Responds to Philo's article calling for rural studies to focus research on marginalized groups and communities within rural areas. Recommends a reconstructed sociology of postmodernism that would end the use of global concepts such as "rural" and focus on the ways in which power relations contribute to the construction of rurality (and…

Responds to an article by Murdoch and Pratt appearing in this journal issue that questions the view that rural research needs to focus on marginalized groups and communities and that calls for a reconstructed sociology of postmodernism. Clarifies the author's views on postmodernism and the concept of "rurality" and his theoretical…

Reviews the (largely British) literature on lay discourses of the rural--people's everyday interpretations of rural places and ideas of the rural. Suggests that lay discourses of the rural are complex and incoherent to an extent that makes it difficult to incorporate them into established academic rural studies. Partly supports the concept of the…

Presents a geography lesson on China to be used to help students understand contemporary and historical China. Suggests that China's population may be the most important factor shaping Chinese culture today. Includes teaching strategies and a student handout to provide an understanding of culture through the geographical concepts of place and…

Discusses incorporating the dynamics of complex systems, as presented in the theory of dissipative structures, into models of evolving social systems. Considers the importance of instability and minor and random events and the limits of forecasting, generalization, and control. Concludes that the nonlinear paradigm represents a link between…

Mental-health professionals are urged to question the role and usefulness of the term "race." The scientific basis of the concept is examined; current and historical uses of racial categories are reviewed. The interplay between geography and human biology is examined. Implications and recommendations for change are presented. (EMK)

Discusses the link between childhood memories and the "intimate geographies" of childhood experience as demonstrated in Hunter Diack's novel "Boy in a Village." Notes the settings of home, street, and institutional geography as themes in the book and in academic articles on children's social spaces. (JPB)

Uses four traditions of geography (spatial, area studies, human-environment interaction, and earth science) to show how poetry can be used to enhance the teaching of geography. Illustrates the explicitly spatial concepts present in selected poetry. (DAJ)

Experiential learning pedagogies are being adopted across undergraduate education and touted as an effective strategy for enhancing student learning. This paper develops an explanation for how and why such pedagogies can foster students' critical thinking and learning. Drawing on data collected from first-year students in "field based" urban…

Childcare is a condensate of disparate social forces and social processes. It is gendered and classed. It is subject to an excess of policy and political discourse. It is increasingly a focus for commercial exploitation. This is a paper reporting on work in progress in an ESRC funded research project (R000239232) on the choice and provision of…

Geographical knowledge about foreign countries is considered to be a significant factor related to the successful marketing of goods and services in international markets-a not insignificant conclusion by experts given the sizable trade deficits run up by the United States in 2000 ($365 billion), 2001 ($346 billion), and 2002 ($435 billion).…

How is the culture of Appalachia conveyed through its foods? Local experts in Appalachian counties were asked to create a hypothetical menu for a meal that was representative of their home region. Fried chicken and ham were the preferred main dishes and dessert selections focused on apple pie and peach or blackberry cobbler. Virtually everyone…

Scholars have provided numerous critical analyses of the structural causes of poverty. Unfortunately, many teachers are still led to believe, via best selling books and mainstream discourse, that behaviors, neighborhoods, and families determine educational outcomes. This "culture of poverty" theory must be disproved; educators need to be…

Within the context of social, demographic, and historical change and informed by a life course perspective, this article examines patterns of relating between grandparents and grandchildren within families across and within generations. Using qualitative data from a study of 10 multigenerational families (N = 86), the analysis assesses continuity…

The British film "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002) is pedagogically useful in the cultural geography classroom for engaging students with core concepts, such as ethnicity, migration, acculturation, and assimilation, and with more advanced modes of analysis, such as the social construction of identity. Although the film depicts a particular…