Introduction: Is there a ‘Nordic’ human geography?

Translating Space: The Rise and Fall of Central Place Theory and Planning-Geography in Sweden

“…The criticism voiced by people like Hägerstrand and Olsson must be understood in relation to the perceived failures of spatial planning and how the focus on planning constrained the development of human geography as an academic subject. In an insightful piece on the state of Swedish geography by the early 1990s, Jan Öhman (1994) noted that there had long been scant interest in exploring and contributing to theoretical questions and debates beyond the world of applied research (see also Gren, 2005;Simonsen & Öhman, 2003).…”

“…As the other chapters in this book reflect, this trend has continued insofar as geographers interact with and contribute to a wide range of theoretical currents and debates (see also e.g. Simonsen & Öhman, 2003;Sircar, 2019). Undoubtedly, the development of more nuanced and far more illuminating understandings of socio-spatial relations was predicated on abandoning the dependence on reductive theories such as that of Christaller.…”

Geographies and Theories of Geography: An Introduction

“…This book is the latest instalment in a longer history of anthologies on Nordic geography and geographers. Initially published in a mix of Scandinavian languages and English, and more recently in English alone, these collections address the field of (human) geography in general (Hägerstrand & Buttimer, 1988;Strand, 1982;Öhman, 1994;Öhman & Simonsen, 2003), but also particular aspects of geography (e.g., Friis & Maskell, 1981;Jones & Olwig, 2008;Simonsen et al, 1982). The very existence of these regionally defined anthologies could be said to answer the question posed by the editors of one of them, "Is there a 'Nordic' human geography?"…”

“…The very existence of these regionally defined anthologies could be said to answer the question posed by the editors of one of them, "Is there a 'Nordic' human geography?" (Simonsen & Öhman, 2003). A significant number of geographers have over the years found that there is indeed something that could be termed Nordic (human) geography, and this is underscored by practices such as preparing A Geography of Norden for the 1960 conference of the International Geographical Union (IGU) in Stockholm (Sømme, 1960), the annual Nordic Symposium on Critical Human Geography between 1979 and 1999 (Berger, 1990), which inspired Eric Clark (2005) to initiate the still-existing biannual Nordic Geographers Meeting (NGM), and the publication of Nordisk samhällsgeografisk tidskrift .…”

“…Seen from both the "outside" and the "inside", we could say that many Nordic geographers form a "community of practice" (Wenger, 1998) shaped by the various meetings, discussions and publications that bring geographers together under the rubric "Nordic". Nonetheless, almost 20 years have passed since the publication of the last collective book on Nordic geography (Öhman & Simonsen, 2003).…”