The Psychogeography of Parking Spaces

The word “psychogeography” fascinated me when I first heard it in Professor Elovitz’s class, War, Peace, and Conflict Resolution. It rolls off my tongue. It springs to mind when I think of conflicts in the Balkans, Northern Ireland, and the former Soviet Union. A feeling of ethnic territorial possession is extremely powerful to the people embroiled in these psychogeographic tugs of war.

A profound awareness of the power of the feeling of territorial possession was brought home to me personally years ago in the mundane world of parking. I was parking my auto in another person’s designated space in an underground parking lot in New York City. She arrived as I was locking my door. She felt that I had infringed on her territory and was outraged that I should dare to park in her space. Her unreasonable, explosive anger took the form of five minutes of the most extreme expletives which literally left me speechless. Then, I moved my car, wishing her “a nice day.”

Others have also parked in my reserved parking space. But in those situations my anger seemed quite reasonable to me and the offending party’s rage appeared totally unreasonable. In one incident, I sought out the owner of the car in my space who, after an ugly exchange of words, moved his car and apologized in a guilty manner. After defending my turf, I felt quite powerful. I imagine this is how others feel in the midst of the conflicts I study.

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At the Visitor’s Parking Circle of Ramapo College, there are only 20 spaces, including some spots for high-ranking administrators. I am sometimes tempted to have an exciting day by parking in someone else’s space and watching the eruption of a sense of psychogeographic territoriality. But then I wonder if, as a rational person, I might not be tempting fate.

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