2012 Urban Geography Plenary Lecture Topological City

The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of the topological city, both by sharing some observations about the use of topology in critical human geography today and also by demonstrating how different modes of topological analyses of the city may work. This paper suggests that while topology is not new to the social sciences in general or geography in particular, an uptick in interest in topology in the past decade is likely due to its role in the work of Deleuze and Agamben. Topology, I suggest, can help geographers think in creative ways about spatial ontology, thereby offering some insights into the relationship between the subject and the city. I build this argument by discussing the topological workings of three cinematic cities: The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Midnight in Paris (2011), and Inception (2010). Key words: topology, film, Lacan, subject, spatial theory.]