of Victoria
PhD (Penn State)
Social and cultural geography; critical urban studies
Note: I am not taking on new graduate students for supervision for the 2023-2024 academic year.
I joined the faculty at UVic in 2009, and I am currently a Professor of Geography and Director of the Critical Geographies Research Lab at the University of Victoria. At UVic, I co-founded and serve as the current Chair of the Committee for Urban Studies, which organizes The City Talks, and I am also a member of the Cultural, Social, and Political Thought Program. From 2021-2026, I will be serving as Associate Dean Academic in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Additionally, I am the Managing Editor of Dialogues in Human Geography as well as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
My research contributes to the field of critical human geography, focusing particularly on the historical geography of cities, cultural landscape studies, critical theories of mapping, and the politics of place. In all of my work, I draw upon critical social theory to explore the interrelations of space, knowledge, and power. I also play an active role in the graduate program supervising master’s and doctoral students who have studied a wide variety of topics ranging from the cultural politics of place naming, city branding, and spatial narratives of landscape to the performative politics of urban aesthetics, graffiti, and the geographies of cyber-currencies, among other topics. Due to other commitments, I am not currently taking on new graduate students for supervision at the present time.
Teaching is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my academic career. My teaching philosophy is based, above all else, upon the belief that learning is a dialogical process of mutual engagement that should have as its chief aim the cultivation of critical thinking, a commitment to social justice, and an appreciation for the multiple perspectives that can be brought to bear on any given geographical issue. In all of my classes, I recognize that students come from diverse cultural backgrounds, have different educational and career goals, and are committed to contrasting political ideologies. I therefore think it is crucial to be respectful of such diversity while also challenging students to explore multiple, conflicting viewpoints regarding the complex issues of contemporary human geography. This pedagogical approach informs every aspect of my teaching, since I make an active effort to foster interactive learning by asking probing questions to generate group discussions (even in large lectures), encouraging collaborative work on group projects, and challenging students to critically examine the ethical and political assumptions that underpin their geographical imaginations.
I have had the pleasure of teaching both introductory and advanced courses at the undergraduate level as well as graduate seminars, including: Social & Cultural Geography (GEOG 218), Cities and Planning (GEOG 340), Urban Social Geographies (GEOG 448), Geographical Research Approaches (GEOG 500A), and Advanced Seminar in Human Geography (GEOG 536). Beyond the classroom, I have also played an active role in supervising undergraduate honours students as well as master’s and doctoral students on a diverse range of thesis topics in human geography.
For a full list of publications, click here.
In this video, Reuben discusses his research on the cultural politics of place naming, the spatial organization of cities, and the history of geographic thought.