Reappraising David Livingstone’s The Geographical Tradition after a quarter of a century
Mark Boyle (Maynooth University), Tim Hall (University of Winchester), Robina Mohammad (National University of Singapore), James D Sidaway (National University of Singapore)
The Geographical Tradition, originally published in 1992, quickly became a scholarly landmark, shifting the ground in the history of geography and the enriching appreciation of the relationship of geographical knowledge to other fields.
It placed geography more squarely in wider histories of science and enhanced appreciation of space and place in those histories. The relationship of geography to ideas of ‘race’ and the pursuit of empire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were also at the heart of the book. Panelists, who will include David Livingstone, will review, re-read, critique, reappraise and engage this landmark text a quarter of a century on from its publication. They will consider its enduring legacy and its relevance today. Panelists will comprise a mix of veteran and senior scholars and others approaching The Geographical Tradition with fresh eyes. We will be mindful of prior debate, including a round of “open-ended discussion of the possibilities and limits of thinking about [and transforming] ‘traditions’ of geographical enquiry” (Driver at al., 1995).