Vital Statistics∗

∗Thanks to Kim England, Richard Wright, Elvin Wyly, and the anonymous referees of this journal for their very helpful comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this article. I also want to thank Mei-Po Kwan and Tim Schwanen for organizing the crit–quant sessions at the San Francisco AAG meetings in April 2007, where the first version of this article was presented. As is usual, I take full and sole responsibility for the opinions expressed in this article.

Abstract

This article questions the idea that quantitative methods, in particular the analysis of social statistics, is at odds with critical approaches to geography. It argues that numbers-based research is vital to highlight social injustice and oppression and that quantitative research can meet the requirements of critical geography to be reflexive, politically conscious, and activist. The article highlights two issues of pressing interest for research and activism by critically inspired quantitative researchers. First, there should be vigilance about the retrenchment of data collection and releases by the state, which will end up obscuring the ability to see social inequalities. Second, there should be a vigorous challenge to the political and judicial undermining of the results of statistical sampling and inference. These are vital tools for estimating hard-to-count populations and inferring inequalities between groups. The article gives examples of where these estimation issues are critical, which include civilian deaths in Iraq, counting minority populations in the United States, and the detection and remediation of structural racism.

Este artículo cuestiona la idea de que los métodos cuantitativos, en particular el análisis de estadísticas sociales, son incompatibles con los enfoques críticos en geografía. Se arguye en este trabajo que la investigación apoyada en números es vital para destacar la injusticia social y la opresión, y que la investigación cuantitativa puede satisfacer los requisitos de la geografía crítica, en términos de ser reflexiva, políticamente consciente y activista. El artículo hace énfasis sobre dos cuestiones de apremiante interés en investigación y activismo para investigadores cuantitativos inspirados en el enfoque crítico. Primero, deberá ejercerse vigilancia sobre el manejo de la generación de datos y su difusión por el Estado, práctica que puede terminar opacando su capacidad de detectar desigualdades sociales. Segundo, se deberá ofrecer un vigoroso desafío cuando quiera que se pretenda minimizar la importancia política y judicial derivada del muestreo e inferencia estadísticos. Estas herramientas son vitales para calcular poblaciones difíciles de contar y para inferir desigualdades entre grupos. El artículo muestra ejemplos de casos en los cuales este asunto de los estimativos es crucial, como los referidos a las muertes de civiles en Irak, las poblaciones de minorías en los Estados Unidos, y la detección y remedio del racismo estructural.

Key Words:

• critical geography
• quantitative methods
• race
• social statistics
• United States

关键词:

• 批判地理学
• 定量方法
• 种族
• 社会统计
• 美国

Palabras clave:

• geografía crítica
• métodos cuantitativos
• raza
• estadísticas sociales
• Estados Unidos

MARK ELLIS is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98103. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include migration, race, labor markets, and cities.

Notes

∗Thanks to Kim England, Richard Wright, Elvin Wyly, and the anonymous referees of this journal for their very helpful comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this article. I also want to thank Mei-Po Kwan and Tim Schwanen for organizing the crit–quant sessions at the San Francisco AAG meetings in April 2007, where the first version of this article was presented. As is usual, I take full and sole responsibility for the opinions expressed in this article.

¹I would like to add that one of the authors of this work—Riyadh Lafta—was denied a U.S. visa to come to the University of Washington and speak about his research.

²The latest reports of the Iraq Body Count Project can be accessed at http://www.iraqbodycount.org.