From the Editor

Abstract

From the Editor David J. Robinson Once again, here are eight studies on a wide range of topics covering issues from Mexico to Argentina, and a series of book and webpage reviews drawing attention to quite distinctive modes of presentation. Kathleen Farley examines the relevance of forest transition theory in three Ecuadorian plantations where rural landowners face opportunities and barriers in implementing what they perceive as distinctive pathways to change. Such challenges are echoed in Julie Kentnor's analysis of the role of cooperativism facing the problems of the impact of globalization in the wine industry of Argentina's Mendoza province. David Salisbury moves us north to examine a little-noted, but geopolitically significant process—the establishment of military settlements on the frontiers of the Peruvian Amazonia. Uti possidetis is still clearly relevant throughout the entire Amazonian region, even if these posts have little real value as nodes of economic development. Maria Perevochtchikova's detailed analysis of the disastrous floods of 2007 in Tabasco, Mexico, is accompanied by a new form of online presentation proposed earlier in JLAG-- our first video clip. This clip, kindly provided by a TV station, raises a new issue for geography graduate methods courses: are we training students how to make video and audio clips and animations in this new technological era? Do the field sketch-pad, camera, notebook and pencil suffice in a world of i-reporting when cheap video and audio recording methods allow us to see what's happening, and hear the people speak for themselves? What is it that "makes" a place? In essence, that is the central question of Dan Gade's essay on the city of Sucre, Bolivia. Efforts to describe the personality of place have a long-standing tradition, albeit now abandoned by most, in geography, and this study provides a refreshing glance back at the challenges of describing emotional reactions to a special place. If a town can be special, then how can a complex nation mold its identity? That is the central theme of Seth Dixon's fascinating account of the role of statuary and heritage formation in Mexico City. Iconographic representations of historic "latin" linkages are demonstrated to be of key significance in Mexico's political and cultural elite's view of themselves and their unwitting pueblo. Special places do not, of course, have only to be settlements, as Christian Stassig reports in his account of the ongoing study of the Panamanian Camino Real connecting the colonial Caribbean and Pacific ports. Historic routes (cf. El Camino del Inca) can be mapped, and now sold as tourist adventures: historical geography made live, and for some profitable. Jean-Yves Puyo opens new avenues of research by identifying in the French military archives abundant documentation related to the French intervention in the 1860s. Such archival materials will provide a significant addition to the riches of the well-known Mission Scientifique. [End Page 5] Del Editor Una vez más, aquí presentamos ocho estudios que están tocando temas desde México a Argentina, más una serie de resenas de interesante paginas Web y libros recientemente publicados. Kathleen Farley examina la relevancia de la teoría de la transición forestal en tres plantaciones ecuatorianas, donde los dueños de tierra confrontan las oportunidades y obstáculos para implementar lo que ellos perciben como caminos al cambio. Tales desafíos hacen resonancias en el análisis de Julie Kentnor sobre el rol de cooperativismo frente a los problemas en la industria vinícola argentina causados por el proceso de globalización. David Salisbury nos mueve al norte para examinar un proceso poco estudiado, pero significativo desde la perspective geopolítica—el establecimiento de postas/pueblos militares en las fronteras amazónicas del Peru. Uti possidetis es todavía muy relevante en toda Amazonía, aunque estas postas han tenido poco éxito como polos de desarrollo economico. El análisis detallado de María Perevochtchikova sobre las inundaciones desastrosas del 2007 en Tabasco, México, es acompañado por una nueva forma de presentación en línea, tal como se hizo la invitacion en estas páginas hace dos años: nuestro primer clip de video. El uso...