Geographica Helvetica Symposium

Les fabriques des “géographies” – Making academic geographies in Europe

19 October 2012 ; Fribourg, Switzerland

The conference marks the re-launching of Geographica Helvetica (the Swiss Journal of Geography)

Conference Organisers: Benedikt Korf (Zürich), Ola Söderström & Francisco Klauser (both Neuchâtel)

Human geography in Europe is still shaped by so-called “national” – or “language-based” traditions, such as Francophone or “deutschsprachige” geography. Even within Anglo-American geography, we can detect nuances between British and US geographies. These various traditions have emerged from very specific national genealogies of the discipline, which has been shaped by specific philosophical thought traditions, traditions of practicing social sciences and academic writing. These genealogies shape present-day practices of young and established scholars in these different academic spaces. In our view, this is not a problem, but a source of richness. While there is a drive towards internationalization, which largely means Anglo-Americanization, this richness of thought traditions should be saved rather than buried. [more here]