DAG 50 001-140 9/4/08 18:39 Página 105 Doc. Anàl. Geogr. 50, 2007 105-120 Cultural geography. Different encounters, encountering difference Robyn Longhurst University of Waikato. Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning Private Bag 3105. Hamilton. New Zealand
[email protected] Data de recepció: agost del 2007 Data d’acceptació definitiva: setembre del 2007 Abstract In the first half of this paper it is argued that cultural geography is a dynamic and diverse field that extends well beyond a single branch of human geography. The boundaries between it and other sub-disciplines are often blurred. People have «different» encounters with cul- tural geography depending on their sub-disciplinary convergences. People also have dif- ferent encounters with cultural geography depending on where they live and work. «Place matters» in the construction, production and representation of cultural geography. It takes different forms in different places. In the second half of the paper it is argued that as cul- tural geography continues to encounter «difference» in many guises, four possible future trends are likely: first, it is probable that there will be continued growth in cultural geog- raphy; second, there may be mounting recognition that cultural geography needs to be critical offering possibilities for radical critique and reflection; third, cultural geographers are likely to continue with their efforts to think about what, if anything, might lie beyond representation; and finally, cultural geographers are likely to deepen their reflections on the politics of knowledge production leading to more multi-language publishing practices in this area. Key words: bodies, critical approach, cultural geography, emotions, place.