Geographical Sciences Versus Geography: How and Why?

Abstract

The National Research Council report, Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographi-
cal Sciences, is thought-provoking, particularly for professional geographers who must position their discipline and themselves with respect to a potentially new, transdisciplinary field, referred to in the report as geographical sciences. This commentary discusses in some detail (1) implied distinctions between geographical sciences and geography, (2) the implications of framing societal and scientific questions driving geographical sciences in “how to” terms, and (3) the need to draw on the experiences of other disciplines to confront current and potential obstacles for geographical sciences.

El informe del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones, Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences [“Entendiendo el planeta cambiante: Orientaciones Estratégicas para las ciencias geográficas”], es algo que induce a pensar, particularmente a los geógrafos profesionales que están obligados a colocar su disciplina y a ellos mismos en un campo transdisciplinario, potencialmente nuevo, al cual se refiere el informe como ciencias geográficas. El presente comentario discute con algún detalle (1) las distinciones implícitas entre ciencias geográficas y geografía, (2) las implicaciones que tiene enmarcar cuestiones sociales y científicas para encasillar a las ciencias geográficas en términos del “cómo,” y (3) la necesidad de buscar apoyo en las experiencias de otras disciplinas para enfrentar los obstáculos actuales y potenciales para las ciencias geográficas.

Key Words:

• geographical sciences
• geography
• spatial sciences

关键词:

• 地理科学
• 地理
• 空间科学

Palabras clave:

• ciencias geográficas
• geografía
• ciencias espaciales

Acknowledgments

JULIE A. WINKLER is Professor in the Department of Geography, Michigan State University, 238 Geography Building, East Lansing, MI 48824–1117. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include synoptic climatology, regional climate change, and women in academia.

Notes

1. Although the authors used lowercase when referring to different disciplines or fields, I employ uppercase to more clearly distinguish between Geographical Sciences, the name of a transdisciplinary field, and the use of geographical as an adjective such as in “geographical thought.”