One aim I set for my directed reading, carried out across the first two terms of my PhD, was to consider how I might structure my comprehensive reading lists, as well as gather some literature I'd like to read. Another consideration was the question of what I wanted to get out of my comprehensive reading and examination process. Disciplinary training in geography is one thing. This semester, I took geography courses in the department for the first time (besides the introductory seminar). While geographical political economy and urban political ecology might not be my cup of tea, I did enjoy gleaning some context and history of the discipline. Additionally, reading theories and concepts in these to communities of practice through my own work proved generative. I also see comps as a time to read things I wouldn't otherwise read, and in so doing, become legible to those engaged in conversations around my areas of study. Finally, on a pragmatic note, I'd like to be able to teach a topical class in geography one day, so reading intensively in urban geography or critical cartography is useful in that sense.
In January 2025, I drafted the most concise version of a project proposal yet, which, while terrifying in its own way, did help me organize and articulate my research objectives. My proposed project remains invested in a multiplicity of literatures. However, mapping, science and technology studies (STS), everyday spatial practices, the city and arts of urban inhabitation, digital and locative media, and diffractive inquiry persist as central themes.
In March 2025, I iterated my first set of lists as follows: Urban Everyday, Thinking Through Practice, and mashup of speculative data, mapping, and digital geographies. Urban Everyday was a categorization actually suggested to me by a department faculty whom I'd sought out for advice. At the same time, I was enrolled in an urban political ecology course for whose final project I'd been thinking more and more about the limitations of my MA work. While my master's research-creation attended to the everyday experience of urban inhabitation and thinking with/in posthuman entanglements, my praxis lacked recognition of the socio-ecological production of cities. Therefore, in my composition of a list entitled Urban Everyday, I wanted to foreground the tension between the directness of experience and engagement with broader underlying politics that structure landscapes of encounter (see project final for that class "up my alley" in thinking-through-practice page for more). Thinking Through Practice contained the material I felt most drawn to read. This included process philosophy, research-creation, posthumanisms, and more. Lastly, the mashup list was composed of all those necessary and relevant readings that didn't quite fit into the other categories. Or, that together, seemed to constitute their own category. Early in 2025 I was reading a lot on speculative data, and envisioned these ideas directing my destination disoriented navigational application.
In early April, I refigured my lists again as a result of meeting with my co-supervisor. Basically, I agreed that I would always be reading my Thinking Through Practice material, and that it wasn't so important for me to be evaluated on my comprehension of their content. Moreover, I could easily demonstrate my engagement with those literatures through my post-comps project proposal, as well as my actual dissertation. Comprehensives was thus reiterated as an opportunity to read things I might not otherwise read, and to gain a common ground from which to participate in ongoing conversations in geography.
As you can see below, my lists are now: Cities, Vancouver, and the Urban Everyday, Digital Geographies, and Critical and Experimental Mapping. Cities, Vancouver, and the Urban Everyday is similar to what I had before, but will include more specifically urban geography literature so I can participate in these kinds of conversations and teach these sorts of things. Digital Geographies will include readings on platform economies so that I can understand Google Maps better, Media studies and STS, as well as maybe some writing on cloud infrastructure and navigational routing algorithms (I really just want to have an excuse to read Cloud Ethics). I imagine the production of space could go here (if not in cities) so as to be in dialogue with literature on locative technologies. Finally, Critical and Experimental Mapping gets at critical cartography, geohumanities, environmental digital humanities, speculative data as well as some some postqualitative inquiry.
Finally, and this may be too wild, but I was considering having a "Haunting List" that includes research-creation, (process) philosophy, crip theory and the like that I can read through whatever I'm reading. I'd have to be careful for this not to take over, but I'd be very unhappy if I didn't intentionally make time to read these things for a whole year. If there's ways to incorporate haunting list into other three lists, great. Some of the books here I've already read and wouldn't re-read so much as keep as friends etc.
lists are in progress
lists are in progress
in progress
not finished - just some unsorted things