Geography and Geographers in Place and Time : A View from the International Geographical Union’s Commission on the History of Geography

This chapter considers the evolution and significance of the study of geography’s history and philosophy from the perspective of the International Geographical Union's Commission on the History of Geography. Following a short introduction (section 1) the chapter presents a brief history of the Commission (section 2) focusing on its efforts to broaden and renew the study of the history and philosophy of geography from an international approach, which transcends national borders. Section 3 examines Geographers Biobibliographical Studies, the serial published under the auspices of the Commission since 1977, paying particular attention to its role in stimulating as well as recording research into geography’s history using the biographical method. Section 4 identifies significant themes in and approaches to the history and philosophy of geography since the creation of the Commission in 1968, devoting special scrutiny to tensions between international and national approaches to geography’s history, the links between geography and other historical disciplines, and the impact of the cultural, spatial and global turns. The final section summarises the chapter and flags issues and areas of research that may enrich the Commission on the History of Geography’s research agenda in the near future.