A new Classics Revisited collection has been published in the Society’s journal Area, sharing reflections on accessibility and inclusivity in geography fieldwork.
Area's Classics Revisited collections provide original commentaries on articles that have been published in past editions of the journal, discussing their legacy and relevance to contemporary geography.
The newest collection focuses on Louise Bracken and Emma Mawdsley’s 2004 paper ‘Muddy glee’: Rounding out the picture of women and physical geography fieldwork, which was one of the earliest papers to offer a gendered perspective on fieldwork – something that is seen as central to the doing and studying of geography. Fieldwork is back in the public eye, particularly following the recent QAA subject benchmark statement and the publication of the Society’s fieldwork principles, making this a particularly timely paper to revisit.
The new collection offers nine commentaries, alongside an introduction from Area’s editors, and a reflection from Louise and Emma on the collection. The commentaries seek to push the article’s original analysis in new directions, discussing the roles of race, disability, sexuality, mental health, age, and caring responsibilities as intersectional qualities that all need to be considered alongside gender in relation to fieldwork – setting the scene for vibrant discussion and careful reflection that we hope others will learn from.
The new Classics Revisited collection can be found in Area (Volume 54, Issue 4). Online access to the Society’s journals is free for Fellows, Associate Fellows and Student Members, and many of the commentaries that make up the collection are also open access.