CALL FOR PAPERS RGS-IBG 2008: GEOGRAPHY MATTERS....BUT DOES GEOGRAPHY?

CALL FOR PAPERS RGS-IBG 2008: GEOGRAPHY MATTERS....BUT DOES GEOGRAPHY?

Session organisers: Heaven Crawley (Swansea University), Peter Hopkins
(Newcastle University), Larch Maxey (Swansea University)

Session sponsor: Participatory Geographies Working Group

Session abstract:

The relationship between the social and the spatial – between social
processes on the one hand and the fact and form of their spatial
organisation on the other – clearly matters (Massey 1984). Perhaps less
clear is the extent to which Geography as a discipline, and the
geographical practices undertaken by academic geographers, matters to the
world that it seeks to describe and explain.

The relevance or otherwise of Geography has been the subject of ongoing,
and sometimes heated, debate within the discipline (Imrie 2004; Beaumont,
Loopmans and Uitermark 2005; Mountz and Walton-Roberts 2006). These
discussions suggest that the issue of what makes geographical research,
teaching and publication relevant cannot be separated from the questions
of why research, for example, should be relevant, how research becomes
relevant, the goals of research, and for whom it is intended to be
relevant (Staeheli and Mitchell 2005). They also suggest that whilst
relevance can be direct and intended, a commitment to relevant research
requires a long-term view and an appreciation for the indirect pathways of
relevance. This means much more than simply promoting Geography as a
discipline; it also requires geographers to grapple more frequently with
multi-scale questions, including the big questions of our time, foster
more in-depth understanding of different geographies, enhance interactions
between discrete parts of the discipline and with other disciplines, and
make explicit the implications of geographical work for the discussions
that are shaping public, political and intellectual agendas (Alexander
2006).

This session will explore the relevance of Geography to the making of
public policy and to broader public and political discourses. It will also
explore the extent to which an emphasis on the distinctiveness of
Geography as a discipline (a trend which has arguably been exacerbated by
the RAE process) is helpful in the production of policy-relevant research.
And it will consider the extent to which participatory approaches to
Geography – with their origins in grassroots activism and social
movements – are able to affect social change and empowerment by giving a
voice to those who are most marginalised from policy and decision making
processes.


Call for papers:

Contributors to this session are invited to submit papers which explore
the relevance of Geography and of geographical research to policy making
and to broader processes of social and political change. Papers that
directly address the following questions will be particularly welcomed:

* Do the methodological and philosophical approaches that we adopt
influence the extent to which our research, teaching and dissemination
matters to the people and processes with which we engage? Do participatory
approaches to research, for example, provide a mechanism for affecting
social change regardless of the ‘policy relevance’ of research?

* Which geographical practices matter? Why and to whom? Does a concern for
relevance include research, teaching and dissemination? Should it? Are
there other practices which constitute ‘Geography’ beyond this triad?

* Is it helpful to emphasise the relevance of Geography as a discipline
when engaging with policy makers, practitioners and others interested in
what we have to say? Are interdisciplinary approaches more useful in
describing and explaining complex social issues and processes? Does the
potential relevance of Geography lie in its role as an ‘inter-disciplinary
pivot’ (Fulong 2002)?

* Given the complex relationship between research evidence and policy
formation, how do we ensure that the research we do is most able to affect
change? In what ways is it important that the research we do is
politically as well as policy relevant?

Session format:

We are keen to encourage audience participation in the themes of this
session and to use it as a springboard from which to increase the
relevance of Geography. Therefore the session will consist of three x 20
minute papers with ample time for questions and discussion. If a
sufficient number of proposed papers are submitted then it may be
necessary for two 1 hr 40 minute sessions to be set aside for this topic.
The papers will be themed and contributors will be asked to engage
directly with the content of other papers in the session where
appropriate. The session(s) will be chaired by the session organisers.

Abstracts (max. 200 words) should be sent to h.crawley@swansea.ac.uk,
l.maxey@swansea.ac.uk and Peter.Hopkins@newcastle.ac.uk by 11th February
2008. All those submitting abstracts will be informed of the outcome of
the process by 18th February.

If you would like to discuss the aims, objectives and format of the
session before submitting your abstract please contact Heaven Crawley on
01792 602409 or email h.crawley@swansea.ac.uk