Geography Must Be Alive and KickingAuthor(s): Colin ClarkSource: Area, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Jun., 1985), pp. 174-175Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20002182 .

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174 Observations

Geography must be alive and kicking Colin Clark, 2 Shute Lane, Bruton, Somerset

The recent debate on the future of geography (Horne 1984; Dawson and Hebden 1984) is a sad reflection of a minority interest within our society. As a research worker, teacher, consultant, adult educationalist and the author of several papers, I would like to highlight some of the problems which geography is facing, and then to suggest some possible solutions and guidelines for the future.

The problems The first problem concerns the cutback of finance which is having an effect in many echelons of the subject. Second, there is a problem of finding employment for profes sionally qualified geographers. Both of these may be related to the third problem,

which is the imbalance of pure and applied research. Far too much attention is devoted to pure research. There is a large selection of topics which would benefit from study: it is a question of values. For many researchers the topics are conditioned by their own Ph D experience. The situation in this country can be compared with Indian science which it has been suggested fails to meet the basic needs of the country (Vaidyanathan 1980). The fourth problem centres around the availability of published work. The majority of people who read research papers are themselves committed geographers. Little is done to spread the word to the general public; papers are written for the converted by the converted. Fifth, there have been a large number of opportunities to undertake applied research which have been missed. Good examples are the section 24 river surveys which were advocated by the Water Act (1973). Since then a large number of land drainage schemes have been planned and implemented. Geographers could have contributed to these and future schemes. Sixth, many papers use too much jargon when good plain English would be better. Unless we can communicate in a simple style it will be difficult to make new converts.

The solutions Implicit in what was stated above is the need to undertake more applied and contract research. The word 'applied' is used here in the sense of providing and analysing information which can be used directly by planners and decision-makers. In the author's own experience as a consultant to a Water Authority there were several benefits. First, there was the need to focus on a specific problem and to produce results in a limited amount of time. Second, there was considerable interest in my

work from the press, local councillors and individuals who would benefit from the solution to the problem. Third, since new methods had to be devised, some very productive work was accomplished and also new contacts were made.

The second guideline follows from the first: geographers must make a value-laden judgement as to the content of their research programmes. It is suggested that those topics which have the most social and economic value should take first place. Such topics could include the prediction of future demographic trends, flood frequency analysis in flood-stricken areas, the evaluation of different grassland management techniques, and the design of structures to offset the impact of harsh weather upon economic activity, to name but a few. Surely in such a privileged university system as exists today it is time that geographers spent more time on solving practical problems.

Third, the value of the above approach to the status of geography and geographers would be enormous, as judged by the author's own contribution to the solution of a local flooding problem. Such research immediately catches the general public's inter

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Observations 175

est and imagination and, in my case, it was not difficult to gain the attention of the local and regional press. Compare this response with how a press officer might view a

large share of the current and recent research in geography departments. To take one

example, consider the reaction to research which describes a picture of an area as seen through the work of an early twentieth century writer (Jay 1975).

Fourth, the quality of published material needs to improve. For example papers should be better written, which often means being more concise. In addition books need to be more imaginative for the student, with better worked examples and a greater use of colour. It seems that students who go beyond 'A' level must be colour-blind when one notices the lack of colour in many advanced texts.

Fifth, the content of geography as it is taught at school needs to adopt the practical approach where real everyday problems can be tackled. At present the content of

many courses is far too abstract and academic to stimulate the student's imagination. The matter has not been helped by the introduction of statistical techniques which are often applied for their own sake with little thought or clear aim in mind.

Problems with contract research

It is clear that many geographers will be less familiar with contract research than with pure research and it is therefore necessary to highlight the difficulties.

First, when a contract is made there is often a clearly defined set of questions or a research brief. This means that interesting but irrelevant sidelines cannot be pursued in the time available. There is also the danger that a lack of time may lead to the job being rushed and careless mistakes made. The demands of the client must therefore be judged against what the consultant believes that he or she can achieve. Second, the research brief should not be left simply to the client. The consultant should be satisfied that the right questions are being asked and that they can be reasonably answered during the period of contract. In fact the brief should normally be agreed between both parties: the responsibility lies with both client and consultant. Third, there is a danger that the academic's standing may be used to advance the case for a particular proposal such that the consultant may actually be drawn into the conflict ing interests with the result that bias may enter into the research. Fourth, contract research may, in the view of many, be in opposition to pure research, diverting atten tion from the search for fundamental knowledge. However this is not such a serious problem if we are concerned with the development of the subject and with our social responsibility towards the general public. Finally, the client may not wish con sultants' reports to be circulated widely, with the result that good case-study material

may not be fed back into the mainstream of research. Thus care should be taken to ensure that at least part of the copyright lies with the consultant.

Conclusions

Geography appears to have passed through several changes in the present century. The apparent dilemma of some scholars may be solved by the direct application of skills and techniques which are to the benefit of the general public. In that way people

will be able to see the subject and its practitioners in action, to the benefit of all concerned.

References Dawson J and Hebden R (1984) 'Beyond 1984-the image of geography' Area 16, 254-6

Horne W R (1984) ' Geographers: an endangered species ' Area 16, 252-4

Jay L J (1975) 'The Black Country of Francis Brett Young' Transactions, Institute of British Geographers

66, 57-72

Vaidyanathan A (1 980) ' Indian science fails to meet basic needs of the country ' Nature 283, 1 0

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