Questioning Geography: Fundamental Debates

Questioning Geography: Fundamental Debates Noel Castree Alisdair Rogers Douglas Sherman Editors Blackwell Publishing stioning e u Q Ge o gra p hy QUESTIONING GEOGRAPHY Fundamental Debates Edited by Noel Castree, Alisdair Rogers and Douglas Sherman ß 2005 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd except for editorial material and organization ß 2005 by Noel Castree, Alisdair Rogers and Douglas Sherman blackwell publishing 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Noel Castree, Alisdair Rogers, and Douglas Sherman to be identified as the Authors of the Editorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2005 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2005 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Questioning geography : fundamental debates : essays on a contested discipline / edited by Noel Castree, Alisdair Rogers, and Douglas Sherman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-0191-2 (hard cover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-4051-0191-1 (hard cover : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-0192-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-4051-0192-X (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Geography. I. Castree, Noel, 1968II. Rogers, Alisdair. III Sherman, Douglas Joel, 1949G62.Q84 2005 910–dc22 2005008544 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 10/12.5pt Palatino by SPI Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India Printed and bound in India by Replika Press, Pvt. Ltd, India The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards. For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: www.blackwellpublishing.com Contents List of Contributors List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements viii x xi xii Introduction: Questioning Geography Douglas Sherman, Alisdair Rogers and Noel Castree 1 Part I 7 The ‘Nature’ of Geography 1 Geography – Coming Apart at the Seams? Ron Johnston 2 A Divided Discipline? Heather Viles 26 3 What Difference Does Difference Make to Geography? Katherine McKittrick and Linda Peake 39 Part II 4 Approaches in Geography Is Geography a Science? Noel Castree 9 55 57 vi CONTENTS 5 What Kind of Science Is Physical Geography? Stephan Harrison 6 Beyond Science? Human Geography, Interpretation and Critique Maureen Hickey and Vicky Lawson Part III Key Debates in Geography 80 96 115 7 General/Particular Tim Burt 117 8