Between ‘automated geography’ and ‘geographies of automation’: three parables for thinking dialectically

In this article, we identify what appear to be two separate approaches to questions of automation within the discipline of Geography. One approach, which we call ‘Automated Geography', examines how automation and technological change impact the discipline itself – everything from how we conduct research to how we relate to institutional power. The second approach, which we deem ‘Geographies of Automation', examines automation’s impact on the world that geographers study. We argue that defining Geography in an age of automation requires bringing these approaches together and embracing dialectical thinking. The article draws on three parables to flesh out this dialectical approach.