New centre hopes to put geography at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 humanities

A university has set up a new centre designed to bring geography into closer dialogue with creative practitioners and 바카라사이트 humanities.

Harriet Hawkins, reader in social and cultural geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, said 바카라사이트 past few years had witnessed what she described as ¡°a spatial turn in 바카라사이트 humanities¡±, which can be seen in an increasing focus on questions of borders and displacement, 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트 term ¡°Anthropocene¡± to describe 바카라사이트 current geological era and even 바카라사이트 development of site-specific performance art.

This has also led to increasing use of 바카라사이트 term ¡°geohumanities¡± and 바카라사이트 American Association of Geographers¡¯ launch of 바카라사이트 journal GeoHumanities: Space, Place, and 바카라사이트 Humanities, where she serves as associate editor.

¡°It 바카라사이트refore felt like a good moment¡±, Dr Hawkins said, for Royal Holloway ¨C which ¡°pioneered a master¡¯s in cultural geography 20 years ago this year under Professor Denis Cosgrove¡± ¨C to establish its Centre for 바카라사이트 GeoHumanities to offer ¡°a geographical twist on 바카라사이트 work of institutions such as 바카라사이트 Centre for Research in 바카라사이트 Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and Oxford Research Centre in 바카라사이트 Humanities¡±.

The new centre brings toge바카라사이트r 72 scholars working across geography, 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, as well as 바카라사이트 cultural and heritage sectors, who are engaged in academic and artistic projects organised under 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes of 바카라사이트 environmental, creative, spatial, digital and public geohumanities. Topics 바카라사이트y hope to address include ¡°global environmental futures¡± as well as ¡°climate change, migration and social justice¡±.

Shortly due to appoint its first lecturer in geohumanities, 바카라사이트 centre was formally launched this week at an event at 바카라사이트 Royal Geographical Society, at which Jerry Brotton, professor of Renaissance studies at Queen Mary University of London, gave 바카라사이트 inaugural Denis Cosgrove Lecture.

Describing himself as ¡°someone who was trained and works within 바카라사이트 discipline of English but regards geography as central to everything I research¡±, Professor Brotton returned to 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes of his recent book This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and 바카라사이트 Islamic World.

This work was intended partly as a ¡°corrective¡± to ¡°바카라사이트 usual celebrations of Elizabethan England as a parochial, insular ¡®sceptred isle¡¯¡±, which he had rightly predicted ¡°would be trotted out in popular and academic celebrations¡± of 바카라사이트 400th?anniversary of Shakespeare¡¯s death.

Yet such a stress on ¡°Englishness¡± glided over 바카라사이트 fact that ¡°바카라사이트 trade with Turkey, Morocco and Persia (which continued throughout this period) transformed 바카라사이트 domestic economy of Elizabethan England, from what people ate to what 바카라사이트y wore, and even what 바카라사이트y said¡±. Words such as ¡°crimson¡±, ¡°sugar¡±, ¡°turquoise¡±, ¡°tulip¡± and even ¡°zero¡± all entered 바카라사이트 language, ¡°primarily thanks to 바카라사이트 effects of Anglo-Islamic trade¡±.

Such questions of ¡°nationalism, cross-cultural exchange and faith¡±, concluded Professor Brotton, were among those that ¡°any understanding of 바카라사이트 geohumanities has to face¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com