Dear Hilary,
I know, it can be frustrating when we try to initiate a discussion but
nothing comes of it. But that's how it goes - we can't guarantee that
people will talk about the things we want to at the moment we feel like it.
Don't be disappointed in that - you have successfully encouraged and
supported interesting debates in the past.
In this case, however, I do agree with Divya. The way to provoke wider
comment and discussion is to get a debate going by positively suggesting a
topic; the effect of your previous posting was, unfortunately, to close
down a discussion that was in full flow.
Nick
--On 10 July 2003 10:19 +0000 Hillary Shaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Far from 'closing down' any discussion on crit-geog, my intention is to
> (greatly) widen it out, if possible. One of the great strengths of
> geography is the wide range of subjects it covers, as very many things,
> perhaps all, have a 'spatial' dimension. Yet the range of topics on
> crit-geog in recent times has been very limited. Aside from the (very
> useful) job vacancy and conference announcements, there has been little
> said not relating to Iraq, weapons of mass distruction, who informed the
> UK govt of what regarding these WMDs, what thye UK/USA are/should/should
> not be doing in Iraq.
>
> I wouldn't argue that the Iraq invasion by the US in Spring 2003 wasn't
> the most important geopolitical development since perhaps the fall of
> Communism ca.1990, nor minimise the importancve of events leading up to
> the US invasion, like 9-11, perhaps the earlier Intifada, maybe right
> back to the founding of Israel 1947, and so on back..... We geographers
> should inded have much to say about Iraq, 2003, and maybe implications
> for Iran, Syria etc.
>
> But there are also many important (outside geopolitics, but definitely
> inside Geography) things going on, some of which may yet have more impact
> in humanity than Iraq does, eg increasing world poverty, wider rich-poor
> gap within 1st world and between 1st and 3rd world, pollution/climate
> change, AIDS, increasing power of the western 'corporate' state, etc etc
> etc.
>
> So the point of my contribution was - how come we have very little debate
> on these things?? Others too on this list have asked why so little range
> of debate.
>
> We can't all have been on holiday, or 100% busy with
> lecturing/marking/admin etc duties for all these past months, surely.
> Well, not all the geographers interested in things non-Iraqi. I - and a
> few others - have attempted to get other debates going on crit-geog but
> to no avail. (PS in reply to Dr Tolia-Kelly I have made 2 recent
> contributions, neither of which elicited any response. one was about the
> disproportionate legal response by France to the anti McDonalds efforts
> of Mr Bove, the other was about inequality)
>
> I had hoped to get some other debates going, but the fact that (so far)
> the only reply to this effort has been one of derogation of my efforts
> bodes ill for the potential wide discussions we could be having here. I
> don't intend to rant at any other members, and hope no-one else will
> either, but use their energies to widen out the 'crit-geog debate' a
> little.
>
> Hillary Shaw, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT
>
> In a message dated 10/07/2003 14:43:33 GMT Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> << Hillary . .
>
> I'm sorry but I couldn't see any positive contribution in your comments
> . . was this an attempt to close down the discussion as was because you
> didn't like the content . . or were you intending to offer some subjects
> for discussion yourself?
>
> As I understand it the forum is a forum for all contributions . . I
> didn't realise that an individual could appoint themselvres censure .
> .or moral gatekeeper . . I find that the effect of your contribution is
> reductive and insulting . . put something on the table please or let the
> flow continue wether you want to take part or not.
>
> Divya.
> Divya Tolia-Kelly (Dr)
>
> Lecturer in Human Geography
> Department of Geography,
> University College London,
> 26 Bedford Way,
> London WC1H 0AP.
> United Kingdom. >>
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