Human geography and the occult: Weird walks, writing, and re-enchanting the landscape
Abstract
This article traces geographical writings on monstrosity, magic(k) and spectrality which have developed over the last three decades. By framing these various works as ‘occult geographies’ and ‘geographies of the occult’, we show how this work is both thematically and theoretically linked and impacts current and emerging lines of thought in human geography more broadly. Surveying a body of non-specialist writings on occult landscapes, this paper contributes to human geography by showing how these practices and writings inform experiences of environment, identity, and belonging, whilst revealing political tensions for those deploying occult terminology and phenomena in their human geographical accounts.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Historical Geography and Geographical Thought
Spatial and Cultural Studies
Gothic Literature and Media Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Progress in Human Geography
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 533–555
- Publication date
- 16 January 2026
- Language
- EN