Editors' Introduction

Abstract

Editors' Introduction Hilda E. Kurtz and Deepak R. Mishra We are pleased to introduce the second issue of 2017. This issue of Southeastern Geographer once again showcases the diversity and energy of our discipline as it ranges across physical, human and techniques-oriented domains. William Graves and Ronald Kalafsky revisit Glasmeier and Leichenko's (1996) evaluation of the Southern economy in relation to the global economy. Examining geographies of economic evolution in the region, they find mixed results. The region has progressed in some measures relative to the nation, and regressed in others. The authors suggest linkages between their findings and region-wide wage structure and other policy stances. In "The work of southering: 'Southern justice' and the moral landscape of uneven racism", David Jansson suggests that scholars may inadvertently reproduce discourses of internal orientalism in analyses of the Southern region. After demonstrating the ways in which even analyses intended to unsettle stereotyping of the region may on some level reinforce sterotyping, Jansson suggests several pathways for avoiding such missteps. Jansson introduces several key concepts which readers of Southeastern Geographer are likely to find constructive. The paper by Ping Yin examined the gestational and trimester-specific association of high outdoor temperature and full-term birth weight and risk of low birth weight. The study found a significant but weak association of gestational or trimester-specific high temperature exposure with birth weight in Georgia between 2000 and 2006. No adverse effects of high outdoor temperature were found on low birth weight risk except for the number of hot days (days with temperature greater than 103°F) in the second trimester. Based on the weak association, the author concluded that the high outdoor temperature may not be a major threat to low birth weight in Georgia because of people's adaptive behavior. However, as climate change proceeds, it is important to understand how warming trends will affect the reproductive health in developing countries since this information can help guide local public health adaptation efforts. Mulrooney et al. developed a method to measure relative food availability using a raster or pixel based relative travel time index (PRTI). This study was part of a larger research project investigating rural food insecurity around Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the greater Fort Bragg area. PRTI represents the ratio of travel time to the nearest healthy food source versus that to the nearest unhealthy food source at the pixel level thus providing a more comprehensive visualization of food access in a specific geographic area. The authors found that in a four county region southeast of Fayetteville food swamps were prevalent in northern Robeson [End Page 110] County and a swath running through central Sampson County. They also found the percentage of minority residents was statistically higher in PRTI derived rural food swamps than non-food swamps and indicators related to low-income were found to be to be statistically significant than non-food desert counterparts. This research may improve our understanding of the spatial distribution of food swamps as well as interpretation of the food environment in any given region. In addition, this issue includes a full book review section. In short, the articles in this issue showcase scholarship that engages with geographic change at a wide geographic range and highlight the contemporary issues in the region. We conclude by inviting proposals for themed issues of Southeastern Geographer, as well as inviting readers to continuing submitting excellent work to the journal. If you would like to organize a themed issue, please send a 2-page proposal highlighting the summary, justification, list of specific research areas, and potential author names/affiliation (if already known) to Email: segeditors@uga.edu. [End Page 111] Hilda E. Kurtz and Deepak R. Mishra University of Georgia Copyright © 2017 Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers