Author (s)：

Dariusz Wójcik

Abstract: 

In this article, based on my Annual Geoforum Lecture 2024, I elaborate the new definition of finance as a system of human-environment relationships, in which people interact with and experience each other and their environment and create systems of value through the medium of money. This is a pioneering definition, since the notion of finance has paradoxically been the neglected child of financial research. This definition of finance puts people and the environment front and centre of finance, and so does the Atlas of Finance. I illustrate this focus with maps and visuals from the atlas, sharing the intellectual journey of my co-authors and myself and examples of challenges we have encountered. I argue that the road to reharness the power of finance for the benefit of humanity and human-environment relationships leads through financial geography, mapping and visualisation, which can all enhance and broaden our understanding of finance, and our visions for a better future.

Citation: 

Wójcik, D. (2025). Atlas of Finance: Mapping the global story of money in which people and the environment matter. Geoforum, 104136.

Link: 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2024.104136