Theory
Imaginative Geographies
Explore in the Atlas →Edward Said's argument that space is given meaning through imagery, text and discourse — the Western imagination of "the Orient" being a constructed geography that dramatises distance and difference. Imaginative geographies are a tool of power: the right to imagine and represent a place is the right to objectify and control it.
Power Fantasy Collectivity
Details
- Introduced
- 1978
Classifications
- Holder
- Individual
- Source of authority
- Reason
- Subject
- Human centred
- Political position
- Subaltern resistant
- Mode of transmission
- Text drawing
- Knowledge type
- Propositional
- Epistemic cluster
- Western philosophical
Connections
- relates to Heterotopia
Referenced by
- Edward W. Said proposed
- Orientalism articulates
- Postcolonial Theory relates to
- Third Space (hybridity) relates to
- Imagined Communities relates to
Sources
- Edward W. Said. Orientalism. Pantheon Books, 1978.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "Imaginative Geographies." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/imaginative-geographies/. Accessed July 17, 2026.