Geography is the study of the physical and spatial world. The discipline studies the Earth and its different surfaces, including landmasses such as continents, and the oceans that span across the planet. Geography also entails human relations and interactions with the natural environment around them. The term, “Geography” originates from the ancient Greek civilizations, who used the word to describe the maps and written records which recorded what they learned about the world. “Geo” means Earth and “graphy” means to write (Geography, nd). Given the global history of European colonization, the geographic records created throughout the centuries of exploration and subjugation are directly connected to the mistreatment and exploitation of populations all over the globe. These geographic records,such as maps, are still used as guides and bases for modern geographic innovation and labor. Geography as a discipline is also a predominantly white one. As stated by a 2013 study researching geography and diversity, one possible explanation for the demographics of the field was a lack of two year level colleges which offer degrees in Geography and similar subjects, as two year community colleges are often affordable and accessible options for diverse student populations (Adams, 2013).
Geography and race have been connected for centuries, as historic geographical discoveries were made due to physical exploration and exposure to racially and culturally diverse groups of people. Modern geography is said to have been founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an era in which race was viewed as a biological construct rather than asocial construct (Tyner, 2017). The idea of race signifying biological superiority allowed for the justification of colonization and European imperialism. As imperialism spread throughout Asia,Africa, and the Americas, there was a need to justify the global conquest and subjugation of the newly “discovered” and colonized populations (Tyner, 2017). Part of this justification was religious, it was the Christian tenet of converting others to their faith, as well as a possible predecessor of Manifest Destiny, or the American idea of expanding westward.
Mona Domosh, geographer and professor, questions why whiteness is so synonymous with the field of Geography. Despite including materials focusing on anti-colonial and anti-racist scholarship and practices, and despite addressing the social construction of race, Domosh argues that what is taught and disseminated is what she terms “white geography,” which is described as a seeing, learning about, and understanding the world through a white Eurocentric lens built on colonialism and racism (Domosh, 2015). The American Association of Geographers (AAG) website has a dedicated list of recorded actions to promote diversity and inclusion, including statements made regarding racism toward African Americans and Asian Americans. The website also includes a list of members, multi-year plans for improving diversity and actions taken, such as providing funding for geographic software(s) to minority serving institutions (Diversity & Inclusion, nd).
Despite the shift from viewing race as a biological construct to now viewing race as asocial construct, racism still exists in a spatial context. Several scholars have researched the spatial contexts of race and racism, and it is important to highlight and study these scholars and their contributions (Tyner, 2017). The geographic recording of ethnic enclaves within cities,maps detailing paths of colonization and forced migrations should be recorded and taught about, to promote diverse thought within geography. Geography also plays a role within environmental racism, as the discipline studies human interactions with nature, mapping, and urban planning.
A statistic from the AAG found that in 2012, just 4.38% of AAG members identified as Hispanic and 3.15% identified as African American (Domosh, 2015). Laura Pulido is a geographer and Chicanx professor, who articulated the challenges of being the only person of color in geographic academic and career spaces. Pulido asserts the need for diversification in the field, in order to foster outreach within the field and make geography more relevant in marginalized communities (Pulido, 2002).
Pulido also describes how greater representation of people of color would enhance the field, as they would introduce a new lens of thought and scholarship, as well as tie the discipline to others such as Ethnic Studies, providing a more well-rounded, interdisciplinary method of thinking (Pulido, 2002). It would also prove beneficial to study topics including, but not limited to racial residential segregation, racialization of immigrants, and intersections between geography and space between race, gender, sexuality and class (Domosh, 2015). However, the discipline also should continue to take steps on educating scholars on the discipline’s problematic origins. In taking such steps, the discipline of Geography can begin to be more inclusive of oppressed and marginalized groups, as well as incorporate a more holistic and equitable future for the path of study.
