The Beginnings of Geography Teaching and Research in the University of Glasgow: The Impact of J. W. Gregory

Abstract

J. W. Gregory arrived in Glasgow from Melbourne in 1904 to take up the post of foundation Professor of Geology in the University of Glasgow. Soon after his arrival in Glasgow he began to push for the setting up of teaching in Geography in Glasgow, which came to pass in 1909 with the appointment of a Lecturer in Geography. This lecturer was based in the Department of Geology in the University's East Quad. Gregory's active promotion of Geography in the University was matched by his extensive writing in the area, in textbooks, journal articles and popular books. His prodigious output across a wide range of subject areas is variably accepted today, with much of his geomorphological work being judged as misguided to varying degrees. His ‘social science’ publications – in the areas of race, migration, colonisation and economic development of Africa and Australia – espouse a viewpoint that is unacceptable in the twenty-first century. Nonetheless, that viewpoint sits squarely within the social and economic traditions of Gregory's era, and he was clearly a key ‘Establishment’ figure in natural and social sciences research in the first half of the twentieth century. The establishment of Geography in the University of Glasgow remains enduring testimony of J.W. Gregory's energy, dedication and foresight.

Key Words:

• History of geography
• JW Gregory and tectonics
• fiords
• Great Rift Valleys

Acknowledgements

We thank the Guest Editors of this issue of the Scottish Geographical Journal for their invitation to write this piece and for their advice on earlier versions of the paper. We likewise thank two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments which improved the original version.