Reflections on the first decade of the HPGRG undergraduate dissertation prize: The geography and politics of reward

Abstract

The History and Philosophy of Geography Research Group launched its undergraduate dissertation prize in 2008. This paper reflects on the dissertations submitted throughout its first decade, highlighting particular themes in Deleuzian-inspired vitalism and immanence, attention to the politics of knowledge production, and the emergence of critical physical geography. The paper also discusses the practice of awarding a prize, noting evidence that this is both shaped by, and reproduces, structural inequalities in academic work. The prize exhibits a particular geography and politics within the academic prestige economy.