Learning from and with shrinking regions for global transformations – commentary to Syssner

Abstract

This is a commentary to the article “What could Geographers do for Shrinking Geographies?” by Josefina Syssner. In the piece I open up questions concerning shrinking from a global perspective and point to further discussions on global east, south, and spatial justice in post-fossil transition, which I encourage the Nordic research to engage with in the future.

What can geographers do for shrinking geographies?

“…For society to understand and deal with contemporary societal challenges -such as social cohesion, political legitimacy, democratic governance, or global climate change and green transition -we as scholars must be able to provide knowledge of geographies with a variety of conditions. At this point, I cannot stress enough the importance of Kovanen's (2022) call for a global perspective. We need to learn more about the differences and similarities between shrinking areas in the West, and in the Global South, East, and North.…”

“…A broader or more systematic literature review would probably reveal a different picture. As Kovanen (2022) rightly emphasises in her comments on my text, my overview does not address global resource patterns, global interdependencies, or patterns of depopulation in the global south. My course of action also involves a risk of excluding colleagues who have made important contributions to any one of the fields I identify, or indeed to fields that I have overlooked.…”