Personal and subjective geographies

From Geography

As noted by Cloke,P., Philo, Ch. & Sadler,D (1991) personal and subjective geographies is a route taken by those who feel that properly humanistic research must try to get as close as possible to the place experiences of individuals as individuals. The rise of humanistic geography in the 1970s supported this renewed interest in the value of the individual, the subjective and self-reflection (Hubbard, Kitchin, Valentine, 2004 pp.309). Often very intensive and personal methodologies are adopted such as experiential fieldwork, 'encounter groups'[1], joint writing of personal biographies and scenarios, in-depth and repeated interviews. Some important figures noted to adopt this route are Graham Rowles and Paul Rodaway. One of the critiques to this approach has been of its overemphasis on individuals as individuals that does not match up too well with the more usual interest of human geographers in the 'macro-scale' patterns of many people living in sizeable places (Cloke,Philo,Sadler, 1991, pp.84).

References Cloke,P., Philo,Ch. & Sadler,D (eds) (1991) Approaching Human Geography. The Guilford Press: London UK.

Hubbard, Phil., Kitchin, Rob. & Valentine, Gill. (eds.) (2004). Key Thinkers on Space and Place. Sage: London UK.

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