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A Call for Agonism: GIS and the Politics of Collaboration

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  • Kevin Ramsey

    (Department of Geography, University of Washington, Box 353550, Seattle, WA 98195, USA)

Abstract

This paper examines the increasing use of geographic information systems (GIS) to support the project of ‘collaborative’ planning. Specifically, I explore the ways in which the use of GIS in collaborative planning programs works to counteract and/or reproduce patterns of marginalization always present in local political struggles. Through a review of the literature and an analysis of a case study of the use of GIS in rural water resource management, I argue that the discourse and practices of collaboration can often lead to a problematic depoliticization of GIS. Furthermore, I show how this depoliticization can normalize both uneven power dynamics and the marginalization of alternative and oppositional perspectives. I employ this case study as a backdrop to propose an alternative practice of participatory GIS motivated by Mouffe's notion of ‘agonistic pluralism’. This practice of agonistic participatory GIS is designed to foreground, rather than obscure, the politics of spatial knowledge production by explicitly juxtaposing alternative understandings of space and spatial problems. I conclude by discussing the importance of this work to the critical and participatory GIS research agendas.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Ramsey, 2008. "A Call for Agonism: GIS and the Politics of Collaboration," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(10), pages 2346-2363, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:10:p:2346-2363
    DOI: 10.1068/a4028
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karen Bickerstaff & Gordon Walker, 2001. "Participatory Local Governance and Transport Planning," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(3), pages 431-451, March.
    2. Sarah A Elwood, 2002. "GIS Use in Community Planning: A Multidimensional Analysis of Empowerment," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(5), pages 905-922, May.
    3. P M McGuirk, 2001. "Situating Communicative Planning Theory: Context, Power, and Knowledge," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(2), pages 195-217, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Susan J. Gilbertz & Damon M. Hall & Lucas C. Ward & Matthew B. Anderson, 2019. "Science on the Sideline: Pragmatism and the Yellowstone River Basin Advisory Council," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 33(4), pages 1411-1424, March.
    2. Ming-Kuang Chung & Dau-Jye Lu & Bor-Wen Tsai & Kuei-Tien Chou, 2019. "Assessing Effectiveness of PPGIS on Protected Areas by Governance Quality: A Case Study of Community-Based Monitoring in Wu-Wei-Kang Wildlife Refuge, Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-20, August.

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