Gary S Dunbar – författare

Essays on the history of geography by Emmanuel de Martonne, Paul Claval, Philippe Pinchemel, Hermann Wagner, Alfred Hettner, Hanno Beck.

This book charts the developments in the discipline of geography from the 1950s to the 1980s, examining how geography now connects with urban, regional and national planning, and impacts on areas such as medicine, transport, agricultural development and electoral reform. The book also discusses how technical and theoretical advancements have generated a renewed sense of philosophic reflection – a concern closely linked with the critical examination and development of social theory.

This book charts the developments in the discipline of geography from the 1950s to the 1980s, examining how geography now connects with urban, regional and national planning, and impacts on areas such as medicine, transport, agricultural development and electoral reform. The book also discusses how technical and theoretical advancements have generated a renewed sense of philosophic reflection – a concern closely linked with the critical examination and development of social theory.

Gary S. Dunbar "Pro-fesh-yon-al-i-zay-shun . . . pro-fesh-yon-al-i-ZAY-shunl . . . I do not think I like that word . . . I am quite certain I do not like that wordl," said A. F. Martin of Oxford University in 1980 when I mentioned to him that I was making a study of the professionalization of geography in Europe and North America from about 1870 to 1930. I should not have been surprised by his reply, because Mr. Martin, a highly regarded lecturer, tutor, and university man, was in some ways a typical example of his generation of British geographers, in that he did not have an advanced degree and his publication record was meager. Except for a single remarkable essay (Martin 1951), he was not well known in the field of geography, at least not outside the United Kingdom. Was he, then, a professional geographer? Yes, indeed, because he was a full-time scholar in a distinguished university, even though he lacked the sort of credentials that have been demanded of subsequent generations of scholars, at Oxford and elsewhere. I certainly do not mean to denigrate Martin or his ilk; I am simply using this anecdote to launch a book on the emergence of modern geography.

Gary S. Dunbar "Pro-fesh-yon-al-i-zay-shun . . . pro-fesh-yon-al-i-ZAY-shunl . . . I do not think I like that word . . . I am quite certain I do not like that wordl," said A. F. Martin of Oxford University in 1980 when I mentioned to him that I was making a study of the professionalization of geography in Europe and North America from about 1870 to 1930. I should not have been surprised by his reply, because Mr. Martin, a highly regarded lecturer, tutor, and university man, was in some ways a typical example of his generation of British geographers, in that he did not have an advanced degree and his publication record was meager. Except for a single remarkable essay (Martin 1951), he was not well known in the field of geography, at least not outside the United Kingdom. Was he, then, a professional geographer? Yes, indeed, because he was a full-time scholar in a distinguished university, even though he lacked the sort of credentials that have been demanded of subsequent generations of scholars, at Oxford and elsewhere. I certainly do not mean to denigrate Martin or his ilk; I am simply using this anecdote to launch a book on the emergence of modern geography.