Geographies by the Multitude The Cartography of Bureau dEtudes Sebastian Cobarrubias University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sebcob@email.unc.

edu

Prelude: We must now, be in to understand our lobal state of war and its development throu h research into the enealo y of social and political movements of resistance. !his will lead us eventually toward a new vision of our world and also an understandin of the sub"ectivities capable of creatin a new world. #Hardt and Ne ri, $%%&, '() !o understand this power of the multitude better we need first to investi ate some of its contemporary e*pressions. #Hardt and Ne ri, $%%&, $'&) Hardt and Ne ri allow the spirit of the above cited phrases to uide their

impressive wor+ throu hout Multitude. !hey reflect upon many e*amples of collective stru le as they trace an outline of this potential body called the multitude. !his essay

see+s to continue the practice of basin one,s theori-in upon social movement activity by en a in with the wor+ of an art.activist collective from Strasbour ./rance called Bureau dEtudes that is producin its own analyses of the restructurin of the lobal economy as well as tryin to e*plore potential forms of resistance.

0n November $%%$, durin the first 1uropean Social /orum in /lorence 0taly, Bureau dEtudes distributed copies of a map they had produced called. 21uropean Norms of World Construction,. !he map had three layers that included institutional lin+s between the 1uropean commission, trade le islation and the ban+in industry, union 3

federations and N45s, and forms of social resistance #riots, clandestine or ani-ation, s6uattin ). Within the year, this map was circulatin amon st s6uatter,s movements in 7arcelona, bein written about by art activists in 8ondon, and bein shipped to Chica o where roups were inspired by these curious new maps to pursue the idea of map. ma+in .

!his collective is not only producin tools for use in mass mobili-ations. !heir wor+ is also en a in some of the newest tends in both9 3) social theory and political philosophy: as well as $) cuttin ed e critical carto raphic theory. 71, as part of a broader activist mappin wave, relates in different ways to these two bodies of theoretical wor+ includin wor+in independently on parallel concepts, and respondin to some of their calls. 0n this paper, 0 will focus on Multitude and the common resonances that BE shares with many of the ideas that Hardt and Ne ri present in that wor+, particularly some of their analyses of the constitutions of current forms of lobal power, the criti6ue of representation, and the search for new forms of resistance and democracy. 0n re ards to carto raphic theory, 0 will address some of the e*istin alternative mappin efforts in 4eo raphy as well as calls, from within and without 4eo raphy, for a reinvi orated critical carto raphy. !hrou h usin the tool of activist carto raphy throu h a

theoretically implicated lens this paper will attempt to demonstrate how Bureau dEtudes is producin mappin s and political analyses that are pushin both of these literatures into new directions.

!his essay will be in by briefly reviewin some of the e*istin e*periences of critical carto raphy within the discipline of 4eo raphy. !his will be followed by a $

presentation of Bureau dEtudes and one of their mappin pro"ects. How this collective,s wor+ evo+es common notions e*posed in Multitude will be e*plained here as well. /inally, this paper will situate Bureau dEtudes wor+ within broader calls for a theoretically re.invi orated and politically critical carto raphy from within and without 4eo raphy.

0n some sense then, this piece as+s critical human

eo raphy to continue

e*plorin the shift towards a new theoretically informed carto raphy as an anta onistic pro"ect. ; carto raphy that can help 2plot, some initial 2navi ational charts, 3 helpful in understandin the political con"uncturein much the same spirit as Hardt, Ne ri and Bureau dEtudes. . Part I: Experiences of Post-Imperialist Cartographies <!he map is open and connectible in all of its dimensions: it is detachable, reversible, susceptible to constant modification. 0t can be torn, reversed, adapted to any +ind of mountin , rewor+ed by an individual, roup, or social formation. 0t can be drawn on a wall, conceived of as a wor+ of art, constructed as a political action or as a meditation. ; map has multiple entryways!he map has to do with performance#=eleu-e and 4uattari, 3>?@, 3$) Carto raphy as a field can seem an odd place to be in discussin some of the latest practices in lobal resistance movements. Historically, Carto raphy has been

associated with the imperial pro"ects of the last several centuries by mappin terrae incognitae in order to facilitate material and co nitive con6uest. While it is ar ued that more maps are bein produced now than at any time in the +nown past #especially than+s to 40S and computeri-ed carto raphy), the ma"ority of these are classically Cartesian and
3

!his notion is inspired in the early writin s by =ebord on psycho eo raphy as a practice which provides us with tentative and initial maps #similar to the navi ational maps of the ;tlantic for 3' th century 1uropean sailors) in order to navi ate the current confi urations of power #see =ebord 3>(?, p . &).

dedicated towards mappin s 2ob"ects, such as

laciers, streets, military tar ets, and

potential mar+ets. Buch of this new mappin actually seems to only deepen the reach of e*istin institutions already occupyin privile ed sites of power #the military,

corporations, etc.). 4iven this panorama, the relevance of carto raphy to pro"ects of emancipatory politics can seem limited at best. How then, to articulate a post.imperial carto raphyC ;re the small efforts at recapturin it even worthwhile or should the practice "ust be dropped alto etherC ; few recent efforts at buildin alternative carto raphy or counter.mappin this sort of a

will be mentioned here as buildin

bac+ round upon which efforts such as the Bureau dEtudes intervene.

5ne critical intervention into the field of maps, and carto raphy more broadly, has been the critical carto raphy literature. /rom Harley,s classic essays #3>??), to =ennis Wood,s The Power of Maps #3>>$), to Dohn Eic+les, wor+ on 40S #3>>() and the history of spatial representation #$%%&) this literature has successfully destabili-ed the fi*ity of carto raphic representation. 5ften e*perimentin with the social theory of /oucault, =errida, 7en"amin, =eleu-e and 4uattari amon others, this literature has channeled attention toward Carto raphy #and maps in particular) as a historically produced ob"ect which serves as a powerF+nowled e or even an apparatus of a particular discourse on the nation, economy, etc. Baps become an instrument which can deepen or solidify a particular vision of the world often servin concrete interests or actors in specific ways. !his approach has #and does) contribute a reat criti6ue and a new way of understandin maps. 5ften this literature has produced inspiration in rethin+in new or 2other, ways of mappin , thou h it has been difficult as of yet for this approach to move beyond this criti6ue and analysis towards producin a new form of carto raphy. &

5ther approaches to critical carto raphy have simply ta+en standard techni6ues of professional map production and carto raphic research but applied it to critical political ends. ; ood recent e*ample of this is the carto raphy team at the Le Monde

Diplomatique "ournal. !his team, coordinated by Ehilippe Ge+acewic-, has now been producin yearly ;tlases utili-in carto raphic information and maps to present a critical analysis and <situation reportH of the state of the world $. While the information this team in particular, and this approach in eneral, is producin has been very useful in educatin a wider public or on occasion, eneratin policy debates, the carto raphy here is still one belon in to the 2e*perts,. ;n e*pert carto rapher still ma+es 2the, map and uses

methods that are theoretically standard and which have been sub"ected to criti6ue by the literature on critical carto raphyA.

5ther attempts to push Carto raphy into even more e*perimental and radical terrain are now le end within 4eo raphy, such as the urban 4eo raphical 1*peditions of the late '%,s and @%,s and wor+ of 7ill 7un e in particular. !hose e*periences of radical participatory mappin have inspired many eo raphers partly by throwin in a +ey

element. the participation of non.institutionally based eo raphers9 community members, activists, etc. interested in participatin in the pro"ect to remap the territories they

inhabited. Buch time has passed since those initiatives and unfortunately the 1*pedition
$

See http9FFwww.monde.diplomati6ue.frFcartesF. ;dditionally, team members have even dabbled in tryin to carto raphically represent wor+s on social theory. such Ga+ecewit-,s attempts to create a map of Bbembe,s wor+ #Ga+ecewit- $%%%).
A

!his is not to say it is anti6uated, that these carto raphers assume their maps to be <truerH representations, nor that these carto raphers haven,t en a ed some of the critical carto raphy literature, merely that the ap between the political en a ement and the theoretical challen e has yet to be brid ed or at least addressed. in the process of map.ma+in itself. ;s of yet there is not anythin apparent that seems to challen e the theoretical underpinnin s of imperial carto raphy #such as its Cartesian lo ic).

as a form of carto raphic wor+ and research did not continue with the same vi or after the early @%,s. Nonetheless recent discussions around participatory development and community development have met with the 40S community and branched into the rowin field of Eublic Earticipation 40S. !he EE40S community has wor+ed with roups in both the 4lobal North and South in an effort to brid e the technolo ical divides that e*clude community involvement in decision.ma+in development. around 6uestions of

!hou h not always as politically radical as the early days of the

4eo raphical 1*pedition, the intense amount of e*perience and wor+ by the EE40S community has lead vast archives and clearin .houses of resources for this sort of wor+, such as9 the 0;E;=&, and the CBGN(. Iet authors such as Wood #$%%() have e*hibited s+epticism over the de ree and 6uality of community participation in EE40S. Gather than a new form of freein carto raphic cate ories for a rethin+in from the 2bottom.up, or as a way to challen e the fi*in of carto raphic +nowled e from a limited number of often patented computer fi*es and technolo ical mediation in carto raphic production, the participation can "ust as often become a new way to collect data. ;dditionally, rather than challen in the spatial status.6uo, it can become another form of anestheti-ed community input #or outra e) into reco ni-able

representational politics, channelin parameters.

Without bein e*haustive, other forms of counter mappin that are challen in the historically predominant role of maps in politics include the rowin field of

0ndi enous Carto raphy which can ran e from forms of EE40S, to re.appropriations of historical indi enous spatialities, to attempts to repro ram and rethin+ alternative forms
& (

0nte rated ;pproaches to Earticipatory =evelopment. http9FFiapad.or F Clary Beuser Gesearch Networ+. http9FFwww.mapcru-in.comF

'

of computeri-ed carto raphyF map creatin

software with the cate ories of spatial

understandin of a particular first nation pro rammed into the code #see Co swell and Schiot- 3>>'). 0n the art world as of late there has been an intense en a ement with 2mappin , both as a metaphor to e*plore for artwor+s as well as al literal practice bein carried out in aesthetically challen in ways'). 4eo raphy as a discipline has recently discovered this trend #Jry ier and Wood $%%'). !his artistic movement, as well as some of the strands in indi enous carto raphy, are pointin towards a practice of theoretically reinvi orated, a transformed carto raphy of the +ind su scholars mentioned above. ested by the critical carto raphy

!he risin trend in activist mappin that this paper en a es with ta+es on many of the insi hts of the new critical carto raphic approaches mentioned above. ;s a trend, many of these efforts comin from social movements9 3) are theoretically en a ed and critical of imperial carto raphy: $) have a clear political en a ement: A) attempt to create participatory fora and rassroots mappin techni6ues: and &) often try to develop a new aesthetics of mappin and new concepts of 2thin s, to be mapped.

5bviously, this recent trend in activist mappin is not the first time mappin has been used by social movements, nor is all activist mappin of the type "ust described above. Some of them are of the style of the <propa anda mapH demonstratin and

creatin a particular spatial ima inary #Eic+les, $%%&): others are street protest maps or 2action maps, that desi nate tar ets, identify safe -ones, or map out areas for differin levels of physical militancy. !his newer wave of activist mappin
'

that is more

See9 !he 0nstitute for 0nfinitely Small !hin s. http9FFwww.i+atun.comFinstituteFinfinitelysmallthin sF: 1lin Slavic,s <Elaces the US has 7ombedH. http9FFwww.unc.eduFKeoslavicFpro"ectsFbombsitesFinde*.html: and !he Eublic 4reen Ero"ect by 8i-e Bo el http9FFwww.public reen.comF.

theoretically and analytically en a ed has also emer ed as a re.appropriation of carto raphy for the politics of lobal "ustice. 4lobal "ustice movements in eneral are en a in in dense re.ima inin s of the spatialities of biopolitical power, and economics and how to interact with what appears as a shiftin efforts to articulate a lobali-in identity of stru eo raphy. !his is often due to

le, and some roups are specifically

en a in with the tradition of carto raphy to further their political pro"ects. 5ne of these is Bureau dEtudes.

Part II: Cartographies by the Multitude?

Prelude Currently new emer ent processes are bein produced that, participatin in the new spatiality of flows and technolo ies of networ+ or ani-ation, are confi urin habitats and spatial orders in confrontation and competition with those produced by lobal capitalism Lthat we,ll call, usin Ne ri and Hardt,s terminolo y, geographies of empireM. We propose callin these new anta onistic ways of inhabitin , based on the spatiality of flows and information, communication and networ+ or ani-ation technolo ies. geographies of the multitude #Eere- de 8ama, $%%A, $ authors translation, italics mine) Dose Eere- del 8ama, as a participant of a prolific and increasin ly referential activist mappin collective in Spain and Borocco, called ac!itectura, ma+es use of the

notions of eo raphies of the multitude as opposed to eo raphies of empire to capture the comple*ities of the chan in territories they inhabit and want to intervene in. eo raphical area of the 1uropean

Specifically, this roup is based on the challen in

Union.North ;frica border of the Straits of 4ibraltar. !his is how they describe one of ac!iteturas mappin pro"ects focused on the Straits of 4ibraltar9 the ob"ective of the map LisM increasin ly centered on the representation of the flows and conflicts in the border re ion. 5n the one hand, the oal was to map the mechanisms of militari-ation and the e*tension of the 2border, towards the south, ?

and the productive.economic flows lin+ed to capitalist lobali-ation. 5n the other hand we tried to map the processes that challen e the imperial system and its border that permanently traverse and deconstruct it. We characteri-ed those flows in a eneral manner as flows of the multitude. ;mon these, mi rations lin+ed to wor+ leap to prominence, but we include the processes lin+ed to networ+s of social movements and the multiple flows of communication. #Eere- de 8ama, $%%(, author,s translation, italics mine)@ ac!itectura is only one e*ample of how the terminolo ies and concepts such as 2empire, and 2multitude, are circulatin throu h social movement circuits due to their evocative power. 0t should be noted thou h that often the use of these notions is not necessarily based on Hardt and Ne ri,s use or elaboration of the terms even if there is an implicit conversation at wor+. Several activist mappin roups have be un to en a e the

notions of empireFmultitude #or somethin similar) and elaboratin them in spatial terms. Introduction ; wave of this +ind of activist mappin , en a in with the latest social theory and e*perimentin with new political forms of or ani-in , has be un to multiply in recent years with the upswin in lobal resistance mobili-ations and their interconnections. 7esides ac!itectura #www.hac+itectura.net), there is an emer ent panoply of collectives and pro"ects located worldwide #!oret and S ui lia $%%': !uc+er, /oreman, Cobarrubias, Casas and Stallman $%%'). !he ran e includes pro"ects such as <"orumH a collective carto raphic effort focused on the multiple types and sites of conflict oin on within 7arcelona #http9FFwww.sindominio.netFmapasFcatFinde*Ncat.htm). =ifferent activist

andcommunity roups wor+ed to ether developin an analysis of corporate structures and influence in the city, accusin the city,s urban development of bein increasin ly
@

0t is interestin to note that DosO Eere- de 8ama has written two pieces with 2 eo raphies of the multitude, in the title and as central theme of the wor+s9 <4eo rafPas de la BultitudH and .<4eo rafPasNdeNlaNmultitudNLconectadaM,H. =e 8ama and other participants in Hac+itectura have produced some fascinatin maps and te*ts on issues relevant to new carto raphies, resistance, economic restructurin and social theories such as Hardt and Ne ri,s. !heir contributions will be further en a ed and translated in later wor+.

>

more oriented to business and social control. !he widely distributed map acted as an anti. mar+etin tool durin the event of the 2/orum de las Culturas, ?. !here,s also the Ean. 1uropean <Precarit#$%e&$'ingH emer in out of all the vibrant mobili-ation around the issues related to precarious labor #fle*ible wor+, temp wor+, unemployment, lac+ of access to services, and more). !his is a multi.country pro"ect based on creatin a series of maps to understand the institutions and discourses aidin in creatin the new forms of precarity as well as the multiple strate ies and tools developed by communities and movements to cope and combat precarity #http9FFwww.precarity.map.netF). 5ther initiatives include9 the <transitmigrationH from 4ermany on the new 1U border re ime #http9FFwww.transitmi ration.or Fmi mapFinde*.html): i(ee from the 0nstitute of ;pplied ;utonomy in the US on surveillance in New Ior+ City

#http9FFwww.appliedautonomy.comFisee.html): !heyrule.net, usin the internet to create networ+ maps of corporations, their e*ecutive boards and political administrations also from the US, and the list oes on. !hese are merely some e*amples of a practice that is spreadin and interconnectin >.

;mon these activist carto raphic collectives, 71 has been e*tremely productive and elaborate both in terms of te*ts and maps. understandin the unfoldin of the 71,s efforts focus primarily on

lobal economy and the processes #political,

re ulatory and technolo ical) helpin to constitute it, as well as the spaces available for different forms of an alternative politics. 71,s deployment of theoretical concerns, visual

!he /orum de las Culturas was a year lon series of me a events includin concerts, new buildin inau urations, e*chan es, e*hibitions etc. that was supposed to celebrate a sort of mainstream cosmopolitan multiculturalism. > ;s an e*ample of this diffusion, in Chica o durin 5ctober $%%&, a critical political art fest was held which focused strictly on mappin practices and theory # http9FFplus.calendars.netFmesshallFd%3F3%F$%%&C displayQBRstyleQ7Rpositionin Q; ).

techni6ues, and economic analysis ma+e for some interestin pro"ects. !he followin brief en a ement will present 71 as an e*ample of how contemporary activist carto raphic pro"ects are, in their own ways, spatially enactin empireFmultitude. the notions of

History and Mission of B.E. !he Bureau dEtudes pro"ect be in to carry out its pro"ects in 3>>$, thou h the ori ins of their mappin e*ercises be in around 3>>? with a collection of political art called the 2archives of capitalism,. !he roup be an to e*periment with what may be called proto.versions of maps and flowcharts of economic networ+s as a form of publicFpolitical art. Some of their early wor+ included representations of economic institutions or powerful individuals in their city and re ion. !he frustration with the political economy of the art world as well as the actions of unemployed and s6uatters movements at the time too+ the efforts of the BE into even more politically en a ed art wor+.

;fter several other collective pro"ects in /rance, the roup be an to 6uestion how to brea+ out of the typical allery.museum circuit for art. 0n coordination with other artists and in reaction to structural unemployment they founded the 2(#ndicat Potentiel, #the 2Eotential Union,), a roup that has en a ed with issues of casuali-ed labor and culture wor+ers under neoliberalism. !he roups #both Bureau dEtudes and (#ndicat Potentiel) are ti htly networ+ed with other autonomous activist roups, with particularly stron connections developin with s6uatters, movements around Western 1urope oals of these roups is the production of 3

#Holmes $%%A). 5ne of the central

<autonomous counter +nowled esH and an economy of the 2free,, as in free stuff, services, etc. #see Manifesto of the )ni*ersit+ Tangente). !hese latter ideas are based at least indirectly on Bauss,s 2 ift economy, and his rediscovery in /rance after the eneral stri+es of 3>>( #Holmes $%%A, 4raeber $%%$, http9FFwww.revuedumauss.comF).3%

Geflections on the chan in nature of the economy as well as the increasin prominence of lobal resistance movements and the calls to articulate a new sort of international solidarity, pushed Bureau dEtudes #BE) toward a lon .term en a ement with carto raphic representation as a way to wor+ on and communicate these same issues. Earticularly after the first 2 lobal days of action, in 3>>? 33 and the widespread emer ence and ac+nowled ement of lobal resistance movements, these carto raphic e*periments seem to have e*panded in scope and reach, increasin their networ+in , e*chan e of ideas, and practices amon other movement roups as an e*plicit strate y of movin BE out of the allery.museum dynamic and into more open circulation #Holmes $%%A). !he maps bein produced, which often show dense networ+s of institutional actors in re ional and lobal economies function as tools to incite conversation and analysis, and they have been widely disseminated and used throu h movement events and atherin s. =istribution of the material has occurred throu h events such as the 1uropean Social /orum, counter summits a ainst +ey international institutions, No 7order camps a ainst mi ration policin , as well as other movement spaces #see

http9FFutan ente.free.frF, Holmes $%%A). !he roup has produced over a do-en ma"or
3%

!hese efforts have resulted in other collectives e*perimentin with map.ma+in as a form of intervention and have even helped create a spin.off series of political seminars discussin new eo. economic and eo.political chan es throu h the practice and metaphor of mappin . !hese seminars include periodic en a ement and dialo ue with university scholars, such as the recent seminar ,ontinental Drift in New Ior+ with =avid Harvey #see http9FFwww.3'beaver roup.or FdriftF).
33

See the Eeople,s 4lobal ;ction website for more information9 http9FFwww.nadir.or FnadirFinitiativFa pFmayday3.htm

maps, as well as accompanyin te*ts, that are used by different participants in lobal resistance and anti.capitalist efforts. BE has additionally helped to establish the )ni*ersit+ Tangente, a sort of free web resource and networ+in reflection and research re ardin space for critical

lobal transformations, radical activism, and political

sub"ectivity. BE continues to produce new maps and is increasin ly tryin to respond to the political con"unctures and perceived needs of movements, with Holmes in particular articulatin the broader theoretical possibilities of social movements and carto raphic practice #Holmes $%%A, U! $%%A, !actical Bedia $%%A). L!Mhese maps present an e*cess of information, shatterin sub"ective certainties and demandin reflection, demandin a new a-e on the world that we really live in. !hese are synoptic visions of the contemporary, transnational version of state capitalism, as constructed Sby collusion between specific individuals, transnational corporations, overnments, interstate a encies and Tcivil societyT roups.S !hey ma+e visible the institutional patterns that have structured themselves in an overarchin , terrifyin ly abstract space, almost totally beyond the rasp of the democratic counter.powers formerly e*ercised within the purview of the national states, and indeed, almost totally invisible . at least until recently when the communicative possibilities have allowed a certain measure of Sco nitive mappin S to be performed by inhabitants. #Holmes $%%A)

Bureau dEtudes, in addition to their maps, has elaborated on how they understand the economy of the art world, the information a e and the possibilities for autonomy and rebellion. Wor+in throu h their te*ts, and in particular the pro"ects of (#ndicat Potential and )ni*ersit+ Tangente, one sees then the choice of usin carto raphy to decipher systems of power as an elaborate and intentional choice based on how 71 understands their social and economic role and possibilities. 0n fact a lot of interestin parallels can be drawn with Hardt and Ne ri,s notions of the immaterial laborer and the production of social cooperation. BE, as immersed in the modern art world and the information a e, combine the roles of political artists and hac+ers into one, 3

articulatin

lin+s between two forms of immaterial labor and politici-in

them.

;dditionally they appropriate the ability to produce communication and social relations by circulatin the products of their s+ills throu h anta onistic networ+s. !hey articulate the oals of some of their wor+ throu h the notions of political and economic autonomy, notions of free and non.monetari-ed e*chan e challen in notions of scarcity, and

producin what they call 2autonomous +nowled es that can be circulated throu h circuits of social movements, youth roups, unemployed collectives, artists, hac+ers, researchers, etc.3$ #Bureau dEtudes $%%$a R $%%$b). 0t is interestin to note how some of the notions of the possibilities of immaterial labor have resonated in movement networ+s whether or not any particular roup or theorist,s te*t has, the ideas have one beyond the te*ts themselves into a wider social field. !hou h it is unclear whether 71 would a ree about the he emonic tendencies of immaterial labor, both Hardt R Ne ri and 71 seem to be driftin in a similar social field of thou ht with re ards to the possibilities of

appropriatin immaterial production for new anta onistic political pro"ects autonomous from those who focus on either the sei-ure of state power, or on le al reco nition from the state.

The Norms of

orld Production

Bureau dEtudes maps in the European -orms of %orld Production series are particularly instructive in showin how BE is tryin to use a form of mappin to

challen e accepted cate ories of 1urope.

3$

;s an interestin e*ample of some of these ideas we can read the openin lines of the Banifesto of the )ni*ersit+ Tangente9 <8,universitO tan ente est une universitO -Oro. 1lle se constitue en rupture avec les recherches scientifi6ues, les productions et transmissions de connaissance, les prati6ues culturelles et artisti6ues domesti6uOes par l,Utat ou le marchO.H #Banifesto of the )ni*ersit+ Tangente).

;bsent from the local landscape, invisible to the na+ed eye, a labyrinth of laws and standards lends tan ible form to our e*istence. !he 1uropean Union is an attempt to produce the world we live in. !he instruments it uses are norms9 industrial standards, territorial models, ideolo ical uidelines, truth criteria. !hese become the second nature of an e*pandin , acceleratin drive to ma+e this vast, unpredictable human re ion into a play round for capitalism. Sophisticated services have now arisen to lead corporations throu h the tan le of a encies that their own lobbies helped to create, as a smo+escreen to hide and further their own interests. #2European -orms of %orld Production. map le end) "./)'E 01 -ormopathic ,omple2 http9FFut.yt.t%.or.atFsiteFcarteFnormopathicNcomple*$%%$;3.pdf !he map is intended to be polemical and to facilitate the ima ination of lobal activists in picturin a di--yin array of institutions, actors, personalities, or ani-ations and movements. !he map is made up of three parts. 5n one side of the map is the 2Normopathic Comple* #1urope), which puts before the reader a series of 1U institutions, nation.state institutions, corporations, lobbies, thin+.tan+s, personalities, policy initiatives, re ulatory a encies, court systems, police forces and a wide array of norms and laws that facilitate the e*pansion of the above #see /i ure 3 for an e*ample).. 8in+s are drawn between the different items to create a sort of networ+ map of corporate, state and re ulatory power #re ulatory doesn,t always seem e6uivalent to state here). Eart of the second sideFlayer of the map is that of 2or ani-ed civil society,. Here one sees a series of N45s, 1U committees on civil society, and non.industry policy platforms that are nonetheless lin+ed in multiple and comple* ways with the nation.state and 1U as well as with industry #if not directly then throu h secondary roups, such as tas+ forces, thin+. tan+s, etc.: see /i ure $) "./)'E 3 4rganised ,i*il (ociet#

http9FFut.yt.t%.or.atFsiteFima esF7UG1;UV$%=V$%1!U=1SV$%. V$%E=/For anised.pdf). !he final layer in the map is 20n+lin s of ;utonomy, and includes a wide array of social movement activity. !he movements are purposefully represented with hyper.porous boundaries #see /i ure A).

"./)'E 5 .n!lings of 6utonom# http9FFut.yt.t%.or.atFsiteFdownloadsF0n+lin NautonomyN$%%A;$.pdf)

5ne issue melds into another includin thin s such as9 2anti.prison,, 2abolition of the state,, 2re.appropriation of public oods and services,, 2heterodo* research centers, and more.

71,s effort definitely embraces and even encoura es the visceral response one may have when faced with the sort of overnance force that is presented, and they don,t try to separate this emotion from the detailed wor+ of re.presentin networ+s of political and economic power. When tryin to ma+e sense of the uses of this map it may seem li+e an overwhelmin , near.paranoid representation of the 2 lobal, neatly severed from the autonomous sphere where 2hope, seems to lie. 0t is unclear where action is to be ta+en at times from this sort of pro"ect since it can have a paraly-in as well as alvani-in effect, a reaction that 71 has reco ni-ed and not discoura ed, thou h analy-in the roup,s wor+ further it can be seen that 71,s oal is not to stymie action, nor provo+e a conclusion that could lead to apathy or inaction, but rather embrace the comple*ity and confusion with which we are faced. !he re.presentations at wor+ in European -orms of 3

%orld Production can lead to some 6uite interestin 6uestions and challen es to be addressed.

!he dynamic of the lobal economy that appears is that of comple* interactions and conflicts amon st and between a) corporate7state7regulator# apparati.to.b) official ci*il societ#.to.c) autonomous spheres of politics and economics.

0nterpretation of the layers of European -orms of %orld Production map9

NORMOPATHIC COMPLEX corporatestate-think tanksregulatory apparati-

OFFICIAL CIVIL SOCIETY

larger NGOs, policy task forces, EU committees on civil society

Inklings of Autonomy social movement

space, alternative economies,

!his conception can provide an interestin

sort of framewor+ for understandin

the

production and dynamics of a lobal economy, or at least a lobali-in political.economy 3

within the re ion of 21urope. 5ne e*ample of this is how the map presents the 2boundedness, of actors involved in constructin this 2re ionali-ed, version of the lobal such as the 2nation.state, and the firm or corporation. ;s opposed to the conceptions of political economy that posit states and firms as fairly distinct entities that conflict and collaborate #as proposed by =ic+en, $%%A3A), the BE map demonstrates a hi h de ree of permeability of spheres with re ards to the state, corporations, and the norms of re ulation. No clear line e*ists where one could demarcate 2state, or 2firm,. !he messa e from BE seems to be that the intertwinin and networ+in of political and economic forces doesn,t permit neat division between the spheres. ;ccordin to this readin , the production of a particular form of the 2 lobal, or 2supra.re ional, is not 6uite the result of a dynamic of conflict and collaboration between states and firms conceived of as separate wholes but rather of the emer ence of a lar er whole that is able to produce rules and norms that benefit the channelin of flows and power in certain directions and towards certain actors.

Eart of the idea of this map then is that it is the interplay of these three layers #the Normopathic, 5fficial Civil Society, and 0n+lin s of ;utonomy) that is creatin many of the social contours of a new 1urope. !hese are fields.layers where many #thou h by no means all) of the tensions around the idea of 21urope, are bein fou ht out. !he map ma+es an abstract thin li+e 21U, or 21urope, ac6uires a body throu h its institutions and
3A

=ic+en,s ma nificent and encyclopedic wor+ in the various editions of /lo&al (hift read li+e and encyclopedia to current economic transformations. !he boo+ deals with all sorts of issues but one important theme that comes up a ain and a ain are the comple* dynamics of conflict and collaboration between states and firms. While fascinatin in and of itself, and helpful in challen in some of the simpler versions of either 2whither the nation.state, or the 2state is the prime mover, interpretations of lobali-ation, the boo+ still leaves one with the impression that states and firms remain to distinct and identifiable bodies that interact as entities e*terior to one another9 6uestions of how public.private partnerships are challen in this scheme, of influences of corporate lobbies, or of 6uestions of revolvin doors between corporate board.rooms and political appointments are not dealt with to any de ree.

laws, it becomes less a distant bureaucracy and more li+e a tar et in your daily life. !he carto raphic practices of Bureau dEtudes involve the location of one law, institution, corporation, and then followin the multitude of connections and networ+s that brin those same laws, institutions into a lar er framewor+. !hou h the institutions seem solid, their e*istence or role is irrelevant outside the web of relations that produces a particular 21urope,. !he neoliberal 1urope of power becomes more than a hierarchically or ani-ed functionalist set of powerF+nowled e dispositifs, and is more readily understood as a comple* articulation of contin ent actors and institutions.

!he map has primarily been used as a wor+shop tool for teach.ins. !he map impresses people with its di--yin comple*ity, and leaves readers wonderin what to do. Iet it also shows "ust how many points at which this new 21urope, is vulnerable and at how many level of society it can be challen ed. 0t has certainly produced a more directed dialo ue about what the 1U is #beyond the counter.summit that used to happen twice a year) and how to challen e it, and it has also helped spread the idea of mappin as a tool to map out power and to map out collective stru collectives now at developin online map les. BE is also wor+in with other

enerators that could be much more

participatory with input from different roups and campai ns3&.

3&

Bureau d8Etude8s maps should not be considered as entirely self.contained. No one map contains all the relevant information nor possible answers to 6uestions. !he conception of carto raphy that 71 is wor+in with seems to be that maps are always incomplete and should be thou ht of and produced accordin ly. ;s an e*ample some U! maps can be read in with each other to deepen analysis con"unction #as if layers or continuations of other maps). We can start with the 2%orld /o*ernment map #and wor+in with Holmes, interpretation), different re ional states and blocs are shown such as the 1uropean Union, the United States, Gussia, China and 0ndia. While these states may be interactin on their own in other ways, a process of articulation is visuali-ed throu h a map of financial inte ration on the part of deterritoriali-ed institutional investors such as 7arclay,s and /idelity investments throu h their dealin s in bond mar+ets, amon other thin s #Holmes, $%%&b, (). We can follow the trail to another map, %orld /o*ernment1 Barcla# PL, #see http9FFutan ente.free.frF$%%AFbarclays.pdf) which details the networ+s and lin+a es of this investment fund to other parts of the service and manufacturin economy. ; third map can help us complete part of the picture. /o*erning &# -etwor!s #see http9FFutan ente.free.frF$%%AF overnin bynetwor+s.pdf) maps out the hi.tech communications infrastructures that underpin many of the financial transactions by powerful investors. How different re ulatory framewor+s uide the development of certain communications

0n </lowmaps, the 0ma inaries of 4lobal 0nte rationH 7rian Holmes su

ests that

71,s maps can be seen as attempts to visuali-e spaces of flows3(. 5ne can see how specific actors are mapped as nodes, throu h which thin s such as +nowled e, money, media, etc. are flowin . Networ+s of circuited flows are visuali-ed movin throu h actors such as states, corporations, investment funds, armies, thin+ tan+s, lobbies, powerful family linea es, media roups, transnational reli ious or ani-ations and social movements #Holmes $%%&b, p. (). !he final aim of most of these maps is to plot out different overnance structures of lobali-in economic, political, and military networ+s or, on the other hand, social movement activity. /lows are not assumed to be

unidirectional nor stable, thou h lin+s of what appear to be stron er connection are drawn between actors that seem to be more closely lin+ed.

Cartographic !isions of the Multitude !his map, and the way it is or ani-ed into layers, reflects some of the problematics and 6uestions raised by Hardt and Ne ri in Multitude and Empire in interestin ways. Neither pro"ect should be read as a reflection of the other, and any parallels between the two should not be forced. 7ut some of the possible parallels may be seen as an illustration of how ideas of networ+ed power structures, emer ent autonomous

technolo ies facilitated by defense needs and at times maintained by defense contractors after the civilian. i-ation of the technolo y is demonstrated here, brin in up 6uestions of where the state and the firm end or be in.
3(

0n this sense, BE,s wor+ can be seen as an important contribution to the often overused trope of 2flow, as a way to thin+ about lobali-ation. While wor+ such as ;ppadurai,s #3>>') writin s on scapes has been helpful in early conceptuali-ations of the spatialities of lobali-ation, the notion of 2flow, has become an often too easy way to thin+ about and naturali-e the lobal #!homas /riedman,s recent boo+s The Le2us and the 4li*e Tree and The %orld is "lat come to mind here). BE helps by attemptin to trace out the <flowsH as multiple ne*uses of comple* institutional, le al, economic, or political relations.

and often ephemeral radical movements amon other concepts, are circulatin throu h anta onistic networ+s currently3'.

!he 2Normopathic Comple*, layer is a representation of a networ+ed form of overnance and soverei nty. !he 1uropean Commission is pic+ed as a center for the map, lar ely because this is a map about the 1U and 1urope, thus providin a visual structure and point of view. 5ne 6uic+ly notices thou h that the relations, institutions, actors, etc., that play a role in the shapin of the 1uropean Union pro"ect are dense, comple* and far.reachin . !he lin+s and networ+s spinnin out from the center #and the central nodes of 7russels, bureaucracy) reach 6uic+ly to corporate lobby structures, new security and intelli ence a reements, important family linea es, international institutions, investment ban+s, re ulatory and industry.standards ma+in bodies, and so on 3@. !he resonances with a notion of 1mpire as a de.centered networ+ed form of power that operates in all spheres of civil society and e*ists as a means to reproduce that society alon certain lines, becomes increasin ly vivid as one traces the lin+a es and flows across the 2Normopathic Comple*,. ; chan e #ontolo ical for Hardt and Ne ri) in the form of soverei nty, and in the ability to locate a 2central nervous system, or 2control center, for this form of power, become 6uite clear from this layer of the 71,s European
3'

4iven the wor+ of Bureau dEtudes in this particular series of maps, the lin+s between it and Multitude will mostly reflect insi hts form the sections of the boo+ on =emocracy and Bultitude. !hou h the section of the boo+ on War is relevant to en a e in dialo ue with other pro"ects by the Bureau dEtudes, 0 will brac+et it this off for now.
3@

!his Normopathic layer also lends itself to an interestin readin of the state. !hrou h the comple* interrelations of the state.corporate.ne*us, both the state and firms become mutually empowered. 0n a sense the ar ument is similar to Sas+ia Sassens,s #$%%%), and oes a step beyond. 0n this framewor+ some states, power deepens, thou h where the state intervenes, or at what level and scale of society, may be chan in . !he map also brin s up the issue of where is the stateC 0n the case of the 1U bein e*amined, the 2state, may be out rowin the 2nation,. So while the 2state, as a set of social relations may be empowered throu h the construction of a particular +ind of 1urope, the 2nation.state, itself may or may not be.

-orms of %orld Production. 71 lends an additional contribution to this understandin of power by su estin that one can find a center relative to one,s situation or point of view.

!hou h 1mpire is a pervasive system of biopolitical power, and no absolute center e*ists, you can find a center relative to your position that becomes a pathway to understandin the multiple articulations of empire that stretch well beyond the chosen center. /or e*ample 71 places the 1uropean Commission and +ey lobbies in the center of the ima e of this networ+ of power. While one 6uic+ly reali-es that this centrality does not si nify a unilateral node of concentrated power, it does ive the means to start thin+in about 1mpire or somethin of the li+e, from a particular point, location, or understandin #a <situated 1mpireH as opposed to an ethereal omnipresent 1mpire that frustrates many).

!he layer on 25r ani-ed Civil Society, society is also reminiscent of the ar uments posed in Multitude on representational politics. !he multiple N45s, !rade Union federations, and humanitarian or ani-ations are not necessarily visually represented in the map as co.opted, but rather their formal structures and le al constitution ive them a form similar to some of the icons on the Normopathic layer. !he multiple or ani-ations and issue.based platforms are shown rouped accordin to sector #labor, ender, environment, se*uality, etc). 8in+s draw connections between those that sit on policy platforms #possibly alon side important corporations), and those that participate with overnment ministries and may even carry out studies or wor+ for them, etc. 0n this layer then, the much.heralded 2third.sector, is shown as additionally playin a role of representin the multiple fault lines of 2identity, often accordin to rather fi*ed definitions of the same. 0nstead of remainin vehicles of radical criti6ue and

empowerment, with a de ree of e*teriority to the Normopathic, this layer demonstrates $

how

2or ani-ed civil society, .bro+en down alon

identifiable subpopulations and

roups. helps "ust as much to deepen the reach of already powerful political and economic networ+s as to challen e them. !he 6uestion of what some of the lon .term results mi ht be of bein le ally articulated to an officially sanctioned 2third sector, is posed. What mi ht it mean to have or ani-ations that are proposed to 2represent, the interests of the 2peoples, before an increasin ly powerful soverei n form #the 2normopathic comple*,) throu h certain sanctioned and le ally constituted channels #such as thin+.tan+s, policy tas+ forces, le al protest, etc.)C 5r ani-ed Civil Society in this case can 6uic+ly become a form of constituted power as opposed to the constituent power of the multitude. !he representative form of many of these or ani-ations can hinder the morphin sin ularities mer in into a transformin common that will allow the multitude to manifest itself as a political pro"ect.

!he .n!lings of 6utonom# layer visually represents different stru

les, moments

of insurrection, social movements roups and campai ns lin+ed precariously across each other, with one topic flowin in an unclear fashion toward the other. !he stru les are

represented in an unbounded and often indeterminate way Was opened bubbles channelin into each other. 1ach appears as a sin ular moment or place within and amorphous whole. 0t seems li+e a field of unreali-ed potential and possibility, thus the 0n+lin s. !his open.endedness of the fi ures estures toward the as of yet unreali-ed form and political pro"ect of the Bultitude. 5ne can invo+e it throu h moments and illustrative e*amples yet it is un+nown, and not #or never) here as of yet. ;t times different points or bubbles are morphin into each other or seem to share space of commonality accordin to themes, techni6ues, eo raphya 2swarmin , of similar issues, campai ns and $

movements could this be a series of sin ularities producin

a commonC

0t is

additionally interestin to note that althou h the entire map ma+es reference to the 1U pro"ect, in the 0n+lin s map there is much less respect towards the sorts of borders and boundin of what we mi ht consider 1uropean. While the Normopathic and 5r ani-ed Civil Society layers focus much more on 21uropean, institutions and at times their lin+a es to international sites, the 0n+lin s maps includes stru Biddles 1ast, North ;merican and elsewhere. su les that stretch into the

estin in a similar way the incapacity

of understandin the multitude accordin to common eo raphic divisions of the world such as nation.states or North.South. ;s su ested in 1mpire one of the first demands of

the multitude may be for its own ri ht to mobility and transnationalism.

"ther Common Notions 7esides the possible relations between one of 71,s map series and Multitude, it is possible to find other points of conver ence between 71 and HardR Ne ri,s wor+.

Deleu9ian ontologies: !o further understand the renderin s of the lobal political con"uncture that may be at wor+ in these maps, we could turn to 7rian Holmes, a collaborator with the Bureau dEtudes. Holmes states <we can approach LtheseM mapLsM of lobal flows as dia ramLsM of power in the =eleu-ian sense. 2a carto raphy that is coe*istent with the whole social field,,H #Holmes, $%%&b, and =eleu-e in Holmes, @). Wor+in further throu h =eleu-e and /oucault, the idea is that these 2dia rams, of power are not simply <static ridsH but rather <productive matricesH criss.crossed with tensions. !he networ+s visuali-ed are indeterminate, open to <a field of possibility or of potential strate y,H #Holmes, $%%&b, @). $

71,s maps can be seen as <co nitive toolsH #Holmes, $%%A) 2respondin , to Dameson,s call #3>>3) for a lobal co nitive mappin of the scales and structures of a lobal system un raspable to any #accordin to Dameson) individual sub"ect wanderin throu h it. Iet the 2totality, of the 2 lobal, represented in these maps shows itself, to a lar e de ree, to be contin ent and con"unctural. While the networ+s of overnance visuali-ed throu h the maps can be fri htful, the sheer number of points also su ests a certain vulnerability

of any particular point in the networ+. 0t is the entirety of the networ+ wor+in as a whole .as an ecolo y of institutions. that concedes it its overarchin power. =isruptin any point, assist in disruptin the overall ecolo y. !his understandin of power and ways it would have to be mapped are a+in to the notions visible in Empire and Multitude of a productive power that operates as or throu h a series of points. !here is no one center, overnment or institution that holds power, but rather a re ime of overnance that reproduces #and rema+es) itself and the society it re6uires continuously.

6utonomous cogniti*e production Why does Bureau dEtudes attempt to produce both these maps with their representations of specific actors and the concepts of networ+ed power embedded in themC !o a lar e de ree this can be answered by situatin Bureau dEtudes oals within lobal resistance movements, in particular those sectors tryin to find tools for the

construction of alternative 2non.stateFnon.private sphere, forms of politics and economics. 71,s research then has the oal of creatin pools of +nowled e to aid in this endeavor. eneratin 2autonomous +nowled e, as they put it9 ;utonomous +nowled e can be constituted throu h the analysis of the way that comple* machines function LM !he deconstruction of comple* machines and their 2decoloni-ed, reconstruction can be carried out on all +inds of ob"ects,LM 0n the same way as you deconstruct a pro ram, you can also deconstruct the $

internal functionin of a overnment or an administration, a firm or an industrial or financial roup. 5n the basis of such a deconstruction, involvin a precise identification of the operatin principles of a iven administration, or the lin+s or networ+s between administrations, lobbies, businesses, etc., you can define modes of action or intervention, #Bureau dEtudes;)ni*ersit+ Tangente, $%%$, A) ;dditionally 71,s emphasis on autonomous politics and their visuali-ations of these throu h maps such as 2.n!lings of 6utonom# is based on their conviction that non. capitalist and non.state forms of social or ani-ation and production already e*ist, much in the same way that Hardt and Ne ri point to e*istin and historical moments of

rebellion as precursors of the multitude. 71 posits that throu h the potentiation of these autonomous political forms. throu h articulation, over time and in stru witness a <chan e in scale of autonomous stru le. we can

les, mar+ets and or ani-ations,H #7ureau

d,1tudesFU!, $%%A, A). 5ne way of potentiatin these forms is throu h the production and articulation of autonomous +nowled es that can be shared and modified by others 3?. Geminiscences of the notions of social cooperation and a common produced by the immaterial laborers of the multitude #as in Hardt and Ne ri $%%& p . 3%>, 3>'.3>>) can be seen here. 71 additionally claims that this common can be 2+nowled es, in the scientific sense. !hese are +nowled es that are researched, shared, built on, criti6ued, referenced, etc. as with any form of e*pertise.

Part III: Calls for a Theoretically ein!igorated Cartography !his new wave of activist mappin , as e*emplified by Bureau dEtudes, is contributin to a theoretical and analytical e*pansion of the field of Carto raphy. 0t is interestin to situate 71 #and other collectives, wor+) within the e*pansive literature on
3?

/or an interestin e*ample of this see )ni*ersit+ Tangente website #http9FFut.yt.t%.or.atFsiteFinde*.html) under the 2Chantier Carto raphies,. 71 is now tryin to create interactive map enerators that will facilitate user participation on a continuous basis in tryin to understand and subvert current capitalist or ani-ation #see footnote $$).

critical mappin such as that mentioned earlier in the paper. Not only is 71,s wor+ buildin on alternativeFcritical mappin literatures in 4eo raphy thou h. 0t is also e6ually in dialo ue with a broader inter. R non.disciplinary re.en a ement with carto raphy as a critical practice. !hese re.en a ements seem to pic+ up steam durin the mid.late

nineties Xuestions of how to understand the lobal, how to embrace diver ence and dis"uncture throu h carto raphy, and how to use the above to further an anta onistic political pro"ect, all run throu h these literatures as do multiple conceptions of what needs be mapped.

8iebman and Eaulston, from 1ducation departments, ma+e some of early calls for a new carto raphy beyond 4eo raphy. 0n <!he Eromise of Critical Social Carto raphyH 8iebman and Eaulston see a new +ind of carto raphy and mappin pro"ect as the +eys to brea+in out of <positivistic modernismH. 7ecause postmodernism,s emphasis on

hetero eneity opens up a realm of possibility #3>>&, $) with a diversity of interactin social a ents, what is needed then are spaces for dialo ue amon st these diver ent actors #3>>&, '). Bappin this diversity becomes a form of postmodern politics for Eaulston and 8iebman. 0n a way similar to Dameson #3>>3), these authors see a spatial lo ic ta+in precedence over a temporal lo ic #associated with what they call the 2modern,). 7y focusin on mappin these spatialities, the <invisible can be made visibleH and

<mechanisms of powerH can be e*posed #3>>&, A). Whereas 2older, Western forms of carto raphy attempted to achieve closure, synthesis, and order, the critical social carto raphy called for by these authors emphasi-es maps as wor+s of art.portraits #3>>&, () that ideally should be available for dialo ue and input from readers of the maps. Baps

in this way wouldn,t represent 2!ruth, but only <momentary crystalli-ationsH < la =errida #3>>&, ').

Eaulston followed this piece with an edited volume, (ocial ,artograph# #3>>') , where many of these themes are e*plored in more detail from a variety of disciplinary viewpoints. What becomes interestin is the de ree to which Dameson,s call for a lobal co nitive mappin is en a ed. !hou h limitations and criti6ues are pointed out, it seems that Dameson,s ori inal call was somethin of a referential turnin point for many

concerned with a new en a ement with carto raphy #even if this did not imply a deep theoretical commitment to Dameson,s wor+). 0n a chapter by Gobert !ally. <Dameson,s Ero"ect of Co nitive Bappin 9 ; Critical 1n a ementH #3>>'). !ally "oins in the analysis that the spatial has reemer ed as socially important and puts Dameson,s postmodern call for mappin alon side the maps of =eleu-e and 4uattari read throu h /oucault. !he oal is similar to Crystal 7artolovich,s piece <Bappin the Spaces of CapitalH #3>>'). How to inte rate the criticisms of carto raphy and representation throu h post.colonialism #7artolovich includes wor+ by Spiva+ and ;ppadurai) and post.structuralism becomes important for 7artolovich. He as+s, can notions of itineraries # < la de Certeau) be inte rated to produce carto raphies 2from the inside, instead of the placeless a-e of classic mapsC #7artolovich, 3>>', A?A). 7artolovich, !ally, and others in the volume, a ree on the increasin use and <centralityH of carto raphy for the economic and political powers that be. 0nterestin ly enou h, and as if foreshadowin current trends, they see a re.appropriation of carto raphy by politically mar inali-ed roups as +ey to a practice of political resistance #see especially !ally, 3>>', &%>).

Within the discipline of 4eo raphy, some of the e*plorations of new carto raphic forms of have e*plicitly addressed new forms of representation and new relations between the map.ma+er, the map, and the map reader. an e*ploratory form of map. resonatin with carto raphic pro"ects such as Bureau dEtudes. Dohn Eic+les #$%%A) implicitly en a es with and pushes beyond the calls for a new carto raphy reviewed above, #e*plorin the possibilities of tryin to understand the 2interte*tuality, of maps #$%%A, 3'3). Eic+les loo+s for maps that are open to multiple and different readin s or that can be read in con"unction with other te*ts. He also su ests the notion of the

2writerly map,. a map that can en a e its reader as a potential author or carto rapher. Eic+les even states that these ways of understandin and usin maps may already be possible within e*istin carto raphy and thus re6uire an epistemolo ical rather than a technolo ical shift. Nonetheless, to thin+ of a map production process that ta+es this shift into account opens even more doors into reconceptuali-in , not only the uses, but even the raphic appearances of maps. !he ob"ects that may be mapped could be different than the traditional ob"ects of carto raphy. Deremy Crampton #$%%3) also calls for a new relation between maps and map users throu h the tools of 2distributed mappin ,. Crampton calls for a new lin+ between carto raphy and critical human eo raphy, as well as an e*ploration of tactics of 2carto raphic resistance, or the use of maps in strate ies of social stru le.

; further step in articulatin calls for a reinvi orated social carto raphy comes directly from the theoretical wor+ of a collaborator of 71,s mappin pro"ects. 7rian Holmes, in several pieces, has "umped into the debate on the lobal economy,

carto raphy and emancipatory politics. Holmes, li+e the authors wor+in in Eaulston,s A

pro"ect, also refers to Dameson, call to a lobal co nitive mappin pro"ect #Holmes, $%%&a R b) and brin s in the analysis that !ally and 7artolovich #3>>') su a ain on =eleu-e and /oucault #Holmes, $%%&b). est, buildin

Holmes, wor+ as articulates the

connections between some of the theoretical contributions mentioned above, political economy and the politicalFartistic e*periments by Bureau dEtudes and similar roups.

Holmes presents carto raphies in a dialectic between dominant and dissentin maps. !his becomes politically relevant because for Holmes <every successful carto raphy ultimately helps create the world it purports to represent,H #Holmes, $%%&a, &). !his happens throu h the openin s and closin s that occur with the representative

lo ic at wor+ in maps and the types of activity that are enabled or constrained due to renderin one means of the lobal economy visible over another #Holmes, $%%&b, $). He stresses the <need LforM radically inventive maps e*actly li+e we need radical political movements9 to o beyond received ideas and orders, in fact, to o beyond representation, to rediscover and share the space.creatin potentials of a revolutionary ima ination,H #Holmes, $%%&a, 3).

;s noted above, Dameson,s initial call for a political pro"ect of co nitive mappin seems referential for many of these authors, and they often see their wor+ as respondin to it. Iet, the authors #especially !ally, 7artolovich and Holmes) see Dameson,s focus on the individual sub"ect and the search for a sort of 2totality, to be mapped as problematic 3>. ;pparently, even the basic representational lo ic at wor+ in maps becomes somethin to
3>

!hou h to Dameson,s credit, it should be noted that the maps called for are not meant to be 2totali-in , in the sense that there are no 2!rue, maps and the usefulness of the map is not in its accurate 2representation, of 2reality, but in its usefulness for sub"ects, interaction with the world of late capitalism #3>>3).

surpass. !he same authors be in to ma+e use of post.structural theories to attempt to overcome this and reali-e a new form of carto raphy.

Harley,s wor+ was one of the first attempts to apply post.structural thou ht to mappin from a carto rapher,s perspective. Iet while his criti6ues of traditional map. ma+in are a classic by now, his thou hts for a new carto raphy, important as they were, are considered by some as not oin 6uite far enou h #;lbert, $%%A). ;ccordin to Saul ;lbert, a critical artist.carto rapher, while Harley successfully deconstructs the 2map, as a te*t, the new maps that he invo+es still follow an older carto raphic lo ic of representation. 2;, sub"ect is still invo+ed by maps, representations, even thou h

Harley,s new carto raphy does tac+le the 2internal power, of maps #Harley in ;lbert and ;lbert, $%%A, 3.&).

Holmes and ;lbert attempt to tac+le this difficulty. Ba+in specific reference to maps of the lobal economy and of power, Holmes compares carto raphic styles . of classic eopolitical economy to efforts by 71 !he first style is that of a < eo raphical representation of networ+ed power.a determinate networ+ map which attempts to identify and measure the forces in playH #Holmes, $%%&b, @). !his map has fi*ed borders and actors with fairly clear dynamics underlyin their relationships$%.

$%

Holmes uses a particular map called <Centers and Eeripheries in the WorldH by /rancois Chesnais, based on ;lain Geynaud,s #3>?3) wor+ of the same name. !his map opens up the same author,s boo+ The /lo&ali9ation of ,apital #Earis9 Syros, 3>>&). 0nterestin ly, Holmes notes that Castells draws on Chesnais several times for his analysis in The 'ise of the -etwor! (ociet#. !he map is a curious adaptation of the dyma*ion ima e W+nown for brea+in North.South dichotomies. superimposed with a star+ center. periphery representation of power #Holmes $%%&b, p.$.A. see also https9FFp-wart.wd+a.hro.nlFmdrFpubsfolderFbhima esFflowmapsFchesnaismap."p )

#clic+ on ima e to see lar er lin+. see footnote $) !he second form of map is that of <an undetermined networ+ dia ram, which opens up a field of possibility or of potential strate yH #Holmes, $%%&b, @). Holmes invo+es the notion of 2dia rams of power, from =eleu-e,s wor+ on /oucault. <2a carto raphy coe*tensive with the whole social field,H. !he map does not desi nate a <static ridH fi*ed in spaces but rather a productive matri* that interacts across myriad <points.human bein sH. !his productive matri* coe*ists alon side and in tension with others operatin throu hout the realm of the 2social,. Holmes continues9 <=eleu-e describes the dia ram of power as 2hi hly unstable or fluid constitutin hundreds of points of emer ence or creativity., !he aim Lof mappin M is to indicate the openness, the possibility for intervention that inheres to every power relation,H #Holmes, $%%&b, ?) Bappin becomes a way of visuali-in this <meshwor+H #see appendices for e*amples of these maps).

/urther ideas on how to build this new carto raphy are developed by Saul ;lbert. ;lbert also some of the same notions of =eleu-ian.li+e 2dia rams of power, and brin in in 6uite a bit of 8atour and Serres ;lbert mentions how 8atour sees carto raphy as bein rather similar to ;ctor.Networ+.!heory in its practices but not necessarily in its epistemolo ical bases and 2representational norms, #;lbert and 8atour in ;lbert, $%%A, &. '). ;lbert claims in fact that9 8atourTs e*ample unintentionally chal+s an outline around the missin half of Harley,s criti6ue9 that carto raphy is potentially an ontolo ical investi ation. 0f it removes its a.priori assumptions, it becomes a +ind of spatial ontolo y, one that is well e6uipped with both the tools and methods of constructivist research, and the de.ontolo ical moral standard of TirreducibilityT. #;lbert, $%%&, ') ;lbert then brin s up Serres, discussion of 26uasi.ob"ects, #such as ru by balls, hand tools, and chairs) as means used to articulate particular roles, sub"ect positions and sets of social relations that are interconnected and contin ent. Baps are seen as a possible e*ample of these 26uasi.ob"ects,9 !his is how Serres would view the map, as a formalisation of human relations, a representation with which each actant becomes a sub"ect. !his is the use of the map as a communicative tool: as successive actants en a e with the map, each locates their sub"ectivity in its representational schema, the T0T is shifted from person to person, between person and multitude, or from multitude to multitude. T;nalytical carto raphyT, and the power relations Harley identifies in it, is an e*ample of the Tdeterministic practicesT this use of the map may ive rise to. #;lbert, $%%&, >) ;fter ;lbert,s hi hly theoretical en a ement he comes close to a dead.end9 after havin complicated Harley,s initial criti6ues and elaboratin an interestin theoretical conversation between ;N! and carto raphy now whatC What are the e*amples of this new +ind of carto raphy that9 visuali-es 2dia rams of power,: maps actors thou h without any a priori assumptions: acts as an articulator of human relations and multiple sub"ect positions dependin on when its used and by whomC !oward the end, ;lbert A

actually turns to Bureau dEtudes in order to point to a concrete e*ample of his useful but hyper.abstract theori-in .

The Theoretical #esthetics of Bureau d$Etudes$ Cartography 4iven the visual nature of maps, it is useful to spend a moment discussin how 71 may be enactin some of the above.mentioned calls for a reinvi orated carto raphy throu h visual techni6ues. What +inds of aesthetic and representational strate ies are bein deployed$3C 0n a way similar to te*ts, maps tell stories throu h what they include, what they e*clude and how. ;ccordin to Harley, a map,s internal power is < 2embedded in the map te*t,, determined by the inclusions and e*clusions of information written into the map,H #8iebman and Eaulston, 3>>&: Harley in 8iebman and Eaulston,3>>&, &). Carto raphers ta+e events and ob"ects <ma+Lin M them consumable.a commodity for our readers. by filterin , fra mentin , and re.elaboratin LthemM,H #8iebman and Eaulston, 3>>&, A). 0n an even more provocative li ht, another author states <2map desi n can be thou ht of as mind desi n: the way a map is desi ned will influence the views of the world it stimulates or inhibits,,H #Bontello in Holmes, $%%&a, $). 1ven mundane

6uestions of color, line thic+ness and shape <become immediately relevant when you want to 2 et some information, from a map,H #Holmes, $%%&a, $).

;s mentioned before however, one of the oals of a critical carto raphy has been to see and produce maps not as 2!ruth, but as portraits.<art representin the possibilities portrayed by bein open to the world,s multiple cultural truthsH #8iebman and Eaulston, 3>>&, (). !o challen e the 2internal power, hi hli hted by Harley, where map

$3

While more wor+ remains to be done in this area, some initial thou hts will be posed here.

information travels unidirectionally from map.ma+er to map user, Holmes brin s up wor+ by the C-ech carto rapher Jolacny on how we may be in to thin+ of carto raphic information as bein communicated throu h a feedbac+ loop which circulates

continuously between map.ma+ers, users, and a eneral body of #spatial) +nowled e that is drawn upon to then produce future maps #Holmes, $%%&a, A).

BE deploys the techni6ues of carto raphic visuality in several peculiar ways to further their pro"ects. 5ften their maps are drawn in such a way as to appear unfinished #especially for social movement activity) or as e*tendin to the very ed es of the sheet as if pushin beyond it #with re ards to institutions of overnance). No one map is a finished wor+ in this way, the 2flows, e*tendin beyond its sheets$$.

;nother techni6ue used by U! has been the distinct ways of depictin

overnance

institutions and official or ani-ations as opposed to social movements. 0nstitutions, includin many N45s as well as corporations, overnments and laws are depicted with concrete shapes representin their functions and strai ht lines connectin them in

networ+s to other roups. !he wor+ bein done by these ima es ives the reader an impression of officialdom, statutes, laws, order. Baps of movement activity, especially the 20n+lin s of ;utonomy, map layer mentioned above, as well as the =ue se >a#an

$$

Bureau dEtudes has 2pushed, this idea of the 2unfinished, and 2under continuous construction, map even further. ;fter the 1nron scandal, and the wealth of information on financial structures leaned from the debacle, U! made a call for roups to pursue pro"ects of collaborative mapma+in of con"unctural political and economic 2powers that be,, that could be continually added to throu h the latest techni6ues of open source software. Currently Bute ma a-ine has be un to ta+e on this call throu h a pro"ect called 2Bappin Contemporary Capitalism, #Worthin ton $%%&). !hou h in very initial and e*perimental sta es, this could ta+e carto raphy itself into interestin theoretical territory. !he criti6ues about the 2internal power of maps, #e*ercised throu h e*clusion and closure) voiced by Harley and echoed by so many mi ht be at least partially answered by a pro"ect that allows almost anyone to enerate their own maps or build on e*istin ones.

Todos map$A, show open.ended bubbles with bits of information splattered around. 5ne can follow a route but it feels more li+e an itinerary than a 2map,, so to spea+. !he movements seem to be presented more as a series of intense moments and coa ulations of ener y.

; final comment on the visual aspects of these maps deals with the sheer amount of information on them and the incredible density of icons and lines demonstratin lin+a es between points on a networ+. !he density of icons can ma+e it difficult to navi ate the map, or 2find your way,, so to spea+. 5n loo+in a bit deeper one can say that these maps are an initial representation of usin what we could call internet and

epistemologies. practices associated with the internet as ways of attainin

structurin +nowled e as well as carryin out lar e parts of the research. While 0,m throwin the term out somewhat playfully, it is useful to enable a possible readin of the map as a visuali-ation of followin the multiple lin+s of different websites or the results of multiple searches. 5ften items appearin as icons in the maps are rouped in what seems to be either classical 2 eo raphical, pro*imity #as in countries that appear to ether on a political map), or sectoral pro*imity. 8in+s in these maps thou h may have little correspondence to pro*imity and one must often follow a thread from one point of the map throu h a mess of items all around the other side of the map in order to find what is bein represented as a 2direct lin+,.

$A

See appendi* $ and related lin+.http9FFutan ente.free.frF$%%AF6uesebayan.pdf

Conclusions !hese efforts at enactin a critical carto raphy, on the part of BE amon others, is challen in us to loo+ at the possibilities of a reinvi orated carto raphy distanced from the colonial maps of the past and the =i ital 1levation Bodels of military services in the present. !hey ive us opportunities to apply and interact with different theories of the lobal and of power #as with 1mpire). . as well as push them into new 2territories, of lobali-in spatiali-ed ima inaries of resistance and democracy #as with the Bultitude). !hese maps are also creatin a space for political en a ement, not only because of the sub"ect matter addressed but also throu h the channels of distribution and feedbac+ chosen. throu h different social movements, communications spaces.

So what could be ne*tC /or critical human eo raphy, it may be important to consider how the e*ample of Bureau dEtudes is pointin researchers to e*amine efforts emer in from outside the institutional limits of the university as a way to further

conversations on new analyses of power, democracy and uses of carto raphy as a radical tool.

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