Pursuing a MA Geography degree

Research Areas: Geographical political economy, critical cartography, historical geography, STS

Supervisor: Trevor Barnes

Degrees: BSc Government and History, London School of Economics

Entry Date: 2021

Research Statement: 

At UBC, I study contemporary understandings of land ownership, use and access in England. Is land a politically visible issue there?

This question has become more salient to me while researching on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) territory. How is dispossession treated in England, where it is known (and more importantly unknown) as ‘enclosure’?

Recent investigations by economic geographers and independent researchers reveal land ownership in Britain to be highly concentrated. Following their work, I explore how trespass has been mobilised as a form of political organising with a particular focus on England.

Drawing from critical cartography, I am interested in articulating everyday experiences of enclosure. I therefore practice mental sketch mapping (MSM) as a method and regularly facilitate workshops with architects, organisers, and researchers. Informed by deep mapping, I document every trespass sign I encounter.

From May 2023 to 2024, I am based in the UK as a full-time research assistant on the Narrow Margins project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Dr Sam Burgum and I take a genealogical approach to the criminalisation of trespass and formalisation of property in England and Wales. In collaboration with our research partners, Leeds GATE and Streets Kitchen, we investigate the impact of the Police Act 2022 on the mobility of street homeless people, Gypsy and Traveller communities, and environmental activists.

I will be returning to the department in September 2024 to pursue a PhD in Geography, supervised by Trevor Barnes and Priti Narayan.

Affiliations

• House of Annetta
• ab__ network
• AAG Legal Geography Working Group
• UBC Centre for Climate Justice

Research contributions and programming

• I Pojuner (2023) After the flood, they mapped land ownership. Monitor Magazine, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
• H Mertins-Kirkwood, M Cohen, I Pojuner, A Lewis (2023) Don’t Wait for the State: A blueprint for grassroots climate transitions in Canada, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
• Organised Perpetual Stew alt-conference, August 28 – September 1 2023, House of Annetta, London, UK.
• Featured in Landlocked group exhibition, August 24 – September 1 2023, House of Annetta, London, UK.