Tom Cowan
@termcern.bsky.social
Urban Geographer writing on property, technology & urbanisation |
Author of Subaltern Frontiers
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/subaltern-frontiers/C7AFB9376F61176080F3CF9B43B72905
Author of Subaltern Frontiers
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/subaltern-frontiers/C7AFB9376F61176080F3CF9B43B72905
Pinned
Tom Cowan
@termcern.bsky.social
· Oct 17
Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers | RGS Journal | Wiley Online Library
Svamitva drone survey in Rajasthan. Source: Author.
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
New paper in @tibg.bsky.social:
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Please sign c.org/cYgDXSqx62
Save Geography at the University of Leicester
Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?
c.org
November 7, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Please sign c.org/cYgDXSqx62
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Human Geography at Leicester is facing closure. Staff contracts are to end in June 2026; students are to be relocated to other universities, or taught out by a maximum of two (!) teaching-only staff. Other departments and subjects are facing closure, too. Please join the demo!
November 6, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Human Geography at Leicester is facing closure. Staff contracts are to end in June 2026; students are to be relocated to other universities, or taught out by a maximum of two (!) teaching-only staff. Other departments and subjects are facing closure, too. Please join the demo!
Looking forward to discussing @asaenzdesicilia.bsky.social's essential new book on subsumption at @histmat.bsky.social conference this week -- subsumption heads, this is the one - come through!
Looking forward to the roundtable/launch panel for Subsumption in Kant, Hegel and Marx at the @histmat.bsky.social conference this weekend.
W/ Patrick Murray, @alybatt.bsky.social, Maria Chehonadskih, @termcern.bsky.social
W/ Patrick Murray, @alybatt.bsky.social, Maria Chehonadskih, @termcern.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Looking forward to discussing @asaenzdesicilia.bsky.social's essential new book on subsumption at @histmat.bsky.social conference this week -- subsumption heads, this is the one - come through!
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Looking forward to the roundtable/launch panel for Subsumption in Kant, Hegel and Marx at the @histmat.bsky.social conference this weekend.
W/ Patrick Murray, @alybatt.bsky.social, Maria Chehonadskih, @termcern.bsky.social
W/ Patrick Murray, @alybatt.bsky.social, Maria Chehonadskih, @termcern.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Looking forward to the roundtable/launch panel for Subsumption in Kant, Hegel and Marx at the @histmat.bsky.social conference this weekend.
W/ Patrick Murray, @alybatt.bsky.social, Maria Chehonadskih, @termcern.bsky.social
W/ Patrick Murray, @alybatt.bsky.social, Maria Chehonadskih, @termcern.bsky.social
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Fascinating insights into the technics of digitalized propertization that is underway across rural and peri-urban India:
New paper in @tibg.bsky.social:
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers | RGS Journal | Wiley Online Library
Svamitva drone survey in Rajasthan. Source: Author.
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Fascinating insights into the technics of digitalized propertization that is underway across rural and peri-urban India:
Fascinating essay on digital public infrastructure & India's software capital www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/dig... @phenomenalworld.bsky.social
The State and Software Capital | Mila Samdub
India’s digital public infrastructure and the promise of the world’s largest online consumer market
www.phenomenalworld.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Fascinating essay on digital public infrastructure & India's software capital www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/dig... @phenomenalworld.bsky.social
Incredibly happy to have been awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Geography!
Big thanks to all my friends and colleagues for all their support - and the @leverhulme.ac.uk for the recognition.
Big thanks to all my friends and colleagues for all their support - and the @leverhulme.ac.uk for the recognition.
The Trust is thrilled to announce the 2025 Philip Leverhulme Prize Winners. Congratulations to this year’s cohort. Thirty extraordinary researchers from across a range of disciplines: leverhulme.ac.uk/news/2025PLP
October 21, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Incredibly happy to have been awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Geography!
Big thanks to all my friends and colleagues for all their support - and the @leverhulme.ac.uk for the recognition.
Big thanks to all my friends and colleagues for all their support - and the @leverhulme.ac.uk for the recognition.
New paper in @tibg.bsky.social:
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers | RGS Journal | Wiley Online Library
Svamitva drone survey in Rajasthan. Source: Author.
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:45 PM
New paper in @tibg.bsky.social:
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
High-resolution property: drone enclosures in digital India
In it I examine how mass digitized enclosures rely upon a new regime of perception - able to speculatively extract private ownership from collectivised land
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Toronto 2026 | Summer Institute in Economic Geography
www.econgeog.net
October 16, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Reposted by Tom Cowan
New in TIBG!
'High-resolution property: Drone enclosures in digital India' by @termcern.bsky.social
This paper examines how drone & geospatial technologies are being deployed to enclose rural customary lands across India.
doi.org/10.1111/tran... #geosky
'High-resolution property: Drone enclosures in digital India' by @termcern.bsky.social
This paper examines how drone & geospatial technologies are being deployed to enclose rural customary lands across India.
doi.org/10.1111/tran... #geosky
October 14, 2025 at 10:51 AM
New in TIBG!
'High-resolution property: Drone enclosures in digital India' by @termcern.bsky.social
This paper examines how drone & geospatial technologies are being deployed to enclose rural customary lands across India.
doi.org/10.1111/tran... #geosky
'High-resolution property: Drone enclosures in digital India' by @termcern.bsky.social
This paper examines how drone & geospatial technologies are being deployed to enclose rural customary lands across India.
doi.org/10.1111/tran... #geosky
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Such a nice paper on feature extraction as a project of perception - drone enclosures in digital India. “Feature extraction is an entirely speculative endeavour” rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers | RGS Journal | Wiley Online Library
Svamitva drone survey in Rajasthan. Source: Author.
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Such a nice paper on feature extraction as a project of perception - drone enclosures in digital India. “Feature extraction is an entirely speculative endeavour” rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Drawing on Staurt Hall to discuss agrarian urbanisation in Gurgaon, @termcern.bsky.social argues that the agrarian world operates as an 'articulating principle' that structures capitalist urban expansion 'without guarantees'
doi.org/10.1080/0272...
doi.org/10.1080/0272...
Urbanization without guarantees: articulation, rentier capitalism and occupancy on the agrarian urban frontier
This article engages with the work of Stuart Hall to examine conditions of agrarian city-making on India’s urban frontier. The article draws on Hall’s writings on articulation and marxist method to...
doi.org
September 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Drawing on Staurt Hall to discuss agrarian urbanisation in Gurgaon, @termcern.bsky.social argues that the agrarian world operates as an 'articulating principle' that structures capitalist urban expansion 'without guarantees'
doi.org/10.1080/0272...
doi.org/10.1080/0272...
Reposted by Tom Cowan
'New Urban Frontiers'
This @urbangeography.bsky.social special issue edited by me and @clairemercer.bsky.social has now been published online: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rurb20/4...
A thread on the papers 👇
This @urbangeography.bsky.social special issue edited by me and @clairemercer.bsky.social has now been published online: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rurb20/4...
A thread on the papers 👇
Urban Geography
New Urban Frontiers. Volume 46, Issue 8 of Urban Geography
www.tandfonline.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
'New Urban Frontiers'
This @urbangeography.bsky.social special issue edited by me and @clairemercer.bsky.social has now been published online: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rurb20/4...
A thread on the papers 👇
This @urbangeography.bsky.social special issue edited by me and @clairemercer.bsky.social has now been published online: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rurb20/4...
A thread on the papers 👇
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Our 'Informational Peripheries' book is now published and out for the world to read in paperback and online free #openaccess.
Edited with @fennaimara.bsky.social
It has been a pleasure working with @uclpress.bsky.social Read & download free at: bit.ly/4l76QR4
@uclgeography.bsky.social
Edited with @fennaimara.bsky.social
It has been a pleasure working with @uclpress.bsky.social Read & download free at: bit.ly/4l76QR4
@uclgeography.bsky.social
Informational Peripheries
Urbanisation and urban life in a digital age needs to be examined through a lens of information – encompassing both its politics and its geographies. The periphery in an information age is located sim...
bit.ly
August 5, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Our 'Informational Peripheries' book is now published and out for the world to read in paperback and online free #openaccess.
Edited with @fennaimara.bsky.social
It has been a pleasure working with @uclpress.bsky.social Read & download free at: bit.ly/4l76QR4
@uclgeography.bsky.social
Edited with @fennaimara.bsky.social
It has been a pleasure working with @uclpress.bsky.social Read & download free at: bit.ly/4l76QR4
@uclgeography.bsky.social
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Informational Peripheries is out now with @uclpress.bsky.social! It brings together critical perspectives on how information flows (or doesn’t) across the edges of systems: archives, infrastructures, digital divides, and more.
Edited with @ayonadatta.bsky.social 🙌
uclpress.co.uk/book/informa...
Edited with @ayonadatta.bsky.social 🙌
uclpress.co.uk/book/informa...
Informational Peripheries
Urbanisation and urban life in a digital age needs to be examined through a lens of information – encompassing both its politics and its geographies. The periphery in an information age is located sim...
uclpress.co.uk
August 5, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Informational Peripheries is out now with @uclpress.bsky.social! It brings together critical perspectives on how information flows (or doesn’t) across the edges of systems: archives, infrastructures, digital divides, and more.
Edited with @ayonadatta.bsky.social 🙌
uclpress.co.uk/book/informa...
Edited with @ayonadatta.bsky.social 🙌
uclpress.co.uk/book/informa...
Fantastic research on and critique of "cultural competence" approaches to racism in UK social housing sector
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Against Cultural Competence: Social Housing and Institutional Post-Racism
This paper focuses on recent efforts to combat racialized inequalities in English social housing through “cultural competence”. Based on longitudinal, mixed qualitative research it argues that, des...
www.tandfonline.com
June 4, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Fantastic research on and critique of "cultural competence" approaches to racism in UK social housing sector
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Tom Cowan
Solidarity with all at Newcastle, especially the Geography professors threatened with compulsory redundancy - managers are looking to cut 2.0 FTE posts
Newcastle University compulsory job cut fears grow amid £4.2m savings shortfall
As industrial action continues, union bosses continue their plea with Newcastle University chiefs to reject any potential compulsory job losses
www.chroniclelive.co.uk
May 9, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Solidarity with all at Newcastle, especially the Geography professors threatened with compulsory redundancy - managers are looking to cut 2.0 FTE posts
Reposted by Tom Cowan
At least 326 killed as Israel unleashes strikes on Gaza, breaking ceasefire : www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/...
At least 326 killed as Israel unleashes wave of attacks on Gaza
Israeli assaults across Gaza resume, effectively shattering the fragile ceasefire with Hamas.
www.aljazeera.com
March 18, 2025 at 9:57 AM
At least 326 killed as Israel unleashes strikes on Gaza, breaking ceasefire : www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/...
Reposted by Tom Cowan
My editorial in the newest issue of CITY: Analysis of urban change, theory, action www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
There is no alternative to creating an alternative: critical urban studies in the authoritarian moment
Published in City: Analysis of Urban Change, Theory, Action (Ahead of Print, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
March 6, 2025 at 10:05 AM
My editorial in the newest issue of CITY: Analysis of urban change, theory, action www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
I was interviewed as part of this investigative report on the travails of drone-led property titling in India, check it out 👉
In January, PM Modi claimed to completely "transform Indian rural life" as government used drones to map inhabited rural areas in the country to issue property cards to villagers.
scroll.in/article/1078...
However, on the ground Scroll found the data riddled with errors and fear among residents.
scroll.in/article/1078...
However, on the ground Scroll found the data riddled with errors and fear among residents.
February 21, 2025 at 8:55 AM
I was interviewed as part of this investigative report on the travails of drone-led property titling in India, check it out 👉
**Job opportunity** We are hiring a permanent Assistant Professor in Human Geograpy in the School of Geography - please do circulate jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx... @uniofnottingham.bsky.social
Job Vacancy at the University of Nottingham: Assistant Professor in Human Geography
Applications are invited for the post of Assistant Professor in the School of Geography. We are seeking to appoint an academic to make a significant impact within the broad research and teaching area ...
jobs.nottingham.ac.uk
February 4, 2025 at 11:53 AM
**Job opportunity** We are hiring a permanent Assistant Professor in Human Geograpy in the School of Geography - please do circulate jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx... @uniofnottingham.bsky.social
Reposted by Tom Cowan
A reminder to everyone in the West - a ceasefire is just the beginning, the goal is liberation. Our work doesn't stop until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.
January 15, 2025 at 7:02 PM
A reminder to everyone in the West - a ceasefire is just the beginning, the goal is liberation. Our work doesn't stop until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.
Reposted by Tom Cowan
New publication! In this paper in Critical Historical Studies, I undertake a detailed methodological engagement with Jairus Banaji’s remarkable scholarship on historical capitalism: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
December 18, 2024 at 4:18 PM
New publication! In this paper in Critical Historical Studies, I undertake a detailed methodological engagement with Jairus Banaji’s remarkable scholarship on historical capitalism: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...