Freshwater geographies: Experimenting with knowing and doing geography differently

The fair and effective governance of freshwater is an increasingly prominent issue in New Zealand. Emerging from a complex of cultural, economic and biophysical narratives, freshwater geographies are multiple, varied and increasingly acknowledged as worthy of interdisciplinary scrutiny. In this commentary, we reflect on a series of generative spaces that we – as group of postgraduate geographers (plus supporting staff) – created to engage with the multiplicity of freshwater meanings both within and beyond the academy. Through this evolving epistemic‐political project, we significantly reframed our own understandings about what freshwater ‘is’ and how it ought to be governed. By pursuing a deeper understanding of how the world gets made, we expand our ability to know and make it differently.     

Book Review and Doctoral Theses

The article discusses the importance of services as agents of internationalisation. Services are seen as dynamic agents of change, and services and commodities are considered composite in production processes. Modes of entering the global scene such as trade in services, foreign direct investment, forming of alliances, franchising and intrafirm trade are focused on, and limits to globalisation are highlighted. Some services, particularly advanced business services, more easily fall prey to institutional and cultural constraints than others. Empirically, Norway is analysed as an arena of international services against the background of its historical tradition particularly in shipping and affiliated activities. Recently, however, manufacturing has gained in importance, mainly in exports and to a lesser extent in imports, due to the petroleum economy. This appears to indicate that export of services has lost momentum over time. The development profile in shipping is highly negative. The negative picture changes somewhat when not only the trade balance, but also investment abroad is considered. In this respect, services have grown in relative importance, notably in the financial sector and in telecommunications. When juxtaposing outgoing and incoming investments, petroleum-related services have gained an increased export and investment surplus in recent years, from a balance in the mid-1990s.     

After the 1997 financial crisis in Bangkok: The behaviour and implications of a new cohort of street vendors

After the 1997 financial crisis, many retrenched workers preferred not to return to provincial homes but remained in Bangkok to establish informal retail businesses in branded and other consumer products. In contrast to traditional street vendors, who specialized in food items primarily catering for low‐income customers, and focused on high volume, these ‘new generation’ street vendors also adopted more formal business practices. Given their greater sophistication and better education, we hypothesized that they would be more organized advocates of vendors' rights and thus more prone to conflicts with municipal authorities. Based on interviews, however, we found that new generation vendors are adaptive to location and business strategy, and prefer a low profile in dealing with officialdom. By contrast, traditional vendors remained more tied to particular spaces, are more likely to stand up for their rights to use public space and, because they expect more from government, are more prone to conflicts with municipal authorities. Our findings relate to ongoing discussion on the rights and needs of street vendors to access urban public space and the responsibilities of authorities to meet and provide for these informal sector livelihoods that make up a significant share of the national economy in Thailand, as elsewhere in the global South.     

玛纳斯河流域人工绿洲扩张对社会经济和生态环境的影响分析

 利用2007—2009年的实地调查资料,结合1958—2006年的5期遥感影像解译数据,从干旱区内陆河流域典型绿洲的演变进程出发,分析了新中国成立以来近60 a玛纳斯河流域人工绿洲快速扩张的影响,强调了保持绿洲适宜规模的重要性,并从可持续发展的角度探讨了绿洲今后发展的方向。主要结论为:①近60 a玛纳斯河流域耕地和绿洲分别以107.756 km2·a-1和122.401 km2·a-1的速度迅速增长,二者扩张的方向基本一致;②绿洲的快速扩张对社会经济产生一定推动作用的同时,也带来了一系列的环境问题。如地表水利用率超过90%,地下水过度开采并以0.5~1 m·a-1的速度下降,水质污染增加,防护林大量死亡,森林破坏严重,草地从1958年到2006年减少4 316.39 km2,土地荒漠化威胁严重等;③从可持续发展的角度看,控制绿洲规模,适度开采地下水,转变产业结构,建立生态补偿机制等是今后本区发展的关键。     

Popular Culture,Geopolitics, and Identity

Abstract

This study aims to theoretically investigate the notion of critical thinking for a more just understanding of self and “others” in global geographical learning. It focuses on the kinds of injustice in the world which are driven by our relationships with “others.” By drawing on the literature of critical education, philosophy of education, and geography education, this study reveals how universal notions of criticality tend to easily undermine those perceived as global others and may highlight, in deficit mode, their perceived differences. Instead, the study presents the imperative of deconstructive thinking for a more just world. The article concludes by proposing a teaching strategy for alternative criticality which strives for justice in school geography.     

Colorado’s Millennial Generation: Youth Perceptions and Experiences of Nature

Abstract

This study uses survey and focus group methods to explore attitudes toward and experiences of nature among millennial-aged students in northern Colorado. First, results confirm that young people possess a strong interest in the outdoors yet time, transportation, and new technologies hamper their ability to visit public lands and outdoor spaces. Second, respondents experience nature in ways more mediated by new technologies such as cell phones and nature DVDs. Third, citizen science and active learning show promise as techniques for returning young people to the outdoors. The challenge lies in teaching young people to reimagine the outdoors not as elsewhere or out there but as a backyard geographic space.     

Field Trips as Valuable Learning Experiences in Geography Courses

Abstract

Field trips have been acknowledged as valuable learning experiences in geography. This article uses Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning model to discuss how students learn and how field trips can help enhance learning. Using Kolb’s experiential learning theory as a guide in the design of field trips helps ensure that field trips contribute to internalizing relevant geographical theory and concepts. Three types of field trips are presented: an informal survey of a neighborhood, a more formal scavenger hunt, and a virtual field trip using Google Earth.

Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.

—Kolb (1984)     

The Challenges and Rewards of Introducing Field Trips Into a Large Introductory Geography Class

Fieldwork is an essential component of undergraduate geographic education, but with growing enrollment and limited resources few first-year instructors incorporate this activity in their courses. This article reports on the challenges of incorporating fieldwork into a large first-year course and the strategies adopted to respond to these challenges and the achieved learning benefits. Field trips were created to cater to approximately 120 students directly engaged in field activities, with each student submitting an individual written report. Through the field activities, students developed a better understanding of geography, a stronger class community, and a more positive relationship with instructional staff.     

Time and Practice: Learning to Become a Geographer

Abstract

Illustrated Dictionary of Place Names: United States and Canada. By Kelsie B. Harder. New York: Van Nostrand, 1976. Pp. xiv + 631, $18.95.

Middle America: Its Lands and Peoples. 2nd ed. By Robert C. West and John P. Augelli. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1976. Pp. xvii + 494, $14.95.

Contemporary Africa: Geography and Change. Edited by C. Gregory Knight and James L. Newman. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1976. Pp. xiv + 546, $14.95.

Atlas of Mexico. By Stanley A. Arbingast et al. 2nd ed. Austin, Tex.: Bureau of Business Research, University of Texas, 1975. Pp. ix + 165, $15.00.

Readings in Social Geography. Edited by Emrys Jones. London: Oxford University Press, 1975. Pp. 328, $18.50 and $6.95.

California: Patterns on the Land. 5th ed. By Robert Durrenberger and Robert Johnson. A California Council for Geographic Education Publication. Palo Alto, Calif.: Mayfield Publishing, 1976. Pp. viii + 134, $6.95.

Studying China in Elementary and Secondary Schools, Studying India in Elementary and Secondary Schools, and Studying Japan in Elementary and Secondary Schools. By Leonard S. Ken-worthy. World Affairs Guides. New York: Teachers College Press, 1975. Pp. 68, iii + 67, and iii + 65, $2.75 each.

World Regional Geography: A Question of Place. By Paul Ward English and James Andrew Miller. Harper &; Row Series in Geography. New York: Harper &; Row, 1977. Pp. xiii + 591, $15.95.

Census Data: Geographic Significance and Classroom Utility. Edited by Borden D. Dent. Tualatin, Oreg.: Geographic and Area Study Publications, 1976. Pp. ix + 277.

The Middle East: A Geographical Study. By Peter Beaumont, Gerald H. Blake, and Malcolm J. Wagstaff. London: John Wiley &; Sons, 1976. Pp. xvii + 572, $25.50 and $14.95.

Man's Economic Environment. By Edgar C. Conklingand Maurice Yeates. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1976. Pp. xi + 308, $11.95.

Applied Climatology: An Introduction. 2nd ed. By John F. Griffiths. New York/London: Oxford University Press, 1976. Pp. xiii + 136, $9.00.

Man and the Environment: Regional Perspectives. Edited by J. H. Holmes. Hawthorn, Victoria: Longman Australia Pty Limited, 1976. Pp. vi + 261, $7.95.

Introduction to Cultural Geography. 5th ed. By Henry M. Kendall, Robert M. Glendinning, Clifford H. MacFadden, and Craig H. MacFadden. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976. Pp. xx + 449, $12.95.

Interpretation of Aerial Photographs. 3rd ed. By Thomas Eugene Avery. Minneapolis, Minn.: Burgess Publishing Company, 1977. Pp. xi + 392, $14.95.

Geography of the U.S.S.R. 3rd ed. By Paul Lydolph. New York: John Wiley &; Sons, 1977. Pp. xi + 495, $18.95.     

Lens on Climate Change: Making Climate Meaningful Through Student-Produced Videos

Learning about climate change is tangible when it addresses impacts that can be observed close to home. In this program, sixty-four diverse middle and high school students produced videos about locally relevant climate change topics. Graduate and undergraduate students provided mentorship. The program engaged students in research and learning about climate change, and sparked their interest in science careers. Evaluation results showed that students were highly motivated by the experience, developed a genuine interest in their science topic, learned about the scientific process, and developed twenty-first century skills. The program provided a unique and authentic approach to science learning and communication.