The session recording will be archived on the site until June 25th, 2023

This session was streamed but not recorded

Curated Track: AAG Events

Description:

Geographers constantly confront the question of who we are and what we do. But these cannot be defined without also asking ourselves what makes up the geographic community. Past President Dave Kaplan’s address focuses on how community intertwines with geography. On one hand, geography is the discipline to study the community as it exists in place. But geography itself is a community – an intellectual, social, and cultural community. As former president Ken Foote said in his AAG presidential address eleven years ago, the community of geography must be supported and expanded.



The recent pandemic and consequent closure of places and restrictions on contact demonstrated how the displacement of physical community had serious repercussions. We built virtual communities, and they had some advantages in terms of accessibility and cost, but for many these were poor substitutes for how physical proximity sustains our sense of community. The closure of departments and the dismantling of geography in colleges and universities has dealt another blow to our community bonds.

Kaplan concludes by asking how we can create and improve our communities. Many geographers have spoken about greater demographic inclusivity, but we also need to do better in bringing in people from different countries, different backgrounds, and different institutions. We also must expand the community of geography beyond the academy altogether, fostering ties to industry, government, and other organizations.

Non-Presenting Participants