision sustainable futures.