Training for Research in Political Geography

Abstract

Political geography is perhaps the human phase of geography, since it deals so largely with the strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions of men. If political geography itself had reached a more mature stage of development, it would be easier to discuss the problem of training for research in it. As things stand, so much of the field is still virgin that the pioneers who venture into it will receive the better part of their training through actual cultivation of its soil. One might, of course, select a number of the urgent political problems facing humanity today-collective security versus balance of power, or the future international position of China, or what not-and try to figure out how persons should be trained to investigate them from the geographical point of view, but any such selection could represent only a small fraction of the many types of problem with which political geography might potentially deal, and furthermore no two individuals would ever agree on what are the most urgent problems. My approach will be more general. Obviously those responsible for training others to undertake research in political geography should, first, have as clear a notion as possible of the various topics with which such research might deal in a useful manner, and then try to develop in their students the proficiencies needed for conducting such research. In this paper, accordingly, the potential scope of political geography and the question of training will be discussed separately.