A few points raised in the discussion so far that I'd like to pick up on:
1)I accept that the whole question is not 'either/or' but rather
'both/and' as Steve suggests - I suppose it was the 'and' bit that I
thought was a bit lacking. Along these lines I think Steve's idea
concerning the 'posting' of papers is an excellent idea - I would perhaps
add that what could be even better would be the initiation of a web page,
linked to the CFG page, which would hold downloadable transcripts from
all the contributors, along possibly with contributions from people at
the conference (in terms of events, discussion groups, meetings etc that
take place 'out there' - I don't know if it would be possible to
construct/add to/update this as the conference proceeded, but its a good
idea in theory and would certainly add to the accessibility factor for
people unable to attend. This in fact raises a lot of questions relating
to the actual need to see people face-to-face in order to exchange ideas
- are we not part of a continuing 'conference' through contributing to
this list? Could the possibilities offered us by computer technology be
exploited further - thinking 'virtual conference' instead/as well as
imagined constituency!? Far more accessible, far less costly.
2)Apologies if I appeared 'anglocentric' - I'm not simply after a
conference in my back-yard - I recognise the benefits for those who
wouldn't necessarily say, be able to travel to the IBG. However, perhaps
another solution to this 'distance problem' - and I think this harks back
to ideas that were floating around after the last IBG - would be the
development of some form of regional network, not of an 'I'll be the
south of England/Australia/Congo representative' type, but rather in
terms of active groupings of interested participants, be they academics,
postgraduates, or undergraduates, in the form of, for example, the
at-present-dormant-but-still-dangerous Northen Universities Reading
Group. Although this would probably entail some over-riding structure
(or would it...?) it would at least be another menas of maximising
accessibility for a wider range of possible contributors to discussions
concerning radical and critical geographies.
3)Finally, a fellow postgrad here on the east-riding riviera asked
whether this list was merely a vehicle for 'formalising' the CGF, or
whether it was a radical and critical entity in itself; the latter
scenario being seen as far more attractive, and given the discussions
surrounding the IBG/RGS debacle, what he thought the CGF was all about...
Now _that's_ mischievous!
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Duncan Fuller
Institute of Power, People, and Place Research
School of Geography and Earth Resources
University of Hull
Cottingham Road
Hull
HU6 7RX
Phone: 01482 466332
Fax: 01482 466340
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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