Empruntant la lecture rapprochée à la théorie et à la critique littéraire, et les techniques microhistoriques à l’historiographie, serait-il possible d’entrevoir une lecture contre-cartographique de cartes existantes ? Ce texte soumet un parcours théorique et méthodologique de lecture rapprochée de cartes, afin de proposer une interprétation de la contre-cartographie par une étude attentive d’artéfacts cartographiques du quartier de la Petite Bourgogne à Montréal.
This article examines practices of counter-mapping gentrification through the lens of residents’ lived experiences. We argue for expanding counter-mapping approaches to gentrification beyond the visual and representational power of maps, conveying how it disrupts attachment to place and senses of belonging, as well as transforming social life. Intentionally focusing on the singularity of one resident’s story as a counter-practice to data accumulation, we explore its potential to open discussions about gentrification and its broader effects on the everyday lives of residents in the area. We engage closely with the story of one such resident of Parc-Extension, a Montréal neighbourhood undergoing rapid gentrification, and explore his memories and experiences through intermedial narrative mapping. By reading the story through text, images, and place-mapping at a microscale, and by embracing slowness, reflection, and deep listening, this work highlights the importance of moving beyond the accumulation of aggregated data points toward an attunement to the affective and relational impacts of gentrification.
This article recounts and analyzes the research-creation process that led to the participatory mapping installation titled […] and counting (2024), in light of its approach to counter-cartography. The installation space welcomes participants to learn about and contribute to a map of womxn artists’ entry in Tiohtià:ke · Montréal’s public space. Data and algorithms are crossed with queer textiles practices to embody new and more diverse narratives. Through the situated and sensory interfaces of the map, meaning is embedded into materiality, and touch triggers cartographic interaction as well as knowledge production.
