Cartography is a method proposed by G. Deleuze and F. Guattari which has been used in field researches in the context of subjectivity studies. Embracing a constructivist perspective, this article approaches the issue of the functioning of attention in the initial stage of cartographer's task. It is based on the concepts of free floating attention by S. Freud, attentive recognition by H. Bergson and on contributions from some phenomenological works of contemporary cognitive sciences. Cartographic attention is defined as being concentrated and opened, and it is characterized by four varieties: tracing, touch, landing and attentive recognition.
cartography; attention; production of subjectivity; field research