living and learning

Wednesday 2 June 2010

What is 'a geographical point of view'?

When you're supposed to be doing a geography dissy, but have been wading knee-deep in education and information studies literature all along, you're bound reach that dreaded jamais vu stage where you suddenly blurt out,
What the heck is geography anyway?? How does this stuff differ from sociology or education or whatever?
I had such an identity crisis a couple of days ago. I took the question with me to the dissy meeting, and got a very soul-soothing answer from the nickmeister. In short,
Geography is about space and place and relations.
Is it set in a specific location? Yes? It's geography. Is it in context of the wider social and cultural fabric? Yes? It's geography. Is it an isolated, highly specific study of something? Yes? Then it's not geography. Et cetera.

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