Francophone critical geography

Critical geography refers much more to a type of approach or to a point of view than to a field of knowledge per se (De Koninck, 1984). In this manner, critical science appears distinct from positivist and hermeneutic sciences. According to Habermas (1973, 143), the latter pursue “technical” and “practical” goals, while critically oriented sciences are more inclined towards “emancipation”. As pointed out by Rioux (1978), these three approaches are not totally incompatible but rather complementary. However, a critical approach is both perilous, more imaginative and optimist since it “refers to value judgments to criticize what exists” and “is interested in […] the self-creation of man [humanity?] and society” (Rioux, 1978, 9).