[GS7-4] Social critiques

In the early 1990s social critiques of GIS from human geographers began to appear. These initial critiques set off an ensuing debate between GISers, defending GIS and human geographers, who critiqued GIS. This debate materialized in academic journals including: Political Geography Quarterly, Environment and Planning A, and Progress in Human Geography. Schuurman (2000) notes that the GIS debate, while unique to the discipline of Geography, was part of a larger debate in other disciplines about the effects of technology. This presentation will be limited (unfortunately) to two aspects of this debate. It will first discuss conditions within human geography that made GIS a target of human geographers' critique. Second, this paper will discuss the particular critiques that were directed at GIS by human geographers. Though the reaction of such critiques and their effect on GIS is an important topic there is not enough time and space to address these issues. See Schuurman (2000) "Trouble in the Heartland: GIS and its critics in the 1990s" in Progress in Human Geography for a thoughtful look at this debate and its effects on the discipline of GIS.

Learning outcomes

• 860 - Explain the argument that, throughout history, maps have been used to depict social relations
  Explain the argument that, throughout history, maps have been used to depict social relations
• 861 - Explain how a tax assessors office adoption of GIS and T may affect power relations within a community
  Explain how a tax assessors office adoption of GIS and T may affect power relations within a community
• 862 - Discuss the production, maintenance, and use of geospatial data by a government agency or private firm from the perspectives of a taxpayer, a community organization, and a member of a minority group
  Discuss the production, maintenance, and use of geospatial data by a government agency or private firm from the perspectives of a taxpayer, a community organization, and a member of a minority group
• 863 - Explain the argument that GIS is socially constructed
  Explain the argument that GIS is socially constructed
• 864 - Describe the use of GIS from a political ecology point of view (e.g., consider the use of GIS for resource identification, conservation, and allocation by an NGO in Sub-Saharan Africa)
  Describe the use of GIS from a political ecology point of view (e.g., consider the use of GIS for resource identification, conservation, and allocation by an NGO in Sub-Saharan Africa)
• 865 - Defend or refute the contention that critical studies have an identifiable influence on the development of the information society in general and GIScience in particular
  Defend or refute the contention that critical studies have an identifiable influence on the development of the information society in general and GIScience in particular

Self assessment

Outgoing relations

• [GS7-4] Social critiques subclassof [GS6] Critical approach