The contested spaces of Cuban development: Post-socialism, post-colonialism and the geography of transition

The experience of the (post)socialist South has been marginal to the study of transition, despite the many similarities between processes of transition and development. This paper tries to better understand this overlap by exploring some empirical and conceptual connections between processes of development and processes of transition in Cuba. In doing so it makes two sets of arguments. The first set of arguments concerns the nature of ‘transition’ itself. I use the ‘contested spaces’ of the Cuban (socialist) biotech sector, and specifically its attempts to attract foreign (capitalist) investment as a case study. As a high profile industry, biotechnology functioned in Cuba as a political space within which questions of transition and development could be reconfigured by blurring the boundaries between them. In turn, this has enabled the Cuban State to legitimise responses to transition that would otherwise have appeared contradictory. The second set of arguments try to explain how this was possible. I argue that the slippage between nationalist and socialist visions of development allowed biotechnology (as a specifically developmentalist project) to be variously understood as, for example, a post-colonial socialist, or anti-colonial nationalist project in ways that suited the needs of transition at any one time. Such recombinations in many ways account for the non-linear and reversible nature of transition in Cuba. I speculate as to whether Bruno Latour’s work on the way capitalist societies understand themselves to be ‘modern’, helps explain how, in (post)socialist countries, processees of transition can be shaped through different historical constructions of modernisation and development.     

Geography’s changing lexicon: measuring disciplinary change in Anglophone human geography through journal content analysis

Much writing on changing trends in geographical practices is based on subjective interpretations of the discipline’s scholarly output. This paper introduces a data source which provides quantitative information on the discipline’s lexicon through full-text searching of the contents of five of the discipline’s major Anglophone journals. Analysis of the large data set identifies two main trends in geography’s language and practices during the period 1950-1998: one group of terms associated with quantitative work became prominent in the 1970s but declined in relative importance thereafter - though by no means disappearing from the lexicon; the other, comprising a range of terms generally associated with cultural and social geography, increased in prominence from the 1980s on.     

Beyond geography: The geography of the beyond in ancient Japan

This paper is a review of the literature on the world-view of the ancient cosmography of Japan. It explores the structure of cosmographical space as it was conceived, through archaeological evidence, historical written records and comparative study of primitive religion. It then goes on to examine in some detail the landscape of that world-view, which reflected the actual physiography of Japan, only in mirror-image. It is argued that several aspects of the ancient world-view continue to influence not only some Japanese customs, but also play an underestimated role in determining some important aspects of land use in modern Japan, particularly that associated with mountains and Shint shrines.     

The future of geography

This paper is an attempt to assess the current state and future prospects of Geography especially but not only in Britain. It is quasi-polemical and should be read in that spirit. The paper looks first at the notable successes of physical and human geography. It then considers how these successes are being buttressed by current events taking place in the world. Next, the paper considers the main problems that beset geography. Finally, however, the paper ends on another positive note by considering some of the exciting new developments that are now taking place in the discipline which will allow it to relate to more of the many worlds that make up geography's vocation.     

The geography of tourism and leisure in Italy

The study of the geography of tourism in Italy has developed progressively over the last fifty years.The principal arguments of over two hundred specialist publications concern the tourist region, the place of geography in the study of tourism, the relations between tourism and land's organisation and the impact of tourism on the environment. Many regional and local studies have contributed to the more precise definition of the methodology and competence of this research field.The geography of leisure has been neglected because of the absence of an Italian equivalent to the term leisure and its consequent absence as a notion from Italian culture. The studies in this field are still at first attempt.     

The geography of suicide terrorism in Israel

Palestinian suicide terrorism has been a key feature in the latest phase of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. During the past decade, and particularly since September 2000, there has been a substantial increase in the use of this type of warfare. Recent studies suggest that, contrary to common belief, suicide terrorism is highly rational and driven by strategic considerations. This article explores the rationality of Palestinian suicide terrorism from a geographical perspective. It is argued that suicide terrorism works along two parallel paths: rationality and randomness. It complies with geographical fundamentals, and target selection is highly rational, subject to spatial considerations such as distance, agglomeration, and accessibility. As the permeability to Israel became more difficult, suicide bombers and their organizers had to adopt more flexible practices which emphasized other spatial considerations. Timing is of importance both for strategic and tactical reasoning. Obstructing negotiations and peace talks has been a salient objective, but the exact timing of suicide bombings has been influenced by tactical considerations, which aim at maximizing casualties.     

The geography of property in inner-city Johannesburg

Questions surrounding property investment and the geography of property have been little researched in African cities. In this paper an examination is undertaken of the changing geography of property in the Johannesburg inner-city. Six distinct property districts in the inner-city are defined and their major property developments discerned. Ownership of the inner-city is narrowly focussed in the hands of 20 core institutional investors. Overall the problems of Johannesburg's economically declining inner-city property market are reflected in patterns of office rentals, vacancies and occupation.     

The problem of historicity in physical geography

Historicity forms for logic the direct antithesis of regularity. In recognition of this dialectical premise physical geography has attempted to remove the historical contingent element of its phenomena in order to emphasise the regularity, and by so doing legimitise its status as a scientific discipline. This has resulted in a schism between empirical knowledge and the accepted theoretical structures. The regularity of geodynamic processes is apparent only on the basis of contingent clusters that in their essential characteristics are subject to historical change. Analysis becomes therefore a question of attribution, reconstructing individual clusters of causal determinants, each cluster being described as an individual outcome rather than the embodiment of necessary laws. The concept of the historical within geography must be clearly separated from the pseudo-historical development concept, as employed in relation to the theory of deterministic chaos. The scientific methodological problem, present in geography because of the incongruence between the logical assessment and the empirical subject matter, is here considered as the basis for the application of the evolutionary epistomological theory which not only recognises this incongruence but also clarifies and makes explicable its origin.The authors gratefully acknowledge the translation of this paper rendered by Prof. Dr. E. M. Yates, King's College, London.     

When seed fails: The contested nature of neoliberalism in South Korea

In recent years, many geographers have examined the ways that the production of nature has changed as a result of neoliberal practices. In this paper we examine a conflict in South Korea that started when some Chinese-cabbage seeds were affected by a virus, causing crop failure. This failure came shortly after liberalization in the Korean seed industry led to foreign ownership of the firm that sold the seed. We focus in particular on the farmers’ creative political responses - and their subsequent defeat in court. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s insights on politics, science, and law, we examine how the seed failure came to be evaluated through scientific and legal practices. We argue that the adjudication of the truth of the seed failure through science and law reveals how socionatures are contested under prevailing hegemonic conditions. These conditions are both general and specific: although law and science are relatively hegemonic spheres of truth-production in all capitalist societies, the ways that the seeds were disputed and evaluated were distinctly Korean.     

The role of geography in education in England and Wales

Geography within England and Wales has undergone several important changes since its development as a school and university subject during the 19th century. The 1960s were an especially important period of major change with the introduction of scientific, conceptual elements to the field. Those changes were accompanied by several curriculum projects of national scope that brought the new geography to the classroom. In the 1980s, geography was recognized as a foundation subject, giving it renewed importance within the curriculum of the secondary schools. Government intervention has increased within most aspects of education, especially with regard to examinations and training for employment, thus placing greater strains upon the teaching force. Within the general framework of education, geography provides a unique perspective. As a discipline, it infuses a global dimension at the macro-level and a sense of place at the micro-level. That perspective is important since it bridges general knowledge of the discipline to social and environmental issues at various scales.     

The changing geography of morbidity and mortality in post-communist Poland

In general, the health of Poles improved markedly in the thirty years after the Second World War, but there was some deterioration after 1989 before improvement resumed. Only in the case of cancer is there an upward trend and so Poles are now healthier than they have been at any time in the past. However there are sharp regional variations well exemplified by the incidence of tuberculosis, where there appears to be some correlation with poorer housing and atmospheric pollution. High death rates in Lodz (consistently the highest in the country at the voivodship level between 1989 and 1996), may also be linked with environmental pollution as well as the ageing of the population. Variations between town and country are small, but Poland shows up in a poor light when compared with other European countries. These are important issues for the administration and financing of the welfare services. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The non spaces of critical geography in Mexico

The paper examines the limited presence of critical geography in Mexico and analyses why the lack of theoretical discussion means there is a need for theory from abroad. Different stages in the development of our critical practice, our links with planning programmes, and a lack of relations with other Latin American countries are all salient features.     

The unity of geography in the USA and the USSR

Summary The discipline of geography, both ancient and new, is periodically subject to centrifugal tendencies, threatening its integrity and cohesion as a subject. From very different traditions, this question of philosophical unity has lain at the heart of many controversies and re-examinations of the value and place of geography in the Soviet Union and the United States in recent years, both as an academic subject and with respect to its practical applicability. This article attempts a comparative and personal view of what has happened to geography, mainly over the last quarter of a century, in these two countries, focussed on this unity question.     

Encyclopaedic vision: Speculating on The Dictionary of Human Geography

Since the turn of the millennium, human geography has witnessed the publishing of an increasing number encyclopaedias and dictionaries as well as books under the headings of “handbooks”, “readers” and “companions” to different fields within the discipline. In the present paper, I take as a point of departure this encyclopaedic “frenzy” in order to speculate on the works and values of a long-standing and authoritative geographical companion, The Dictionary of Human Geography (DHG) [Johnston, R.J., Gregory, D., Haggett, P., Smith, D.M., Stoddart, D.R. (Eds.), 1981. The Dictionary of Human Geography. Blackwell, Oxford; Johnston, R.J., Gregory, D., Smith, D.M. (Eds.), 1986a. The Dictionary of Human Geography, second ed. Blackwell, Oxford; Johnston, R.J., Gregory, D., Smith, D.M. (Eds.), 1994. The Dictionary of Human Geography, third ed. Blackwell, Oxford; Johnston, R.J., Gregory, D., Pratt, G., Watts, M. (Eds.), 2000a. The Dictionary of Human Geography, fourth ed. Blackwell, Oxford]. Apart from being subject to regular book reviews, the DHG has escaped attention from geographers critically engaged in debating the works of the discipline. It is argued here that this is due to the fact that the DHG appears to have established itself as an apparently objective recording of human geographers’ myriad of interests. The DHG is, however, a product of complex webs of subjective, situated concerns and thus a version of the discipline deserving of debate.     

The geography of federal allocations in the United States preliminary tests of some hypotheses for political geography

Governments are among the largest spenders in most countries, and their spatial allocation policies have considerable impact on variation in levels of well-being. In a preliminary attempt to develop a theory to account for the geography of government spending, this note uses electoral variables to estimate interstate variations in federal allocations to states within the U.S.A., based on a model of the politician as a vote-plurality maximizer. Results of the preliminary tests are encouraging and suggest lines for further investigation.