Intertwining globality and locality: bibliometric analysis based on the top geography annual conferences in America and China

Abstract

Academic conferences are key places for knowledge communication, innovation and production. Since the papers from large geography conferences are an important manifestation of the trending topics and frontiers of geographical research, we break through the limitations of traditional conference reviews through implementation of a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of conference papers. This is of great significance for understanding the subject characteristics and communication modes of academic geography. This article argues that: the American Association of Geographers’ Annual Meeting (hereinafter referred to as AAG) and China Conference on Geography (CCG) have both similarities and differences in their characteristics, especially in their focus on specific geographical problems; under the influence of the conference history, academic authority, and institutional culture, AAG and CCG respectively highlight “globality” and “locality” characteristics, and there are partial common concerns and multiple interweavings on global and local research topics. Compared with AAG’s diversified technical applications and sub-discipline development, CCG has neglected humanistic thinking in the empirical bias. With the continuous intersection and integration of different disciplines or areas, the geography of each country in the future should jointly enhance the inclusiveness and openness of academic conferences to promote academic freedom and develop solutions to geographic issues.