Showing papers in "The Professional Geographer in 1994"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a reflexive examination of a research project on sexual identities and highlight some of the key ethical questions that face researchers conducting fieldwork, especially with regard to the relationship between the researcher and those being researched.
Abstract: Feminist and poststructural challenges to objectivist social science demand greater reflection by the researcher with the aim of producing more inclusive methods sensitive to the power relations in fieldwork. Following a discussion of contrasting approaches to these power relations, I present a reflexive examination of a research project on sexual identities. My reflections highlight some of the key ethical questions that face researchers conducting fieldwork, especially with regard to the relationship between the researcher and those being researched. My discussion of these dilemmas reflect the situated and partial nature of our understanding of “others.” I argue that the researcher's positionality and biography directly affect fieldwork and that fieldwork is a dialogical process which is structured by the researcher and the participants.
1,558 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that by interrogating the multiple positionings of intellectuals and the means by which knowledge is produced and exchanged, field researchers and those with whom they work can find common ground to construct a politics of engagement that does not compartmentalize social actors along solitary axes.
Abstract: Many questions-practical, strategic, political, ethical, personal-are raised by conducting field research. Some of these seem, or are constituted as, separate from the “research itself,” yet are integral to it. In this paper I attempt to cut through the breach that divides the doing of fieldwork and the fieldwork itself by addressing what constitutes the “field,” what constitutes a field researcher, and what constitutes data under contemporary conditions of globalization. Drawing on my work in New York City and Sudan, I argue that by interrogating the multiple positionings of intellectuals and the means by which knowledge is produced and exchanged, field researchers and those with whom they work can find common ground to construct a politics of engagement that does not compartmentalize social actors along solitary axes.
617 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a critical theory of political construction is proposed to address the challenges of essentialism and naturalism in the Japanese-Canadian community in a context where other voices are being heard, but the legitimacy of one individual or group to represent another is being challenged.
Abstract: My experiences combining research and activism within the Japanese-Canadian community reflect a growing concern among feminist and anti-racist scholars with the politics of work among people marginalized by racism and sexism. This concern arises within a context where “other voices” are being heard, but the legitimacy of one individual or group to represent another is being challenged. Such challenges require that essentialism and naturalism be addressed politically and theoretically, a difficult irony given the need to utilize essentialist categories to address the oppressive conditions under which they emerged. To do so, a critical theory of political construction is required.
434 citations
TL;DR: Feminist scholars have traditionally emphasized the importance of incorporating "the everyday" worlds of women into the historically masculinist theoretical and empirical foundations of the social sciences as discussed by the authors, which resulted in smaller-scale research projects and more interactive kinds of research methods and methodologies.
Abstract: Feminist scholars have traditionally emphasized the importance of incorporating “the everyday” worlds of women into the historically masculinist theoretical and empirical foundations of the social sciences. Such emphases have commonly resulted in smaller-scale research projects and more interactive kinds of research methods and methodologies. Feminist geographers have uniquely contributed to the body of feminist scholarship through drawing out the importance of place in everyday constructions of gender and, more recently, sexuality. Critical field-based research has therefore from the beginning been the mainstay of subdisciplinary research. Like the discipline as a whole, however, little explicit attention has been given in publications or pedagogically to the politics of fieldwork (including how a “field” is defined and the politics involved in choosing and working in a particular “field”) or the politics of representation (which includes considerations of the partiality of knowledge and how and to whom ...
427 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that we need to examine more critically our feminist research methods in terms of the unequal power relationships on which the research process necessarily rests, drawing on their own research on the survival strategies of low-waged women workers in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Abstract: Feminist research methodologies have many advantages over more traditional positivist methodologies. Feminist research is differentiated from nonfeminist research in terms of its critiques of universality and objectivity and its emancipatory purpose. Drawing on my own research on the survival strategies of low-waged women workers in Worcester, Massachusetts, I argue that we need to examine more critically our feminist research methods in terms of the unequal power relationships on which the research process necessarily rests.
230 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a method for inferring regional economic structure and prospects from key informant interviews, which describes assumptions which must be made and steps to be taken in moving from individuals to establishment, firm, and industry aggregations.
Abstract: This paper presents a method for inferring regional economic structure and prospects from key informant interviews. It describes assumptions which must be made and steps to be taken in moving from individuals to establishment, firm, and industry aggregations. A technique is offered for mapping core relationships among firms and other regional and external actors, and for aggregating firm-centered maps into industrial and regional maps. The mapping technique can be expanded to incorporate historicity and dynamic change.
180 citations
153 citations
TL;DR: A discussion of women in the field can be found in this paper, where the authors discuss the politics of feminist fieldwork, and discuss the role of women and women in women's work.
Abstract: (1994). A Discussion of “Women in the Field”: The Politics of Feminist Fieldwork. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 96-102.
151 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the utility of location-allocation models for improving accessibility to services in the Third World was demonstrated using data from the Suhum District of Ghana in the Ghanaian Volta Region.
Abstract: To improve geographical accessibility to health facilities in rural Ghana, it has been recommended that additional health facilities be built. Resource constraints make this recommendation infeasible. Using location-allocation models, this paper demonstrates that in the Suhum District of Ghana substantial improvements in accessibility can be achieved with better locational choices and without additional facilities. Also, additional facilities will produce little improvement in accessibility if location is not explicitly considered. The paper demonstrates the utility of location-allocation models for improving accessibility to services in the Third World.
114 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of sampling unit size on patterns of vertebrate richness across landscapes in the Intermountain Sagebrush and Rocky Mountain Forest ecoregions in Idaho.
Abstract: Mapping patterns of species richness is a longstanding tradition in biogeography and more recently in conservation planning. This paper describes the effects of sampling unit size on patterns of vertebrate richness across landscapes in the Intermountain Sagebrush and Rocky Mountain Forest ecoregions in Idaho. Variability of richness decreased with increasing size of the spatial sampling units at both sites, with greater overall variability in the forested site. Richness in the sagebrush region was best explained by alpha diversity, whereas beta diversity accounted for more of the variability in richness in the forested site.
93 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a Reformed Medical Geography Reconsidered is considered. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 103-106, 1994.
Abstract: (1994). A Reformed Medical Geography Reconsidered. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 103-106.
TL;DR: The authors describes and analyzes the geographic expansion of Wal-Mart from its origin in northwest Arkansas, which is characterized by elements of both neighborhood contagious diffusion and reverse hierarchical diffusion, and concludes that the firm's expansion pattern has been characterized by both neighborhood infectious diffusion and hierarchical diffusion.
Abstract: In its 30 years of existence, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has grown to become the largest retailer in the United States in terms of sales volume. This paper describes and analyzes the geographic expansion of Wal-Mart from its origin in northwest Arkansas. During its early years the firm grew slowly and opened stores primarily in small towns. In recent years it has expanded into metropolitan areas in order to serve more completely the U. S. market. The firm's expansion pattern has been characterized by elements of both neighborhood contagious diffusion and reverse hierarchical diffusion.
TL;DR: The authors distinguish between literal, incipient, and metaphorical homelessness and argue that this distinction raises new research questions concerning the experience of households on the edge of homelessness and others who are well-housed but, for various reasons, are not “at home” in their present circumstances.
Abstract: This paper proposes that work by geographers on the relationships between housing, homelessness, and mental health should take into account recent literature concerning the nature of home in contemporary society. Towards this end, we distinguish between literal, incipient, and metaphorical homelessness. We argue that this distinction raises new research questions concerning the experience of households “on the edge of homelessness” and others who are well-housed but, for various reasons, are not “at home” in their present circumstances.
TL;DR: The authors assesses the varying extent and nature of feminist geography across countries, attempting to interpret differences in terms of cultural contexts and disciplinary trends, and do not claim to offer definitive interpretations.
Abstract: Feminist geography is now widely practiced internationally, but its development is usually reviewed from a temporal rather than a spatial perspective. This article assesses the varying extent and nature of feminist geography across countries, attempting to interpret differences in terms of cultural contexts and disciplinary trends. It is intended to stimulate reflection and does not claim to offer definitive interpretations.
TL;DR: Bioregionalism is a contemporary environmental movement containing deterministic ideas similar to those of geography's environmental determinism as mentioned in this paper, and the theoretical and practical aspects of this movement are examined in this paper.
Abstract: Bioregionalism is a contemporary environmental movement containing deterministic ideas similar to those of geography's environmental determinism This paper examines the theoretical and practical i
TL;DR: This paper classified extreme three-hour and 24-hour rainfall events in Louisiana by synoptic weather types (Frontal, Gulf Tropical Disturbance, and Air Mass) and analyzed differences in frequencies and intensities of extreme rainfall.
Abstract: This research classifies extreme three-hour and 24-hour rainfall events in Louisiana by synoptic weather types (Frontal, Gulf Tropical Disturbance, and Air Mass). These classes were used to analyze differences in frequencies and intensities of extreme rainfall. Significant differences were found in the storm frequencies by weather type. However, no significant differences were detected in rainfall intensities between weather types during either duration. These findings have a bearing on statistical procedures associated with estimating storm probabilities in the region.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors combine data from a social survey and an air photo time series to gain both a temporal and spatial understanding of Dominican hill land use evolution, finding that disparities in present land use and productivity between two hill land study sites stem from their different stages of development along a common land use continuum.
Abstract: This study combines data from a social survey and an air photo time series to gain both a temporal and spatial understanding of Dominican hill land use evolution. Research results indicate that disparities in present land use and productivity between two hill land study sites stem from their different stages of development along a common land use continuum. The authors emphasize the importance of understanding land use history when identifying key constraints to long-term sustainability of hill land farming systems.
TL;DR: In this paper, the spatial dimensions of informal commerce by documenting and analyzing the locational patterns and preferences of street-vendors and the local constraints imposed on their activities in six Peruvian cities were examined.
Abstract: Informal trade is a historically rooted and empirically important livelihood in Andean America This paper examines the spatial dimensions of informal commerce by documenting and analyzing the locational patterns and preferences of streetvendors and the locational constraints imposed on their activities in six Peruvian cities The interplay of streetvendor needs and municipal exigencies is found to determine the spatio-temporal behavior of streetvendors A fundamental shift in municipal policy to a more pragmatic attitude toward streetvending is noted
TL;DR: In this article, the authors employ a core-periphery perspective to review regional planning theory and examine the spatial dynamics in Appalachian development which span 25 years of Appalachian Regional Commission programs.
Abstract: This paper employs a core-periphery perspective to review regional planning theory and examine the spatial dynamics in Appalachian development which span 25 years of Appalachian Regional Commission programs. Improved conditions, defined by increasing incomes in counties, are examined. The region is conceptualized as comprising two exterior peripheries and an interior periphery. This perspective is valuable in illustrating the region's development and for further planning efforts in Appalachia.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether telecommunications is defining a technological divide between large and smaller cities and provided a conceptual basis for large-city dominance and presented the results of surveys that investigate the use of telecommunications in medium and small Indiana cities.
Abstract: Urban systems are increasingly dominated by large cities that house a disproportionate share of telecommunications infrastructure. This paper investigates whether telecommunications is defining a technological divide between large and smaller cities. The paper provides a conceptual basis for large-city dominance and presents the results of surveys that investigate the use of telecommunications in medium and small Indiana cities. The survey data indicate that telecommunications is used by the set of Indiana cities, but is less prevalent among the set of smallest cities. Chi-square tests, however, suggest that city size does not adequately explain these variations in use.
TL;DR: In this article, a place-specific roster of 99,625 named cemeteries appearing on USGS quadrangles was used for the first time the study of such places at more than the state or localized scale.
Abstract: Recent availability of a place-specific roster of 99,625 named cemeteries appearing on USGS quadrangles renders possible for the first time the study of such places at more than the state or localized scale. County-level plotting of named sites for the eastern United States yields two unexpected results: a band of exceptionally high densities of named cemeteries traversing much of the Upper South and a parallel tract of low densities dominating the South Atlantic States. Region-specific cultural processes could apply since population density, physical geography, longevity of settlement, social diversity, and land costs, factors operating moderately well elsewhere, work poorly here to explain the pattern, as does diffusion.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a commentary on Kearns's "Place and Health: Toward a Reformed Medical Geography" (1994) with a focus on place and health.
Abstract: (1994). Commentary on Kearns's “Place and Health: Toward a Reformed Medical Geography”. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 504-505.
TL;DR: In this article, the theoretical and methodological distinctions between migration subsystems and typologies are highlighted, and an empirical analysis using U.S. migration data for 1940, 1960, and 1980 is presented.
Abstract: Studies of migration regions are characterized by two separate conceptual approaches. The first views migration regions as clusters of highly interconnected spatial units (subsystems) while the other defines them as groups of spatial units with a similar geographic structure of flows (typologies). This paper highlights the theoretical and methodological distinctions between migration subsystems and typologies. An empirical analysis using U.S. migration data for 1940, 1960, and 1980 shows that although migration subsystems and typologies have both changed over time, each reveals a different dynamic of regional change and has different morphological characteristics.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide both retrospective and prospective insights into the processes of agricultural change and suggest that there is no unified pattern of change or response to uncertainty, instead there is a multiplicity of strategies which are formulated on the basis of complex farm-based and external factors.
Abstract: This paper provides both retrospective and prospective insights into the processes of agricultural change. It begins with an analysis of structural change in Canadian agriculture and goes on to interpret these changes within the context of a number of contemporary theories and models of agricultural development and restructuring. It is clear from this discussion that there is no unified pattern of change or response to uncertainty. Instead there is a multiplicity of strategies which are formulated on the basis of complex farm-based and external factors. Since agricultural policy has played such a significant role in shaping much of the sector today, it is argued that society has the potential to create new opportunities and development paths which fulfill many of the criteria for sustainable food and rural systems.
TL;DR: In this article, a model of dispersal developed for loblolly pine is presented, which utilizes a GIS to assess the critical influence of land use patterns on climate change-induced migration through modern landscapes.
Abstract: A rapid warming caused by the release of greenhouse gases could result in the displacement of climatic controls that limit the current ranges of many species. Projected northward displacement for loblolly pine is over 400 km, with only a narrow region of overlap between the current and projected future range limits. A model of dispersal developed for loblolly pine is presented. The model utilizes a GIS to assess the critical influence of land use patterns on climate change-induced migration through modern landscapes. Results from two relatively large (150 × 150 km) study areas in the eastern United States suggest that potential migration rates may fall short by at least an order of magnitude of that necessary to track projected range shifts. Management options of species transplanting and the establishment of greenways are explored with the model. Species that are unable to keep pace with changing range limits may experience a reduction in population size and exist in climatic disequilibrium.
TL;DR: An integrated modular software prototype to operationalize EDA distribution analyses, correlational statistics, and proximity analysis combines the mapping and display capabilities of ArcView with the statistical functionality of STATA in a MS-Windows multi-tasking, multiple-windowed environment.
Abstract: Exploratory data analysis (EDA), a data-centered, inductive approach to statistical analysis, provides effective tools for assessing the quality and integrity of GIS attribute data. This research presents selected examples demonstrating EDA distribution analyses, correlational statistics, and proximity analysis. An integrated modular software prototype to operationalize these techniques combines the mapping and display capabilities of ArcView with the statistical functionality of STATA in a MS-Windows multi-tasking, multiple-windowed environment.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that the threat to existing property investments was a key reason why funds for development were slow to materialize in regional shopping center retailing in Britain.
Abstract: A much anticipated explosion in regional shopping center retailing in Britain has failed to emerge. This paper suggests that the threat to existing property investments was a key reason why funds for development were slow to materialize. By the time the movement gathered pace, the British government became worried by the scale of proposals. Since the consumer boom that followed the expansionary budget of 1988 was short lived, it follows that many potential investors were relieved that they did not become involved with schemes that might have had little economic viability. Therefore, the rather restricted geography of retailing in Britain has been left largely unchanged.
TL;DR: This paper identifies a new, seven-member family of relaxed spatial interaction models based upon the generalization of the constraint sets used in model derivation, and introduces these relaxed models as entropy-maximizing ones, proposes a terminology for them, and describes empirical situations in which they are useful.
Abstract: In traditional, constrained spatial interaction models, the number of predicted movers leaving origins and entering destinations is constrained to match exactly the observed number. In relaxed models, these constraints are allowed to vary over a range of values in order to provide greater flexibility in calibration. This paper identifies a new, seven-member family of relaxed spatial interaction models, based upon the generalization of the constraint sets used in model derivation. Three categories are suggested, including single and doubly relaxed models, cost-relaxed models, and totally relaxed models. This paper introduces these relaxed models as entropy-maximizing ones, proposes a terminology for them, and describes empirical situations in which they are useful.
TL;DR: In this article, a geographic restructuring model is used to establish the context in which the reforms were carried out and a combination of economic, environmental, and social influences operating at different geographic scales can be identified.
Abstract: During the 1980s, New Zealand underwent a period of dramatic economic, social, and administrative restructuring. The reform extended to the administrative arrangements for environmental management. A geographic restructuring model is used in this paper to establish the context in which the reforms were carried out. A combination of economic, environmental, and social influences operating at different geographic scales can be identified. These influences are subsequently illustrated through reference to three aspects of the restructuring that have distinct geographical dimensions: the definition of human-environment relations, the spatial definition of planning regions, and the implications of spatial differentiation for resource management policy and practice.