Having followed the often entertaining and sometimes helpful debates that
rage on this hallowed list, I have fought hard not to unintentionally
acquire both a crisis of academic identity and an utterly chocker inbox.
This offering to the list has been brewing for a while, but given the last
e-mail from the esteemed Mr Gardner of Aber asking us to consider just why
we are being radical and critical, I am prompted to write.
I have asked myself many times of late, as a researcher in rural
development, exactly what I was doing being on the list at all, given that
all these cutting edge critical and radical geography debates pass me by as
I sit either oblivious to it all in African villages hanging with funky
farmers, or confused by it all in my cosy grad pad office. You see, I am in
reality, despite what I'd perhaps like to think, far from radical and never
critical.
Today it dawned on me that I was completely missing the point in asking why
I'm here. Most people know not why, nor do they wonder why, for the point
is that we're here because we think we should be and that's all that really
matters. And in actual fact, and I deduce this from having monitored the
different names that post or respond to offerings, only a small finite
number of cgf-ers actually contribute and the rest presumably do what I do,
which is passively read (time permitting) and then turn back to the more
pressing issue of the day... our research. There are then, far fewer
radical and critical geographers among our ranks than might be assumed.
This argument is clearly flawed and comes not from any great consideration,
or over-coffee discussion, so doubtless there will be disagreement and
dissection. Go ahead, for now I've shared that revelation with you I will
now return to my pressing issue of the hour...
Rich Johnson
BA Hons (Cantab)
Countryside & Community Research Unit
C&GCHE
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