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Directions in Postgraduate Research Author(s): Andrew Sharp Source: Area, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Jun., 1988), pp. 199-200 Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20002611 . Accessed: 13/06/2014 00:14 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Area. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.2.32.21 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:14:54 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Directions in Postgraduate Research

Directions in Postgraduate ResearchAuthor(s): Andrew SharpSource: Area, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Jun., 1988), pp. 199-200Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20002611 .

Accessed: 13/06/2014 00:14

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is collaborating with JSTOR todigitize, preserve and extend access to Area.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.21 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:14:54 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Directions in Postgraduate Research

IBG Annual Conference 199

either the owner occupied or public housing sector. Returning to local issues, Susan Halford (Sussex) prompted much discussion with her survey of women's initiatives in local government. Examining both the occurrence and content of such initiatives, she emphasised their association with the ' new urban left ' and assessed the role of political tokenism in their formation. Overall, the session provided reasons to be both optimistic and pessimistic about trends in gender relations. On the one hand, women and women's issues are increasingly prominent politically, economically and academically. On the other hand, there is ample evidence of male 'contain

ment' of these advances: in all three spheres recent developments are limited to much less than equality with men but nevertheless provoke defensive responses among men.

Liz Bondi University of Edinburgh

Directions in postgraduate research

The Loughborough conference was the most successful so far in enabling postgraduates to contribute papers. The two sessions organised by the Postgraduate Forum enabled seven speakers to present papers to, on both occasions, well attended audiences. Encouragingly, several notable non-postgraduate faces appeared in the audience. This wider and now sustained partici pation in our activities means postgraduates can finally begin to feel that our sessions are viewed simply as another session in the conference programme rather than something on the edge of

mainstream activities. I hope this will encourage the Institute's members to continue to support postgraduates and reassure them that their doing so is recognised and appreciated.

In the first session, Doug Gyte (Trent Poly) outlined his current work on tourist images and destinations. He showed that notwithstanding formidable sums of money spent by the tourist trade in promoting holidays, it lacks an understanding of how individuals perceive their holiday locations. David Mitchell (QMC) spoke on the riots in Britain since 1981 and their portrayal by the popular press.

The second session focused on the state, and its changing form and function. Philip Pinch (Reading) examined local authority fiscal restructuring, indicating how this had been acted out in two contrasted localities, Swindon and Reading. Cathy George (QMC) indicated the consider able problems faced through the joint planning of services to the elderly. The ageism and prejudice implicit within the institutional and bureaucratic structures are themselves limiting factors in deciding who does the caring. Stephen Witt (Southampton) outlined how planning gain has become a common and acceptable solution by local authorities in central Berkshire, in response to rising development pressures. This was contrasted by Michael O'Dea's (Glasgow) contribution on the Strathclyde city region and the private housebuilders redevelopment of Glasgow. Hle suggested the planning authority had been successful in encouraging volume builders to redevelop within inner city Glasgow while resisting development on the periphery. The fifth contributor, Jenny Robinson (Cambridge) examined the evolution of the South African black townships over the last century and explained how their formation was consequent upon the prevailing colonial and institutional ideologies.

In addition to the two sessions, and following the excellent efforts of the East Midlands postgraduates, a social gathering for postgraduates was run parallel to the annual dinner. This enabled postgraduates to discuss issues of common interest and suggested how the forum could improve its organisation. This event assisted in promoting a larger than normal turnout at the

AGM the following afternoon. The AGM and social gathering indicated that further improvement needs to be made to the

still fragmented organisational structure of the Postgraduate Forum. It was suggested that a postgraduate representative should exist at every institution to facilitate this improvement. Additionally, with representation on the Study Group and Resources Committee of the Institute beginning its second year, it was thought appropriate to request assistance with funding to run a workshop or conference in the forthcoming year. However, no definite venue was decided upon.

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Page 3: Directions in Postgraduate Research

200 IBG Annual Conference

Every indication was that Loughborough had proved successful for postgraduates. The con sensus was to make Coventry even better. However, for this to happen there needs to be sustained postgraduate interest in the forum. Mike Chapman (Herriot-Watt) and Doug Gyte (Trent Poly), the new secretary and treasurer, for the forthcoming year, would appreciate any comments for Coventry and on future postgraduate activities in general.

Andrew Sharp University of Southampton

Technology and the Canadian environment

This session, convened by the newly formed BACS Geography group, considered changes in the Canadian North and in Canada's forest products industry and then took two case studies of the effects of technological change on aspects of Newfoundland's economy.

Dr P J Usher, a leading Canadian Environment Consultant, discussed EIA in the Canadian North and considered the progress that has been made towards ensuring the effective partici pation of all parties affected, a monitoring system grounded in hypothesis testing representing a significant advance. Audience comments showed agreement with the view that project organ isers, industry and Government were now ready to accept and deal with protests in a much more positive way. L Collins (Edinburgh) challenged the philosophy of a limitless supply of cheap timber for Canada's forest products industry. Canada will have to move quickly from an era of timber-harvesting to one of timber-growing if the cheaper imports brought about by the

Eucalyptus revolution and the problems associated with currency fluctuations are to be rectified. The ensuing debate implied a very gloomy future for Canadian forest products unless new strategies are immediately adopted.

In a short but stimulating overview of the state of Newfoundland's fishing industry M Hanrahan (LSE) focused on the restructuring of the offshore industry and postulated that the State's modus operandi is an urban-industrial free enterprise model that may not be appropriate for a common property resource in a rural society. In the succeeding lively discussion the issue tended to revolve around the question of how dependent Newfoundland is on the rest of Canada or even vice-versa. The problems of sea ice on the exploitation of Newfoundland's offshore hydrocarbon exploration were considered by D G Anderson (Luton CHE). The technological problems and financial costs of conducting year-round exploration were considered and the feasibility of present as well as future programmes was questioned. The almost overwhelming environmental and technological difficulties were emphasised in discussion.

What a pleasure it was to attend a session where all papers were clear, stimulating and well presented with relevant illustrative material followed by informed and succinct discussions.

Will Hamley Loughborough University of Technology

Conversations with Con

Professor Emeritus MRG Conzen is the subject of a filmed biographical interview made and funded by the Urban Morphology Research Group at the University of Birmingham. He was interviewed by myself and Jeremy Whitehand a few weeks before his eightieth birthday in 1987.

Our intention was to record some of his life experience and the development of his thinking, both for its intrinsic interest and for teaching purposes in our third-year option course in urban

morphology where we hope the film will introduce students to the character of one of the founding fathers of this aspect of urban geography. The inspiration came from Anne Buttimer's 'Explorations in Dialogue 'project at the University of Lund. A copy of the edited interview has

been lodged with that project's archive.

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