The geographers in the cupboard: Narrating the history of Geography using undergraduate dissertations

Abstract

This paper explores the possibilities of examining undergraduate dissertations as sources. By means of archival research on a collection of Geography undergraduate dissertations at the University of Glasgow, comprising over 2,600 dissertations from 1954 to 2014, this paper argues for the epistemological value of both these “small” knowledge productions and the experiences of becoming a geographer for studying the history of Geography. A sustained study of the collection reveals that the dissertations comprise three kinds of sources: intellectual sources, seeing the dissertations as original pieces of academic research; cultural sources, examining the role of this “rites of passage” in becoming a geographer; and lastly, as social sources, whereby the dissertations illuminate a diverse, personal network within and beyond the university. The vastness of the archival collection of undergraduate Geography dissertations and the opportunities offered for a longitudinal examining of shifts within them over the years, revealing notable overall trends and traditions, ultimately discloses their own importance as exciting and striking original knowledge productions.

A World Beyond Web of Science: AGORA Magazine's 35 Years in Dutch‐Language Human Geography

“…It is increasingly clear that to write alternative histories of geographic thought, an engagement with the marginal spaces of knowledge (Oswin 2020) and publications outside the sphere of international academic peer review, dubbed the ‘underground’ (Larkham 1987) or ‘grey literature’, is imperative (Lorimer & Philo 2009; Norcup 2015). 4 It is in ‘unofficial’ academic publications, outside the hallowed halls of academic publishing, where alternative perspectives, such as the student perspective (Philo 1998; Bruinsma 2020), on disciplinary development may thrive. Moreover, the underground and grey literature often documents the position of ‘marginal or hidden spaces’ (Lorimer & Spedding 2002).…”

History and philosophy of geography II: Rediscovering individuals, fostering interdisciplinarity and renegotiating the ‘margins’

“…As already discussed (Ferretti 2020a Productive intersections between the history of geography and the wider field of intellectual history, and more specifically the 'history of ideas', have been theorised by Mette Bruinsma, who argues for a rediscovery of Arthur Lovejoy's notion of 'unit-ideas' as a device to foster an 'idealistic history of geography' which remains cognisant of the contextual and situated nature of knowledge, drawing 'connections between the history of ideas and plural non-elitist notions of knowledge' (Bruinsma 2020, 8). In another paper, Bruinsma provides an empirical example of approaches to ideas that do not neglect their materiality, through an investigation F. Ferretti, 2021, "History and Philosophy of Geography II: rediscovering individuals, fostering interdisciplinary and negotiating the margins", Progress in Human Geography, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0309132520973750 [pre-print author's version] of the concepts which circulated in the last 70 years or so at the Geography Department in Glasgow, based on undergraduate dissertations (Bruinsma 2020b).…”

Radical geography from the Drumlin: an academic commemoration of Ronan Paddison (1945–2019)

“…The Drumlinor The Drumlin as it was initially known, on account of the main University of Glasgow campus being build atop a sizeable drumlin in the city's West Endwas a student-led geographical 'journal' produced annually by undergraduate students studying in the (variously titled) Department of Geography at Glasgow from 1955 through, almost but not quite continuously, to 2009, the Department's Centenary Year. 4 Elsewhere, I have reflected at length on Drumlin as this fascinating archiveperhaps unique in both its longevity, lasting over 50 years, and sheer volume of student writings, drawings, photographs and morewhich I cast as disclosing a hybrid or 'middle-level' form of geographical knowledge production where 'official' academic geography (represented by teaching staff and the wider canon of geographical literature) is refracted through its reception, re-interpretation and occasional repudiation by undergraduate students (Bruinsma, 2020;Philo, 1998a). Glasgow staff provided Drumlin student editors with financial support and encouraged students to get involved or to author articles; staff occasionally contributed their own writings in the shape of mini-academic papers, notices about retiring colleagues (e.g.…”