Anne Buttimer (Cork, 1938

Investigaciones Geográficas • Instituto de Geografía • UNAM ISSN (digital): 2448-7279 • DOI: dx.doi.org/10.14350/rig.59582 • NOTAS Y NOTICIAS Núm. 94 • Diciembre • 2017 www.investigacionesgeograficas.unam.mx Anne Buttimer (Cork, 1938 - Dublin, 2017): witness the outstanding originality of her life and Obituary career, characterised by teaching and research appointments “in Belgium, Canada, France, Scotland, Sweden … the USA” (Alcoforado and On 15 July 2017, bad news circulated among geo- Jones, 2015: 186) and of course in Ireland, where graphers: Anne Buttimer had left us. What is first she finally established herself as the Chair of Geo- important to stress is that this mourning did not graphy at University College Dublin. In 1965-66, concern only geography in Ireland, but worldwide, Anne could improve her knowledge of the French- as Anne was first and foremost an international, speaking world with a fellowship at the University transcultural, cosmopolite and multilingual geo- of Louvain, in Belgium. From 1968 to 1970, she grapher, known all over the world for her original held a lectureship in Glasgow, where she started research, her command of a number of languages, an experience that will be fundamental for her her kindness and her humanity. following career, namely a social fieldwork where, Born in County Cork to a family of farmers, “through interviews in working-class households, Anne considered that her origins and links to her she gained insights into people’s life experiences” land inspired her interests for daily life of popular (João Alcoforado and Jones, 2015, p. 186). In her classes and for “accountability and social justice” own terms: “I looked at three very specific aspects (Maddrell, 2009: 753), as she considered social of everyday life, one was how people imaged – processes as collective ones rather than individua- perceived – space in their new environments (this listic – i.e., related to elites. After her studies at was the era of ‘mental maps’ and environmental University College Cork, Anne entered the Do- perception). The second one had to do with net- minican order as a nun in 1958, and was allowed works of interaction, where people travelled, how to complete her PhD in geography at Washington far away, how far away is too far away?” (Maddrell, University in Seattle, in 1965, in the context of 2009: 747). From that moment, daily life expe- an educational programme promoted by her reli- rience, dwelling and relations between humans gious order. Her works focused on the concept of and their life-space became paramount elements “social space”, taking inspiration from the French for building her problematics. tradition of the Géographie humaine, one which A lecturer at Clark university from 1970 on- was completely unknown in the Anglo-American wards, Anne started to exert an important influence circuits at that time. Anne’s monograph on this on geographers deceived by positivism and the subject (Buttimer, 1971) is considered a milestone “quantitative revolution”. According to Tom Mels, in studies on the history and philosophy of geo- Buttimer’s early work “revolted against the dehu- graphy. It is not coincidence that, in 1968, Anne manisation and abstract space in positivist science” was one of the founders of the IGU Commission (Mels 2010: 93). Together with authors such as on the History of Geography, in collaboration David Ley and Yu-Fi Tuan, she was deemed one with Philippe Pinchemel (1923-2008), one of the of the leading figures of “humanistic geographies”, key figures for cultural and historical geography though she always refused the label of “humanistic” in France (Robic, Tissier and Pinchemel, 2011). and any other classification, as she declared to dis- If emigration to the USA is a classical trajec- like “-isms at all” (Maddrell, 2009: 753). Anyway, tory of “Migrant Ireland” (Gilmartin, 2015), the her early influential role in the Anglo-American following international experiences lived by Anne critical and radical debates is witnessed by her Federico Ferretti Anne Buttimer (Cork, 1938 - Dublin, 2017): Obituary 1974 pamphlet Values in Geography, published by collective discussion which involved “over 300 the AAG and commented by Edward Soja, James people from 35 different countries” (Buttimer, Blaut, Edward Gibson, Thorsten Hägerstrand 2001a), and focused on autobiographical expe- and Yi-Fu Tuan. In this text, Anne argued for the riences for “using autobiography to aid intra- and centrality of autobiographical topics by presenting interdisciplinary understanding” (Maddrell, 2009: first her “positionality”: “What interest could it 744). These interviews, which are all recorded conceivably be to the average American geography and in great part available in the IGU Channel,1 student, particularly to those who have never lived confirm Anne’s interest for life experience, in this outside the United States, to hear about the value case intended as a “catalyst for cross-disciplinary conflicts and dilemmas faced by a native Irish girl, communication”, addressing “a design and strategy sent to this country to be a Dominican sister, who for promoting inter-disciplinary communication has become involved in social contexts as varied as about problems and issues of shared concern … Cork, Leuven, Glasgow, Seattle, Paris, Lund and the history of geographic thought and practice … Worcester?” (Buttimer 1974: 2). The commentaries human creativity and milieu” (Buttimer, 1986, p. of the invited discussants were sometimes critical, 6). This work was conceived “to look across boun- for instance by positing a lack of radicalism in daries in a climate that furthers reflection and self- Anne’s analysis of class structures in society. Yet, understanding” (Buttimer and Hägerstrand, 1980: the tone of the conversation witnesses how “Sister v) in the spirit of “caring for knowledge” (Ibid., p. Annette”, at the age of only 36, already represented 5). Breaking barriers of discipline, culture, language a scholarly tendency discussed by the tenants of and identity was clearly a leitmotif for Anne’s work radical and critical geographies. Moreover, in this all along her career. document Anne expressed her own ideas of “critical In 1988, the Dialogue Project ended. After approaches” to geography not only by addressing holding invited lectureships in Austin and in the problems of lower classes (her work was someti- Paris-Sorbonne, Anne moved to Ottawa to teach mes associated with the “geographical expeditions” at the local Geography Department. When UCD led by William Bunge) but also through her own advertised a vacancy for a Chair in Geography in critique of the institutions a scholar must deal with, 1991, Anne seized the occasion to come back to including state and church. “The only way I can her country. There, she established herself as the overcome my aversion to the hypocrisy I find in Chair of Geography, serving as Head of the School some of these structures – academic, ecclesial or of Geography and chairing an important European national – is by realising that I belong to them only research project on “Landscape and life: appropria- because of a caring commitment to certain persons te scales for sustainable development” (LLASS) whom I cherish … Because I value truth and love, which involved scholars for all over Europe and led I can, for the present at least, overlook the insti- to the publication of a collective book (Buttimer, tutional trappings of each” (Buttimer, 1974: 3). 2001b). After her retirement, she continued to In an important interview with Avril Maddrell, collaborate with the School of Geography as an Anne stated that: “I often considered 1976 as both Emeritus Professor. Her small office was a bulk of a ‘midsummer’ and a ‘watershed’ year in my life” treasures for colleagues interested in archives and (Maddrell, 2009: 748). That year, after a Fulbright in epistemology, and until December 2016 her Seminar on “Nature, space and time: knowledge weekly presence was the reassuring landmark of and experience” held in Lund, Anne decided to the continuity and vitality of a humane science, relinquish her vows with the Dominican order, and one which always remained extraneous to tech- settled in Lund to work at the Dialogue Project nocracy, opportunism and other academic and in collaboration with local geographers such as non-academic vices. Hägerstrand. In Sweden, Anne got married and worked to this scholarly endeavour until 1988. 1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1WzSi- The Dialogue Project was based on interviews and 02jYP3QgjseHxKB3g 35 • Investigaciones Geográficas • ISSN (digital): 2448-7279 • DOI: 10.14350/rig.59582 • NOTAS Y NOTICIAS • Núm. 94 • Diciembre • 2017 Federico Ferretti Anne Buttimer (Cork, 1938 - Dublin, 2017): Obituary Figure 1. Federico Ferretti and Anne Buttimer at the Interactive Map Workshop with Philippe Rekacewicz, University College Dublin (UCD), March 1st 2016. [Tine Ningal - UCD School of Geography] At UCD, Anne left important archives which few years later. Santos also shared with Anne his are waiting to be inventoried and brought to the pessimistic thoughts about the “alienation” implied disposition of everybody, as her last wishes state. If by university institutions and reaffirmed the need her books and journals show the depth and width for activism, what also confirms Anne’s interest of her intellectual interests, her correspondences for critical and radical approaches to geography show the worldwide extension of her scholarly in the 1970s. networks, including what is today called

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