Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Geography
) and offers a number of applied courses in universities, the term is used
loosely. As Sant (1982:136) argued, 'the crux of applied geography is (at the risk of
tautology) fundamentally that it is about geography. That is, it deals with human and
physical landscapes'. What is interesting to note in Sant's text is the inclusion of
recreation and the contribution of geographers to this area of applied geography, a feature
reierated in the study edited by Kenzer (1989) and the brief mention by Johnston (1991)
noted above.
Some commentators, however, feel that the rise of an 'applied focus' has meant the
discipline has lost touch with its roots, and thereby compromised the ability of
'explicating the relationship between people, places, cultures and the global/ regional mix
of each' (Kenzer 1989:2). One indication of this, according to critics, is the greater
emphasis on techniques and their application to geographical concerns among human
geographers and a subsequent decline in real-world, fieldwork-oriented studies. For
example, the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in research has
meant a move away from traditional fieldwork and more laboratory-based analysis (Van
der Knaap 1999), which may be distant from the real world. As Forer (1999:96) argued,
'New geographic information technology is becoming ubiquitous, and is revolutionising
what we measure and how we measure it'. In fact, as Tarrant and Cordell (1999) noted in
their examination of outdoor recreation in US national forest areas, the use of GIS can be
an extremely valuable tool in the analysis of environmental justice and equity. The
natural corollary of the development of more techniques-based geographical courses,
some critics suggest, is the potential loss of the 'core' in human geography if applied
studies become dominant, and traditional concepts and the roots of the discipline are no
longer taught. It is ironic, therefore, that in many undergraduate geography degrees where
the development of geographical thought is taught, the broader context of applied
geography often receives limited or poor treatment in contrast to the emphasis now
placed on quantification, computer-based analysis and skills-based training.
In contrast, supporters of a more applied focus have argued that despite the apparent
splintering and fragmentation of geography in the late 1980s and 1990s as a function of
specialisation, it has made a valid contribution to society. Many able geographers have
recognised the need to move away from academia in order to make their skills,
knowledge and perspective of use to society through a range of contributions while still
being capable of reflexive analysis of their actions.
In the case of recreation and tourism, many geographers involved in these areas may
no longer be based in geography departments in universities. However, they maintain and
extend the value of a geographical analysis and understanding for the training and
research in the wider field of recreation and tourism studies. The discipline of geography,
in the UK at least, paid very little attention to the growing role of geographers in the
educational and research environment of tourism. Only in the 1990s have organisations
such as the Institute of British Geographers acknowledged the significance of recreation
and tourism as a serious area of academic study. In contrast, the Association of American
Geographers and the Canadian Association of Geographers have been much more active,
with their study groups being established since the 1970s. International organisations
such as the International Geographical Union (IGU) Study Group on the Geography of
Tourism, Leisure and Global Change (lifespan: 2000 to 2008) (formerly the IGU
Geography of Sustainable Tourism, 1994 to 2000, and IGU Commission on Tourism and