Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The future of geography
It appears that the divided loyalties of geographers, combined
with external perceptions of the discipline, seem to constitute
the main threats to geography reaching its full potential. Will
geographers build on their strengths and grasp the opportunities,
or will they succumb to the weaknesses and threats? We need to
organize ourselves better.
The key question for the future is: how should geography focus
and organize itself in order to maximize its strengths, make
the most of its opportunities, and fulfi l its potential? A way
to do this is suggested by the simple model of the structure of
geography shown in Figure 30. In this model, a set of concentric
zones depicts the core and periphery of geography. Integrated
geography is shown with densest shading at the centre of the
core of geography. Core areas of geography are those where
one or more of the core concepts and methods of the discipline
form an important component of research or study, whereas
peripheral areas are only loosely connected to the core. Beyond
the periphery, geography merges with interdisciplinary fi elds and
other disciplines, each of which has its own defi nable core. All
boundaries between zones are shown as broken lines to indicate
they are permeable to the fl ow of ideas, rather than barriers
between the different areas of the diagram.
Physical and human geography comprise the two halves
of the diagram, whereas the segments can be viewed as
particular specializations (such as geomorphology or economic
geography, which, for clarity, have not been named). Vertical
lines between physical and human geography represent the
differences between the two subdisciplines but, signifi cantly,
these differences do not extend into the integrated area of
the core, which is defi ned by the interaction of both physical
and human geographical elements. Equally signifi cant is the
recognition that some parts of each specialism and of the
