Understanding Of Geography Research Articles

Austere life-courses and foreclosed futures: A relational geographical approach to work, housing, and family across austerity Europe

This article seeks to advance geographical understandings of the impact of austerity on young adults in Europe and particularly on their social, relational, and temporal sense of the future. We adopt a life-course perspective to theorise personal, generational, institutional, and social change in relation to one another. Firstly, we progress relational life-course perspectives in human geography to illustrate how place-based experiences of austerity shape lived experiences, temporalities, and normative ideas surrounding life transitions. We introduce the concept of ‘foreclosed futures’ to re-examine conceptualisations of young adults’ eroding material conditions as a postponement of adulthood. We argue that the enduring impact of austerity contests the theorisation of young adults’ experiences of precarity as a transient elongation of youth. Expanding upon non-teleological life-course perspectives, we show that while austere institutions have foreclosed stable futures, the paths to precarity are myriad and rooted in geographically varied forms of austerity. Secondly, in examining how austere institutions shape young people's work, housing, and family biographies, we argue that, rather than leading to de-institutionalisation, austerity marks a process of life-course re-institutionalisation or ‘familialisation of the life-course’. To conclude, this article proposes a series of prompts for future international empirical research on austere life-courses and foreclosed futures.

An Analysis of Farmer Awareness for Banana Production from a Technological and Geographic Perspective in Indapur Tahsil of Pune District, India

The Indapur tehsil an arid climate region is gaining recognition as a prime location for banana cultivation. The identification of water sources, fertile soil, favourable climate, and income resulted in a shift towards cultivating bananas. This research identified a gap between the practices of farmers and modern agricultural techniques. The study is the first to survey farmers' understanding of geography, farming techniques, challenges faced, and factors for successful production in the region. Data was gathered from 270 banana farmers in various villages using qualitative and quantitative research methods, official documents, and on-site observations. The findings indicated that the farmers displayed a good understanding of drip irrigation and the use of liquid fertilizer through this method. Farmers showed a moderate understanding of soil quality, organic farming, tissue culture plantlets, banana variety selection, year-round farming, and crop protection. Factors such as land ownership, gender of the family head, family size, age, education, farming experience, subsidies, crop insurance, and access to information influence modern agricultural practices which is evident in the perception index. The perception index also highlights the necessity for focused attention on aspects such as application of agrochemicals to leaves, bunch feeding, the use of humidity sensors in irrigation, mulching, crop rotation, diseases caused by fungus, intercropping, cold storage, and ISO certification. Dry environments and the adoption of plantlets grown through tissue culture can reduce the risk of pest and disease issues. Rise in fertilizer and raw material cost, price fluctuations, commissions, middlemen’s dishonesty, domestic and export market support and labour costs are major issues. It is recommended to offer awareness programs and training on modern farming techniques and banana export, along with strengthening of farmers organizations and communication channels. The findings will provide important information to support sustainable banana farming for researchers, farmers, policymakers, and agricultural services.

Critical pedagogical engagement with Muslim geographies

In this commentary, I delve into critical pedagogical engagement with Muslim geographies and the Dīn of Islam, daring to go beyond the decolonial. I begin with an exploration of Sidaway's (2023a) discussion of ‘decolonising Muslim Geographies’ in the context of the pedagogical engagement of a female Muslim teacher of geography. I will develop an argument which will encourage critical geographers to ‘learn’ from Muslim geographies in deep and meaningful ways through the rich influential and intellectual traditions within the Dīn of Islam. My reflections will directly respond to Sidaway's call for a possible paradigm shift within the parameters of Eurocentric thinking to share Islamic epistemologies embedded in my own pedagogical approach. This will encompass rich and diverse intellectual traditions of Islam and geographical understanding of the concept of al-Mizān (balance) for the world that we all share.

Towards spatially disaggregated cocaine supply chain modeling

Despite the global reach and economic scale of cocaine trafficking, our best geographic understanding of the global trade remains coarse. A more spatially disaggregated understanding of how the cocaine supply chain embeds across multiple locations is necessary for informing security policies and anticipating the spread and intensity of social and environmental harms associated with the cocaine trade. In this research, modeling methods used for legal supply chains are adapted to spatially disaggregate illicit supply chain flows. Profit and supply maximization model versions were compared to elucidate key decision parameters cocaine traffickers might be facing. Cocaine flows to EU+3 (Norway, Turkey, and United Kingdom) markets were estimated based on the smuggling capacity of major Central American ports and bilateral trade volumes of selected commodities most often seized with cocaine shipments. The resulting estimates of cocaine volumes diverted to EU+3 countries from Central America ranged between 938 and 1526 metric tons (MT). Generally, easier concealment and storage in Central America led to less volume supplied to the United States (US) and increased shipments to EU+3 markets. Importantly, the value of this modeling approach is not in the quantitative estimates produced, but in the methodological approach that provides the ability to rigorously ground any quantitative estimates of clandestine phenomenon in the best available data.

Authoritarian urbanism in Pakistan and Indonesia: a conjunctural comparison of two new cities

ABSTRACT This paper conducts a conjunctural comparison of two planned new cities in Asia: Ravi City in Pakistan, and Nusantara in Indonesia. Planned urbanization, and infrastructure-led development (ILD) more broadly, has been connected in the literature to a rise in authoritarian urbanism. This paper analyses legal sources to situate the historical-geographical trajectories of Ravi City and Nusantara within the global conjunctural moment of ILD. Our legal lens reveals two features of authoritarian urbanism that connect and differentiate our study sites: (1) the legacies of colonial land laws and (2) the scalar politics of land governance. The paper highlights how authoritarian urbanism is exercised, and challenged, in legal arenas such as courts, parliaments, and constitutions. Our method of conjunctural comparison demonstrates that authoritarian urbanism is both transregional and historically-geographically situated. This paper thus advances geographic understandings of authoritarian urbanism and comparative methodology.

Changing climate, changing geographies?

AbstractEver since climate change came to occupy a place on the research and policy landscape in the 1980s, geography and geographers have been at the forefront of understanding its dynamics and social, economic, ethical, and political consequences. In this collection, we explore how the geographical understanding of climate change has evolved over time. We reflect on what we consider to be the most significant contributions that geography has made to our understanding of climate change, how the discipline's approach to this issue has changed over time, the gaps and limits in our understanding, and what the future of climate‐changed geographies might be.

The geographies of ‘stranded communities’ in energy transitions

The transition from fossil fuels poses risks to communities and industries dependent on carbon-heavy work. This article calls for geographical scholarship to engage more fully with the experiences of those ‘stranded communities’ at risk of such change. It critically reviews examples of deindustrialisation and the decline of coal communities to demonstrate how energy transitions will animate new work and extend geographical understandings of economic restructuring. This paper closes with an agenda for new scholarship to proactively envision decarbonisation in ways that are anticipatory and preventative of future processes of labour restructuring and loss.

(Re)Configuring ‘home’ for highly mobile children in early childhood education curriculum in the U.S.

ABSTRACT When teachers teach geographic understanding in early childhood education, home is commonly used as the foremost environment in which children are situated. However, this paper raises a question concerning the interplay between the concepts of home, geography in the curriculum, and children's mobility. This study explores how home is addressed in case studies, employing a mobilities lens and critical geography of home while focusing on highly mobile children, especially children experiencing homelessness. The aim of the study is to create a space to reexamine current practices that may inadvertently neglect or overlook highly mobile children in the curriculum. The study provides several implications for educators working with highly mobile children and future researchers in the field of early childhood education.

Geographies of super-philanthropy: Disaggregating the global philanthropic complex

In recent decades the world has witnessed an unparalleled growth of philanthropic initiatives and institutions that has proven inextricable from the vast accumulation and concentration of wealth on a global scale. Echoing recent calls for geographers to study philanthropy, this paper seeks to advance a critical geographical understanding of globalising philanthropy. Inspired by geographical scholarship on relational thinking, the paper frames the varied manifestations of contemporary philanthropy as a ‘philanthropic complex’ in order to understand philanthropy through central themes of relationality, intermediation and stabilisation. Advancing theories of philanthropy by characterising the complex's geographical unevenness and political functions of depoliticisation, the paper closes by outlining avenues in which relational thinking about philanthropy can advance geographical theories of elites and global development.

From Terrain to Classroom: Harnessing Ecotourism Situ Gede for Enhanced Geographic Learning

In the realm of regional development, tourism emerges as a vital catalyst, promoting economic growth and employment. This study scrutinizes Tasikmalaya City in West Java, spotlighting Situ Gede, a natural area poised for ecotourism. Managed by the regional culture and tourism office, Situ Gede harmonizes cultural and natural tourism, featuring traditions, pilgrimage, and events. The research aims to dissect ecotourism development in Situ Gede, aligning the analysis with geographic education paradigms. It identifies a confluence of cultural and natural tourism, emphasizing the need for collaborative infrastructure enhancement between government and community. Utilizing a qualitative, descriptive approach, the study gleans data from interviews, field observations, and literature. It engages with visitors, vendors, and managers, revealing Situ Gede's ecotourism potential and advocating for integrated development efforts. This inquiry not only enriches geographical understanding of regional tourism but also guides sustainable ecotourism practices, offering insights for policymakers and educators.

Model of Problem-Based Learning in Geography: Focusing on Societal Dynamics to Enhance Spatial Thinking Skills

This article explores how problem-based learning (PBL) can enhance geography education by improving spatial thinking through social dynamics. Spatial thinking is crucial for understanding geography’s social complexity and advancing STEM education quality. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Spatial-Based Learning (SBL) model are utilized to develop these skills, vital for disaster management and emergencies. The study employs participatory action research, involving students, teachers, and communities in solving real-world problems, assessing PBL’s impact on spatial thinking in geography education. The community dynamics framework emphasizes active student engagement with local communities, deepening their geographical understanding. Internet-based GIS technology facilitates collaborative spatial data analysis, promoting civic participation and social responsibility. PBL in studying societal dynamics fosters critical thinking, relevance, and authenticity in learning. By addressing real-world challenges, students improve critical thinking, problem-solving, and motivation. In conclusion, integrating PBL in geography education, focusing on societal dynamics to enhance spatial thinking, significantly improves teaching effectiveness and develops critical thinking skills crucial for geographic education.

Thinking night studies through a southern European perspective

AbstractTo emphasise the contribution of situated perspectives to the advancement of the field, this review provides a genealogy of night studies across southwestern Europe. This interdisciplinary field of research has significantly developed in English‐speaking scholarly communities, and it has only more recently been growing in importance on southwestern European scholars' research agendas. Usually, they produce research outputs in both English and a Romance language. As a result, intertwined lines of scholarly literature emerge and contribute to the advancement of night studies to different degrees, depending on international readers' proficiency in the employed (Romance) language and (inter)disciplinary interests. To help handle this accessibility issue, this review focuses on what brings night studies together, despite their heterogeneity. That is, the geographical understanding of local night space–times as situated phenomena frequently referred to as nightscape. Accordingly, the review suggests reframing the geographical nightscape as a connective concept to bridge the gaps between multilingual and multidisciplinary research, fostering the interpretation and assemblage of hybrid theoretical frameworks for situated investigations that delve into the diverse and interdependent relations co‐producing local night space–times.

Causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes. Investigating Swedish 12-13-year old students’ geographical understanding

The aim of this study was to investigate students’ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes and to examine their geographical understanding of such hazards in terms of spatial and societal-nature relations. Data consists of 134 responses from 12 to 13-year-old students who had completed an assignment in the Swedish national test in geography (2013). The responses were analysed using content and thematic analyses. Data was complemented with interviews. Results show that many students hold alternative conceptions of processes causing earthquakes at different plate boundaries, and why poor societies are more severely affected by earthquakes than rich societies. Furthermore, results show that students have a limited understanding of the extent and location of earthquakes in the world. We conclude that instruction aiming to develop students’ understanding of earthquakes as a geographical phenomenon and hazard may integrate map-reasoning skills with examples that support contextual thinking. We also suggest that in order to develop students’ relational thinking on society and nature, instruction can utilise the concept of “capital”. Furthermore, teaching needs to take in to account and design instruction to meet students’ alternative conceptions that societal consequences of earthquakes are solely predetermined by natural factors such as climate or heat.

Exploring young trans people's everyday experiences of ‘out‐of‐placeness’ and socio‐bodily dysphoria

AbstractThis paper examines how young trans people come to be positioned as, and subsequently feel, ‘out‐of‐place’ in certain everyday spaces, particularly in the socio‐political context of the contemporary UK. Through the stories of young trans people aged 14–25 collected via participatory research, I question what it feels like to be young and trans and to experience and embody such dislocating feelings as ‘out‐of‐placeness’ and socio‐bodily dysphoria, and what toll repeatedly experiencing such embodied emotions exacts on young trans people, their bodies, and life trajectories. To do so, the experience of misgendering and deadnaming, others' hostile gazes, and what I refer to as socio‐bodily dysphoria, are introduced as examples of common modes of cisnormativity and ‘out‐of‐placeness’ experienced by participants. I build on Sara Ahmed's work on the socio‐spatial positioning and experience of non‐conforming or disruptive bodies to examine how trans youth and marginalised folk more generally become ‘out‐of‐place’ and experience ‘out‐of‐placeness’ in everyday space‐times that are not affectively, socially, or materially structured to expect their bodily presence, facilitate their participation, or enable their active agency, particularly on gendered terms. Importantly, a central contribution of the article involves articulating a spatial conceptualisation of socio‐bodily dysphoria. In sum, I develop geographical analyses of young trans people's everyday encounters and crucially build geographical understandings of the emergence and fixity of socio‐bodily dysphoria and everyday marginality through the voices and stories of trans youth.

Beyond the asylum

AbstractMy research is situated within the literature looking at the processes of deinstitutionalisation of the mental health system through the lived geographies placed in between the walls of the asylum. It addresses mental health geographers' call for a situated knowledge about mental health and, by using the Italian psychiatric experience of the 1960s and 1970s as an example, stresses the importance of looking at care in both spatial and relational terms. Through a geographical understanding of the Italian psychiatric reform, that goes from Franco Basaglia's renowned work to the underrepresented experience of Turin, in northwest Italy, I will examine how space is intertwined with processes of mental health care. Additionally, I assess the role played by the interaction between spatial and relational elements in potentially enabling patients' self‐determination, empowerment and inclusion. The case of Turin—the story of which will be told through the analysis of archival material from a grassroots association called Associazione per la Lotta contro le Malattie Mentali—will serve to expand the common narrative around the Italian lesson and to give resonance to the instrumental role played at the time by both patients and civil society. By looking at the key events that led to the gradual dismantlement of the traditional psychiatric institutions in the metropolitan area of Turin, this paper contributes to the spatial turn in mental health studies, calling upon researchers to look at past achievements as something we still need to learn from and safeguard.

Géographicité, material agency and the thickness of the Earth: rediscovering Eric Dardel beyond ‘nature/culture’ dualisms

This paper reassesses and rediscovers the intellectual legacy of French geographer Eric Dardel (1899–1967). First discovered by geographers in the 1970s and 1980s, Dardel’s book L’Homme et la Terre was considered as a work predating alternatively humanistic approaches and postmodern critiques of positivism, which justifies why it passed substantially unperceived when it was first published in 1952. Yet, most of these authors have manifestly only read that book despite Dardel’s production was much larger, labelling Dardel as a ‘phenomenologist’ in a quite reductive way. Drawing upon recent literature on material agency and on phenomenology/post-phenomenology in geography, and based on the analysis of Dardel’s complete body of work, I argue that the contribution of the French geographer cannot be reduced to matters of phenomenology and subjective perception. To this end, I especially focus on Dardel’s references to the 19th-century tradition of Naturphilosophie that argued for a consubstantiality of ‘humankind’ and ‘nature’. Hence, I show how Dardel’s willingness to take seriously the materiality and agency of ‘the Earth’ through his notion of géographicité [geographicity or geographicalness] can give new and original insights to current geographies dealing with materiality, affect, human-nature hybridity and relational ontologies. Questioning dualisms such as humankind/nature, subject/object and nature/culture, early geographical understandings of the planet as a complex living being can foster the relevance of geography for both the ‘material turn’ advocating for plural agencies and for critical debates denying the principle of human supremacy over the planet.

Fluid Ecologies, Sovereignty, and Colonialism: Princely contestations over riverine islands in colonial India

This article analyses the disputes over riverine islands between two princely states in colonial southern India in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These disputes arose because of changes in the islands’ landmass caused by water movements. Such tidal temporalities challenged cartographic rigidities and the established notions of sovereignty of states. What were assumed to be sovereign, undisputed and infallible were unsettled by such hydrological power and the fluid ecologies involved. A set of challenges emanated from external concepts arising from colonialism which undermined the native geographical understanding of the land-water continuum due to the monetisation of land. This article makes a critical appraisal of this double challenge to the traditional understanding of fluid ecologies while also highlighting the counter challenges from the princely states. These contests were particularly pronounced as the princely states had considerable autonomy in internal matters of administration and thus differed from the rest of the colonial territory directly ruled by the British in India. The article contributes to the study of riverine islands by investigating the nature and fluidity of shifting islands, whose variation in temporal contexts has been barely acknowledged in Island Studies to date.

Making sense of the Ukraine war: Geographers should not be afraid of geography

AbstractIn this commentary I respond to the editor's dual invitation to offer critical geographical understandings of the Ukraine war and to reply to Ian Klinke's (Klinke, 2023) specific criticisms of my arguments about the role of NATO expansion in it. I suggest that first, we should recognise that geographical factors are crucial in understanding why the war occurred. Second, we need to theorise how geographical imaginations influence international relations and have done here in the form of NATO expansion. Finally, we should explore counter‐mappings of European futures in ways that could help us move towards a resolution of this terrible war.

The ‘deer‐men’ and the ‘bowhead‐men’: The colonial co‐optation of Arctic Indigenous knowledge within the ‘origins of the Inuit’ debates

AbstractDrawing on recent literatures that explore the complicated role of ‘Indigenous intermediaries’ within histories of geographical exploration, and bringing these into dialogue with research exposing the colonial nature of geographical knowledge, this article studies the ways in which information extracted from an Indigenous Arctic informant named Nocum was crucial in the formation of troubling geographical understandings regarding Inuit ‘origins’ and migration. The article analyses the extractive nature of the intellectual contributions offered by the American traveller and scholar William Healey Dall, and situates them amidst their troubling imperial and racialised context. The article concludes by arguing that geographers must continue to identify and reflect critically on the role of indigenous peoples within the historical (co)production of geographical knowledge, but that they must be equally attentive to the ways this knowledge was regularly used to inform and justify various forms of imperial intervention and colonial violence.

Towards a post-foundational geography: Spaces of negativity, contingency, and antagonism

The relation between politics, ontology, and space remains one of the most contested concerns in human geography, often leading to a dismissal of ontology in favor of the politicization of space. In contrast, this article mobilizes post-foundationalism to propose a political ontology of space. After reviewing geographers’ engagements with politics, post-politics and the political, the article demonstrates how a post-foundational geography radically uproots geographic understandings of political and socio-spatial realities. Grounded upon parameters of negativity, contingency, and antagonism, the article equips geographers to grapple with the crumbling foundations of an uncertain present, and unknown futures.