Exploring the proper relation between physical and human geography: Early work by John E. Thornes and Ron Johnston. (October 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lave, Rebecca
• Is Part Of: Progress in physical geography. Volume 39:Number 5(2015:Oct.)
• Page Start: 687
• Page End: 690
• Publication Date: 2015-10
• Subjects: critical physical geography -- integration of physical and human geography -- John Thornes -- Ron Johnston; Physical geography -- Periodicals; 910.02
• DOI: 10.1177/0309133315595727
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0309-1333

Abstract

Whether (and how) physical and human geography should be integrated is a longstanding debate in our field. I return here to two entries in this debate from the early years of Progress in Physical Geography . While John Thornes' 1981 progress report on atmospheric science reads like an early call for critical physical geography, the focus of this special issue, Ron Johnston's 1983 article emphatically asserts that no such synthesis is intellectually or practically necessary. I argue, however, that Johnston's article, perhaps inadvertently, lays the groundwork for integrated research.