About Us

The Commission on Political Geography, or CPG, is one of the 43 thematic commissions of the International Geographical Union (IGU). It conceives Political Geography in a broad way both as a subdiscipline of human geography and as an interdisciplinary field. It therefore collaborates closely with several other IGU Commissions, including history of geography, geographical education, gender and geography, global understanding, governance, toponymy, urban geography, and regional commissions (African studies, Latin American studies, Mediterranean Basin).

Objectives for 2024-2028

The CPG of IGU aims at encouraging geographical research and teaching on the various dimensions of the connections between power, politics, and spaces, stimulating the exchange of findings and insights among political geographers from many countries. It focuses on the analysis of the connections between political geographies (the discursive praxis pertaining to the representation of the world in its political organisation) and the making of the world itself. Beyond geographical imaginations and geopolitical representations, and discussions of globalization, deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation, the CPG maintains a strong interest in the study and teaching of bordering reprocesses. Lastly, it aims at foregrounding alternative engagements with the world, including feminist and indigenous approaches and at engaging with the many dimensions of the material turn of political geography (climate change, outer space, viruses, digital realities). The commission wants to support Political Geography teaching, working to promote the renewal of the discipline.

Co-Chairpersons

Anne-Laure AMILHAT SZARY (Université Grenoble Alpes)

Corey JOHNSON (University of North Carolina)

Vaishali RAGHUVANSHI (Banaras Hindu University)

_{Logo courtesy of Fefa Chiodo}