Social Geography Lecture 1: Introducing Social Geography What is Social Geography? "Social geography is concerned with the ways in which social relations, social identities, and social inequalities are produced, their spatial variation, and the role of space in constructing them. It places particular emphasis on the welfare issues which affect people's lives, and aims to expose the forms of power which lead to social and spatial inequality and oppression" (Pain et al, 2001: 1) Emphasis on political activism, community engagement orientation. Social geography involves going beyond personal experiences and opinions to understand broader social issues, patterns and possibilities. Key Questions: - How do humans understand their relationships with others (both human and non-human)? - Where do these understandings come from? - How and why are these relationships maintained? Focus on space and socio-spatial. Space is not just passive, but fundamental to social relationships and hierarchies e.g. a lecture theatre, a prison. Social Geography in the 1960s During the 1960s and early 1970s, the focus of social geography was on mapping and statistically analysing social inequalities. Quantitative revolution: geographer analyse social patterns, and geography was trying to brand itself as a science. Behavioural approaches: human behaviour could be scientifically measured and analysed to discern commonalities and patterns. Human behaviour can be predicted. Work adopted a positivist approach to social research. Social science attempts to provide general rules. Texts: Explanation in Geography (Harvey) and Human Spatial Behaviour.
'Geography of social problems' Urbanisation: cities preceding at a dramatic pace, multi-cultural, multi-class. Social issues emerged. Many books and papers published on the 'geography of social problems', often in an urban context, e.g. a focus on crime, health, housing, poverty, segregation by class, race. Social geography as applied social science - if we show how social inequalities vary over space, then these inequalities can be addressed by policy makers and service providers. Can help governments tackle problems. 1970s: Social Geography and Social Justice Social geography undergoes a transformation. It was a response to a period of heightened political and social tension emerging out of new movements. Rise of 'new social movements': - Civil rights - Feminism - Gay and lesbian rights - Disability rights - Anti-racism - Post-colonial struggles - Environmentalism Marginalised communities articulate their voices. Concepts speak back to power and hierarchies. Activist approach. Antipode: A Radial Journal of Geography Established in 1969: "radical (Marxist / socialist / anarchist / anti-racist / feminist) analysis of geographical issues ... whose intent is to engender the development of a new and better society" Students put it together. Draws on the insight of lots of movements. Leading edge. Early issues include poems, cartoons etc. beyond the formal academic article. David Harvey (1973) Social Justice and the City 'I move from a predisposition to regard social justice as a matter of eternal justice and morality to regard it as something contingent upon the social processes operating in society as a whole' (page 15)
Part of the original spatial science crew in Bristol. But then read more Marx work.