ABSTRACT

This chapter explains the origins in a moment when two social projects met. The moment' occurred when a group of local enthusiasts who call themselves the Villagers', in reference to an idealised state of inclusiveness associated with the mythical village of Seething, added the wrong type' of information to the community map. As such, a critical reflection on the workings of wider social projects can emerge within a rigorous and politically charged academy. This critical practice is one that can span both Anthropology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), each making space for the other, so that both can continue to be innovative in their own ways. The community map was underpinned by a GIS platform, designed to store, represent, analyse and manage its geographic data. The ethnographic data describes a moment where the democratic ideal of the Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) as a research project within the Adaptable Suburbs Project (ASP) met the very local social project of Seething Villagers.