Submitted Paper Sessions at EdinburghAuthor(s): J. H. JohnsonSource: Area, Vol. 15, No. 1 (1983), pp. 91-92Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20001899 .

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Annual Conference 91

Submitted paper sessions at Edinburgh

The main purpose of the submitted paper sessions at the Annual Conference is to allow papers to be read which do not fit neatly into the thematic framework specified by the Study Groups.

At Edinburgh these were much more numerous and diversified than in recent years, possibly because more prominence was given to the annual request for contributions and also because two contributions to the sessions were invited to mark the 50th anniversary of the IBG. With considerable ingenuity the local secretary squeezed in a total of ten modules which did not form part of Study-Group activities or the formal anniversary celebrations.

It was reassuring that more than sufficient offers of acceptable papers were received for these slots, but at least two problems emerged clearly. One difficulty, which had been also visible at earlier conferences, was that some overseas contributors did not arrive to deliver their papers, although all of them had given specific assurances to the organisers that they would be attending. Clearly some mechanism is needed to deal with this recurrent situation. A second problem was that attendances at some of the sessions were disappointingly low, with the result that some excellent papers were heard by a select few, a problem which was also experienced by a number of the Study Group sessions as well. There is a clear case to be made that too many parallel sessions are being held for the rather lower number of participants who can now find the finance to attend the Annual Conference.

The two invited papers in the sessions included one which was moved from a historical geography 'ghetto' to give it more general prominence. This was given by H. C. Darby (Cambridge), who emerged from busy retirement to provide a characteristically urbane examin ation of continuity and change in British historical geography since the 1920s. He traced the development of a general view among historical geographers during the later 1920s that their proper concern was 'the human geography of the past'. This clarification of aims was followed by a period which was marked by a notable growth of interest in the subject and the exploration of a wide range of new sources. The 1960s brought changes in ideas and techniques after the quantitative earthquake followed by the assimilation of influences from other social sciences and philosophy. Nevertheless, empirical contributions of a kind not radically different from those found earlier, continue to make valuable additions to the literature, suggesting that evolution rather than a clean break with the past is characteristic of the work of British historical geogra phers. The ideas held by the pioneer historical geographers were constrained by the factual knowledge and scholarly preoccupations of their time, but Darby pointed out that those who may be asked to reconsider the evolution of historical geography for some future IBG anniversary will certainly view the history of the subject differently, since they too will be the prisoners of their own cultures and times.

Brian Robson (Manchester) provided a second invited paper which also ran across the interests of individual Study Groups. As Chairman of the new SSRC Planning and Environment committee he discussed the position of geography following the reorganisation of the SSRC committee structure. The SSRC was shown to be in a dramatically unfavourable financial position in comparison with the other research boards and Robson admitted that considerable uncertainty had been created as a result of reorganisation, although it could be argued that the change for geography was less radical than for some other subjects. Although the interests of human geography are no longer protected by a specific committee, Robson invited geographers to exploit the new system as fully as possible. As under the previous structure, the submission of well-designed research proposals, evidence of a clear demand for SSRC support, remains important in the very real struggle to increase (or even maintain) the resources available. The tone of his comments suggested that although in the short-term there are considerable problems in the allocation of student awards and in the amount of finance available for research projects, in the mid-term the position may not be quite so disheartening as is generally thought.

It is not possible to do justice to the wide range of other papers included in 'submitted paper' sessions, except to record a personal view that the contributions were of a remarkably high quality, bearing in mind that under present arrangements selection has to be based on the impression given by a short abstract. Possibly the paper attracting most popular interest was

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92 Annual Conference

the contribution by S. Openshaw and P. Steadman On The geography of the bomb, which was concerned with estimates of deaths from a nuclear attack on Britain. The impact of this paper was greatly strengthened by its cool, analytical presentation. Although its contents were profoundly controversial, the steps in the authors' argument were specified with great clarity, thus leaving their conclusions open to detailed evaluation. Although the speakers were able to show to the satisfaction of many in the audience that the Home Office estimates of deaths from a potential nuclear attack are highly optimistic, it has to be said that the unmodified government figures already indicate that atomic war would be an unthinkable disaster. Clearly the quality of our scholarship may be a necessary condition for allowing further anniversaries of the IBG to be celebrated, but unfortunately that in itself is not sufficient for our future to be assured.

J. H. Johnson University of Lancaster

Institute of British Geographers

Officers and Council 1983

President Professor J W House University of Oxford (1984)

Senior Vice-President Professor K M Clayton University of East Anglia (1984)

Junior Vice-President Professor G M Howe University of Strathclyde (1984)

Council Dr P J Taylor University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1984)

Dr D Watts University of Hull (1984)

Dr A F Williams University of Birmingham (1984)

DrJ A Dawson St David's University College, Lampeter (1985)

P Dicken University of Manchester (1985) Dr RJ Rice University of Leicester (1985)

Professor I Douglas University of Manchester (1986) Dr J D Momsen University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1986)

Professor K Smith University of Strathcllde (1986) Hon Secretary Professor RJJohnston University of Sheffield (1985) Hon Treasurer Dr D A Pinder University of Southampton (until July 1983)

Dr P Randall Baker University ofEastAnglia (1984)

Hon Editor of Transactions Dr M Williams University of Oxford (1988)

Hon Editor of Area Dr M Blacksell University of Exeter (1984)

Administrative Assistant Ms A Hind, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR (telephone 01-584 6371 )

Study Groups: Officers and Committee Members

(Chairman-C; Secretary-S; Treasurer-T. Institutions are universities unless shown otherwise)

Biogeography Study Group Dr D Watts (C, Hull, 1984), Dr R T Smith (S, Leeds, 1984), Dr P A

Furley (T, Edinburgh, 1986), Dr F M Chambers (Keele, 1984). L Chittuck (N Staffs Poly, 1984), J A

Taylor (Aberystwyth, 1984), Dr P V Waton (Southampton, 1984), M J Clarke (Southampton, 1986), Dr

J P Darch (East Anglia, 1986), D J Maguire (Lancaster, 1986), Dr E Maltby (Exeter, 1986), H J Williams

(Bangor, 1986), Dr M A Atherden (editor Biogeography Newsletter, Ripon and St John Coll, coopted)

British Geomorphological Research Group Dr E Derbyshire (C, Keele, 1983), Dr D Sugden (Vice

C, Aberdeen, 1983), Dr D Brunsden (Junior Vice C, KCL, 1983), Dr K S Richards (S, Hull, 1983),

A J W Gerrard (T, Birmingham, 1984), Dr I Reid (Birkbeck, 1983), Dr A Werritty (St Andrews, 1983),

Dr R J Chandler (Imperial, 1984), Dr T P Burt (Huddersfield Poly, 1984), D Lawler (Geophemera, Birm

ingham, 1984, coopted), Dr V Gardiner (Leicester, ex officio)

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