Geography, Space, And Science: Perspectives From Studies Of Migration And Geographical Sorting

摘要

For the past four decades a significant subset of geographers have had a strong interest in using scientific methods and tools to answer questions about society and societal change. The scientific endeavor, learning and verifying new knowledge, has been at the heart of this project. Even though the discipline as a whole seems currently less interested in the classic science project, that project continues within geography and is a part of the wider social science community's attempt to provide verifiable and useful knowledge to a wide range of stakeholders. The findings from studies of migration and the life course, and segregation and geographical sorting reemphasize the very real contribution of spatial science to understanding societal change. Recent work on the geography of neighborhoods and mobility with the context of legal contestation goes beyond academic research per se to show the continuing relevance of an informed scientific approach and the contributions of geography beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries.