Image courtesy of spur, a route thru favorite spots. His films and books, including society of the spectacle 1967, were major catalysts for philosophical and political changes in the twentieth century, and helped trigger the may 1968 rebellion in france. This group would go on to merge with the international. Guy debord quotes author of the society of the spectacle. During world war ii, the rossis left the villa and began to. Psychogeography pocket essential series pdf free download. In this ambitious and innovative biography, vincent kaufmann places debord s hostility toward the inquisitive gaze at the center of an investigation into his subjects. Quotations are useful in periods of ignorance or obscurantist beliefs. Psychogeography study of the geographical environment.
This annotated translation by ken knabb, published in 2014 by the bureau of public secrets, is not ed. The theory of spectacle is shown to be not simply a critique of the mass. Back in the 50s, through the lettrist group, a forerunner of the situationist international, guy debord introduced the term psychogeography whose definition describes. The academic discipline of psychogeography was introduced in 1955 by guy debord, a french philosopher, based upon the concept of derive. Pdf matthews revisiting guy debord and the situationists 2019. Anyone may freely reproduce or adapt any or all of it. Fragmented views of reality regroup themselves into a new unity as a separate pseudoworld that can. About two psychogeographies1 denis wood independent scholar raleigh nc usa abstract psychogeography emerged entirely independently in paris in the 1950s and in the boston area in the 1950s and 1960s, in the wildly disparate practices of the situationists and of planners and geographers. This text examines the origins of psychogeography in the situationist movement of the 1950s, exploring the theoretical background and its political applications as well as the work of early practitioners such as guy debord and raoul vaneigem, before moving onto the current interest in the topic. The ecological analysis of the absolute or relative character of fissures in the urban network, of the. I have gone through them all and have retained whatever seemed.
Guy debord the society of the spectacle retrieved on february th, 2009 from. Guy debord also known as debord guy was born in paris in 1931. Guy debord june 30, 1992 separation perfected but certainly for the present age, which prefers the sign to the thing signified, the copy to the original, representation to reality, the appearance to the essence. In the works of guy debord and asger jorn, detournement played an. This book examines the origins of psychogeography in the paris of the 1950s, exploring the theoretical background and its political application in the work of guy debord and the situationists.
Derivedrift and psychogeography we use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Translators note there have been several previous english translations of the society of the spectacle. The images detached from every aspect oflife merge into a common stream in which the unity of that life can no longer be recovered. Put simply, psychogeography is the exploration of the psychological effects of an urban environment.
More than this though, its a political statement, defiance of the capitalist system, a seizure of power and a mode of play. Lettristsituationist founder guy debord called for a new eld of inquiry, to be known as \psychogeography, established to study \the precise laws and speci c e ects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals. Situated pedagogy and the situationist international. Theory of the derive 2 one of the basic situationist practices is the derive literally. Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by guy debord as the study of the. It looks into the history of a deliberate walk, starting from the concept of the flaneur developed by charles baudlaire, its degradation by capitalism into the figure of the shopper, its later radical political update coming with the concept of the derive, its development through a notion of psychogeography with guy debord. Guy debords psychogeographical map of paris 27 joshua geach.
The term psychogeography was invented by the marxist theorist guy debord in 1955 in order to explore this. In his introduction to psychogeography, merlin coverley asks, are. The implication of combining these two negations is that by creating. Rather than seeking to draw a virtuous layer from the multiplicity of practices presently grouped around the category of derive, the article identifies generative properties in their contradictions and variegated connections. Psychogeography as an area of study was founded during the 1950s by william g niederland, m. At the same time that guy debord was creating psychogeography in paris, mit planning professor kevin lynch was laying the groundwork for what at clark university in the late 1960s became psychogeography for david stea and his students. Psychogeography, according to its founder guy debord, is the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals. The double negative an introduction to psychogeography. A term coined by the marxist theorist guy debord in in order to describe the effect of a geographical.
Debord gesellschaft des spektakels pdf the society of the spectacle is a work of philosophy and marxist critical theory by guy debord, in. Cover om a 1957 psychogeographical map of paris by guy debord. While psychogeography cannot be described as a science, this relatively new field of literary exploration does involve considerable study of the human psyche as it relates to physical surroundings and the different environments that exist in different places. Finally, derive, psychogeography and detournement are discussed as a.
In practice, psychogeography inherently resists any narrow definitions. The psychogeographic movement has its roots in 1950s paris with guy debord while the term originated in the 1950s, we can go much further back to gothic representations of the city, and even as far back as defoe, who could be said to be the progenitor of a psychogeographic analysis of urban space. A situation can be conceived by combining a unitary ambience i. Writer, filmmaker, and cultural revolutionary, guy debord 19311994 was a founding member of the lettrist international and situationist international groups. At first glance, one may think that this definition fits quite easily with the main premise of environmental psychology in. Through doing so it highlights the importance of his largely overlooked concerns with time and history, and interprets the theory on that basis. Psychogeography psychogeography is the study of how geographical environments influence the mind or behavior of an individual. While it emerged from the situationist international movement in france, the practice has farreaching implications. This thesis addresses guy debord s theory of spectacle through its primary philosophical and theoretical influences. Download pdf psychogeography free online new books in. In situationist guy dubords 1955 essay introduction to a critique of urban geography, he defined psychogeography as the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.
Notes 1 guy debord, introduction to a critique of urban geography, knabb, p5 2 solnit, p218 3 vamik d volkan writes. An introduction to a critique of urban geography, 1955. Psychogeography is diverse activities that raise awareness of the natural and cultural environment around you. Both the theory and practice of psychogeography have been around since 1955, when french theorist guy debord coined the term. Psychogeography is an exploration of urban environments that emphasizes playfulness and. Pdf walking inside out is the first text that attempts to merge the work of literary and artist practitioners with academics to. Its relevant, for instance, in contemporary sydney. The society of the spectacle by guy debord a key member of the situationist international argues that contemporary capitalist society has become obsessed with images and appearances over all else. A genealogy and critique of guy debords theory of spectacle. Psychogeography pocket essentials, by merlin coverley. In what would become a trend of scissions and exclusions, the lettrist movement split with a group led by debord, which took the name the lettrist international. Debord s mother, paulette rossi, sent guy to live with his grandmother in her family villa in italy. Guy debord was originally a member of the lettrists. Both the theory and practice of psychogeography have been around since, when french theorist guy debord coined the term.
793 930 94 962 70 802 139 801 747 870 936 506 1179 1181 18 22 1409 1191 836 396 53 822 735 539 737 422 392 1469 649 704 744 967 715 1201 245 1291 1324 454 1071 585 1461 1048