Understanding Marginality: Recent Insights from a Geographical Perspective

Abstract

Marginality and marginalisation have been researched extensively, especially during the 1960s and 1970s within the context of rapid urbanization in Latin America, mostly to try to find out who is marginal and who is not. But most researchers stumbled on the complexity of the phenomenon of marginality. Drawn from a geographical perspective, this note brings together research results presented in 2010, and coming from up-to-date fieldwork research in various regional contexts. Trying to find out common denominators, it highlights the importance of scale and perspective in considering marginality, as well as changes in power relations, the very basis of the marginalisation process.Key words: marginality, geography, scale, power, systems, integration Razumijevanje marginalnosti: suvremeni pogledi iz geografske perspektiveKoncepte marginalnosti i marginalizacije uvelike se istraživalo posebice 60-ih i 70-ih godina 20. stoljeća u kontekstu nagle urbanizacije u Latinskoj Americi, ponajviše kako bi se otkrilo tko je marginalan, a tko nije. No većina istraživača pritom je nabasala na problematiku kompleksnosti fenomena marginalnosti. Polazeći od geografske perspektive, ovaj rad objedinjuje istraživanja iz 2010. te suvremena terenska istraživanja više različitih regionalnih konteksta. U pokušaju svođenja problematike na zajednički nazivnik u radu se naglašava važnost razine i perspektive u proučavanju marginalnosti te posebice promjenâ u odnosima moći, koje su ključne u procesu marginalizacije.Ključne riječi: marginalnost, geografija, razina, moć, sustavi, integracija INTRODUCTIONFrom July 4 th to July 10 th 2010 the International Geography Union (IGU) Commission on "Globalization, marginalization, and regional and local response" (C08-27) gathered during an itinerant conference held both in Graz (Austria) and Fribourg (Switzerland). Given the location of the conference, it was organised around the theme "Mountain Areas and Globalization" (hereafter called "the Conference"). Six specific topics were proposed to the participants. Regional policies and strategies 2. Ageing societies: ghettoization in mountain areas 6Hrvatski geografski glasnik 74/1 (2012.) 3. Agricultural niche productions and regional labels 4. Mountain regions and new technologies 5. Biodiversity 6. Natural hazards and human responseIn the end, most papers were dealing with regional policies and strategies, probably because this topic was broader and more encompassing. After the conference, it was proposed to the participants to contribute to the production of a research note that would summarize the main collective findings raised from the discussion during the conference.After this introduction this note is divided into three parts. The second part presents a few insights about research on marginality during the twentieth century and on how marginality has been put back into the research agenda from the 1990s onwards. The third part deals more directly with the outcomes of the 2010 conference to see what progresses have been made in understanding of ...

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“…used to be. In the same fashion, Déry et al (2012), while analysing marginality theoretically, claim that it is very hard to measure marginality, it is very often abstract, and by no means defi ned in geographical context by only one variable (e.g. the distance from a larger urban centre).…”

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“…In recent years marginalization has been thoroughly presented in geographical research (Déry, Leimgruber and Zsilincsar 2012;Leimgruber 2004). Part of the credit belongs to the International Geography Union (IGU) Commission on »Globalization, marginalization and regional and local response», which has popularized such research (Jones, Leimgruber and Nel 2007;Leimgruber 2010;Leimgruber, Majoral and Lee 2003;Majoral, Jussilaand Delgado Cravidăo 2000;Valença, Nel and Leimgruber 2008).…”

“…Qualitative analysis has been widely applied since such an approach emphasizes the individuality and specificity of a research area. Quantitative analysis reliy on statistical data and are still debatable (Déry, Leimgruber and Zsilincsar 2012).…”