  The spatial metaphor of the network along with its accompanying abstractions,
such as flow, movement, and connectivity, have been central themes throughout
the relational turn in human geography. However, to date networks in geography
have been primarily explored either through actor-network theory or assemblage
thinking, both of which embrace the network metaphor without specifically and
formally interrogating networks themselves. We seek to problematize the
treatment of networks in geography by exploring the largely underutilized
literature on social networks as an alternative to the now dominant
actor-network and assemblage frameworks. Our paper discusses the conceptual
connections between key concepts in geography, such as place, distance, scale,
and power, and those in network theory, such as centrality, density, and
homophily. Voluntarily written from the periphery of human geography, our paper
opens new directions for geographers that are interested in more than the
metaphor of the network.
