Exploring Human Geography

Blog Posts to GEOG 2260 by Aiden Muir, 1162073

[awgeog2260]

Reflecting on Geography 2260 - Applied Human Geography

These things I know for certain about human geography research:

Firstly, I know for certain what kind of research is considered qualitative geography research. Qualitative research is diverse, has been maturing in recent years, and has strong methods to understand people and place relationships (Hay, I., 2016, p.3). Qualitative research is meant to understand human environments and human experiences (Hay, I., 2016, p.5). An example of methods used in qualitative methods versus quantitative methods is that qualitative research would include in-depth interviews, while quantitative techniques more likely would include questionnaires (Hay, I., 2016, p.5). 

Secondly, something I learned from this class is what research requires an ethics clearance, and what goes into ensuring research participants are respected. Complying with ethics requirements from an institution is a way to ensure the researcher is respecting everyone involved in the project (Hay, I., 2016, p.57). Formal ethics requirements ensures that cultural and ethical contexts are being considered before the project commences (Hay, I., 2016, p.57). If your research involves you interviewing participants, you need an ethics approval. An ethics clearance also helps the researcher get funding, increase their legitimacy, and get published. 

Thirdly, I know for certain that human geography research requires us to be critically reflexive throughout the research process. This is something we have talked about a lot in this course. Reflexivity requires the researcher to be self-conscious and constantly scrutinize their position in the research process to ensure the data is unbiased and that the research is ethical (Hay, I., 2016, p.34). Critical reflexivity is a difficult process because people are not used to analyzing their engagement in their work and I also know that not many researcher’s write about their research process in their work (Hay, I., 2016, p.34). This being said, asking ourselves self-critical questions during research, and keeping a journal to log this process, is key to providing ethical, justifiable research.

These things I am still confused by:

I am still confused by how to write-up research findings. I find it difficult to determine categories that need to be discussed and figuring out what is salient information. We learned how to write up research findings in chapter 19 (Hay, I., 2016, p.392-416), but I still need practice in how to identify what information is the best to use in a research paper. This is something I struggled with in the Digital Storytelling Assignment. There were so many options of things to include, it was difficult to determine what was the most solid. This is a skill I continue to develop throughout my time as an undergrad student.

Secondly, I know that ethical considerations are crucial for a justified, respectful research project, but I am sometimes confused by what is and what is not ethical. In the case study we reviewed with Agafia, when I first watched the video I thought the researchers did their duty of ensuring the research was ethical, but after more consideration, I found it difficult to justify some of their actions. So, what kind of research is and is not ethical is something I am still thinking about.

Lastly, I am still confused about how to formulate a good research question that fills a gap in research literature. In the textbook chapter, Writing a Compelling Research Proposal (Hay, I., 2016, p.95-116), we learned how to write a research proposal, but I am still wondering how to find a topic that has not yet been discovered, and how to convince people that your research topic should be investigated. 

These things I know for certain about me as a human geographic researcher:

I know that my strengths are in historical research, which involves systematic collection and objective evaluation of data. This is the only type of qualitative research that I have had experience with in undergrad.  

I also know that I tend to get distracted and overwhelmed when I am met with too much information. The tips to manage data we learned in Week 5 helped me to figure out how to organize some data for the digital storytelling assignment. Specifically, using highlighters and notes tools help me to stay organized. Coding was something that helped me figure out the focus for the digital storying telling assignment and what information to focus on in the literature.

Lastly, I know that I am more interested in qualitative human geography research than quantitative. I am interested in current events and I like thinking critically. Researching in-depth human relationships to different things interests me more than numerical data.

These three areas I need to spend time developing/learning in order to feel more confident in my skills:

I need to spend more time working with data in different ways, spend time analyzing data by coding more, and writing it all up. I feel as though the storytelling assignment helped me to work with data more by reviewing a lot of literature and going back to it throughout several months, which is something I have never done before for an assignment. I want to develop these skills of going back to research and thinking critically about my position as well as the validity of sources throughout a lengthy period of time. 

Secondly, I would like to gain experience doing basic fieldwork to feel more confident in my research abilities. I have always done secondary research at my desk, which can be limiting. I would like to develop some skills in conducting my own research outside of historical based research methods, and try out some of my own data collection.

Lastly, I need to spend some time on developing my interviewing skills. I now know about the three main types of interviewing, structured, unstructured and semi-structured interviews (Hay, I., 2016, p.150-158). I would like to specifically learn more about how to conduct semi-structured interviews, which are interviews that have some sort of structure but also allow for some free flowing conversation (Hay, I. year p.150). This I think would come with practice as well as thinking critically about what kind of interviews are at play when listening to interviews in podcasts or other media.

Resources: 

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Toronto. Oxford University Press.

[amgeog2260]

Hi, I thought your post was very well written and you supported your arguments with specific examples. For instance, when you define qualitative research you specify the different tools used and referenced page numbers in the textbook. I clearly understand what you are discussing, for instance, in your second paragraph you outline that ethics are necessary to respect persons involved in research. You demonstrate a clear understanding of the ethics process and I agree that outlining ethics considerations can lead to funding and increase the legitimacy of the project. In the second section, I can relate in that it is difficult to specify a research question and thus write a compelling research proposal. I like how you mention how to make an audience interested in your research idea because I am also confused how it is decided that a topic is worth further analysis and investigation. You also demonstrate self-awareness by discussing how overwhelmed you were while trying to organize data to apply to the digital storytelling project. I can relate because I had trouble organizing themes as I ended up with too many and therefore struggled to identify which themes had greater importance. Finally, I also mentioned that I would need to focus more on interview skills, specifically structured and semi structured interviews. I like how you mention that gaining field work and direct experience will enhance the research skills we have learned in this course. For example, by eventually conducting interviews, a researcher can result in a more confident ability and motivation to conduct research in the future. You mention a historical approach, do you have any specific areas that you want to conduct research? Overall, I can tell you worked very hard on this post and was very insightful and well written.Best of luck this semester!!

Regards 

Aiden

[angeog2260]

Reflection on Applied Human Geography (GEOG*2260)

Throughout Applied Human Geography, GEOG*2260, I not only learned about the research process as a whole, but I also gained skills I will continue to use in my future. Below, I will express my thoughts regarding my knowledge and topics I found confusing on human geographical research.

These three things I know for certain about human geography research:

Deconstruction of media events and textual material is something I know for certain as I used this approach for the DSP. Textual information and analyses are predicated on a constructionist epistemology, meaning that the world is socially constructed and mediated (Hay, 2016, chapter 1). While the media is often a common source of the portrayal of information, it was interesting to apply my skills to analyze research articles and ensure that I am limiting common problems in human geographic research.

Another thing that I know for certain (and one of my favourite things to learn about), was Peggy McIntosh’s concept of invisible backpacks. Initially, she began using this term to explore women's studies and how women and underrepresented races were in experience of oppression, denial and/or disadvantage (Hooykaas, 2021). I find this to be very interesting because it can not only be applied in this class but in other social aspects of life. For example, while we live through unprecedented times with the ongoing pandemic, we all need to realize that others are impacted differently and have different underlying circumstances.

The final thing that I know for certain is the idea of focus groups in a study. A focus group method involves a small group of people to discuss a topic or issue defined by a researcher (Hay, 2016, chapter 10). Focus groups allow individuals to speak their truth on a matter more specifically while also allowing a semi-structured interview style. This creates a more accepting environment, enabling the participants to feel more at ease and more thoughtfully answered questions (Hooykaas, 2021).

These three things I am still confused by:

Although I do have a strong understanding of the research process and everything that is incorporated and associated with that, there are still some topics that confuse me. I often find myself questioning how to start a research process, more specifically, what approach to take. I find that often there is overlap between the best approach to take, and I believe with a bit more practice (as I am still a `rookie’ researcher), I would be able to confine to the best approach to take.

I also got confused with the flat coding type, versus a hierarchical coding type. I understand the basis of it, but reviewing back to the blog post about coding, I had a debate with myself of which one is more practical to use and how to apply this to a scenario. After reading up and allowing myself to understand and engage in the coding frames, I was able to determine what is best for that scenario, but I still often get confused with the difference between them.

The third thing that I get confused with is ensuring that I am evaluating reliable sources for my studies. The media is often so easy to get swayed one way, and although it may seem reliable, it has the possibility of being biased or misrepresentative of the topic. With the help of this class, I have been more adamant about checking the source of the article and their credentials. The process in qualitative research requires that writers explicitly state the criteria by which a reader can assess the trustworthiness of a given piece of research (Hay, 2016, chapter 19).

These three things I know for certain about me as a human geographic researcher:

I am confident in some of my skills as a human geographic researcher, one of them being understanding how power can influence a study. Power relations exist beyond the relationship of the researcher and the participant (Hay, 2016, chapter 2). It is crucial to consider these aspects of direct and indirect power in a study as this can alter the final outcome of the study, and perhaps enhance potential biases as well.

I also understand the concept of reflexivity and how to apply it to human geographic research. Reflexivity is a process of constant, self-conscious scrutiny of the self as a researcher and of the research process (Hay, 2016, chapter 2). In ‘easier to understand’ terms, it is simply analyzing the situation as if it were something you were studying (Hay, 2016, chapter 2). This is important to consider and break down the social relations that are being enacted and how those relations can influence the data.

Another thing that I know for certain about myself as a human geographic researcher, is that if I were to do research in the future, I would lean more to quantitative data rather than qualitative data. Although I do enjoy hearing other people’s stories and gaining insights on topics that are crucial nowadays, I enjoy the quantitative aspect more.

These three areas I need to spend time developing/learning in order to feel more confident in my skills:

I need to spend some time developing and applying my knowledge in the field to real-life scenarios. Understanding the course content from a literal context differs from the application to case studies and other geographical problems in human research.

Another issue that I need to spend some time working on is coding. Coding allows the researcher to confine their studies. The purposes of coding are for data reduction, organization and a substantive press of data exploration (Hay, 2016, chapter 18). I think with more assistance on how specifically to code, and understanding what data is relevant to the study versus what is not would assist my confidence.

I understand the research process as a whole, but there are aspects in the process that if I worked on, I would feel more confident. One of my biggest worries as a researcher would be the process of writing up analyzed data and confining it to ensure that there are no biases. I would look to use a latent content analysis, which is searching the document for themes (Hay, 2016, chapter 8). This would be an asset because I could find the common themes that arise, then code them based on that matter.

Resources:

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Toronto. Oxford University Press.

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Applied Human Geography (GEOG*2260) Lecture Notes. University of Guelph.

[amgeog2260]

Hi Amy! I enjoyed reading your post and it seems you have taken a lot of valuable research skills related as a human geographer. As an example, you mention the importance of unpacking your invisible backpack when you say that we should realize we are impacted differently. By looking at your privileges such as wealth, access to education , resources and opportunity, the researcher can better identify methods of bias from their own perspective. I also found flat coding confusing as it often led me to many codes resulting in disorganization and which themes were most important. Additionally, you explain power relations can influence the outcome of a research project. For instance, a researcher that has greater power than a participant can result in a potentially exploitative relationship because the researcher will benefit more than the other. In addition, you mention how these social relations can influence the data, in which I believe has the power to influence policy and thus impact individual lives, so it is important to be careful of how you present data as well. In the last section, mitigating bias is also something I would like to spend more time on as it would more accurately include voices that are not often heard. By remaining critically reflexive, a researcher can better understand their own actions and study the research process itself to fill in gaps. I would prefer hierarchical coding rather than latent content analysis you mention because it would result in more organized themes in which a researcher could rank based on importance. How can we best apply  research skills we learned in class to mitigate bias? Thanks for the post, have a great summer!

[amgeog2260]

Reflection of the Semester

These three things I know for certain about human geography research:

I recognize the importance of ethics considerations when conducting human geography research as humans are often directly involved or impacted from the research. For instance, by understanding power relations it is important to keep into consideration that research has the potential to directly affect policy decisions which can impact a participant's daily life or how their community is portrayed by others. (Hay, pg. 35, 2016) The ethical issue arises when asymmetrical relationships are formed between the researcher and participant resulting in one group benefitting more than the other. As an example, qualitative research often focuses on issues affecting communities that are prone to social and political scrutiny such as childhood poverty. (Hay, pg.35, 2016)

I also know that oral histories are used as a research practice to include the voices that are regularly not included. (Hay, pg. 190-191, 2016) It is important to study hidden stories of disadvantaged and minority groups because there is valuable qualitative data that would otherwise be ignored and lost forever. (Hay, pg. 191, 2016) As a result, the perspectives and stories of many lives and memories would be ignored. By incorporating oral histories, a researcher is able to question their own subjectivity and tells us details about how, why and when of a history that would not be available via written text.

Finally, I have a solid understanding of research methods and approaches of qualitative research. As an example, research empowering an indigenous community consists of methods articulated from non-western views such as community based participatory research in which collaboration is prioritized. (Hay, pg. 83, 2016) During the Digital Storytelling project, I learned of the benefits of an historical approach which involved the evaluation of data from past occurrences and how these trends may help explain present events. As a result, by focusing on the case study of Muddy Waters, the researcher learned how geographic factors affected future cultural events, for instance, how migration affected the rise of the civil rights movement. (Strait, 2012)

My Home is in the Delta, Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_TJoSf6_z0&ab_channel=MuddyWaters-Topic

Well my home's in the delta,

Way out on that farmer's road.

Now you know I'm living in Chicago,

And people, I sure do hate to go

These three things I am still confused by:

I am still confused by understanding the purpose of the types of qualitative analysis. I understand that grounded theory analysis is used to develop theory, but do not understand the role of the researcher and how theory is obtained. Another example I am confused by is dialectical analysis. From understanding, it is an analysis focused on how language has shifted in a period of time, yet I do not understand how to conduct the analysis, what the role of the researcher is and the purpose of the analysis.

I am also confused about the appropriate approach to a literature review and how to assess a particular article. As an example, it is confusing to know what to focus on whether it is methodology, research gaps or format. To specify, I recognize the importance of ensuring research is related to a thesis, yet am confused of how to incorporate many sources and ideas into a logical argument. It is also confusing to know how to evaluate the validity of research by looking at multiple ways to get to an answer, or triangulation. One question I have is how to objectively evaluate literature, what are the specific steps? 

Finally, I am confused by the portrayed benefits of participatory action research. I understand that a goal of PAR is to affect social change, yet I believe that it lacks tools for displaying democracy on a larger scale. For instance, by working with a community, there remains elements of subjectivity and based on other factors such as where and how they are participating means that their collective action may not be representative of larger scales. (Hay, pg. 352, 2016) I am confused how the PAR method addresses this problem. 

Retrieved From: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/geography/

These three things I know for certain about me as a human geographic researcher:

As a human geographer, I know that I try to absorb as much information as possible whether it is observing human interactions or reading. For this reason, I know for certain that I am motivated to critically evaluate articles to obtain relevant and applicable knowledge to a research project. When evaluating sources, I know that I have incorporated a critical self conscious scrutiny of myself and of the research process to help consider different aspects I have not thought about. (Hay, pg. 34, 2016) 

Additionally, I know that by identifying my positionality and unpacking the invisible backpack, I can further analyze how my background influences my own perspective. For example, I am fortunate to have an education and when approaching research I will often have a preconceived idea or assumptions on a particular issue. By recognizing my positionality, I can address power relation issues by including participants into designing the research project rather than choosing how to approach research from my own perspective. (Hay, pg.36, 2016) 

Finally, I know I am motivated to apply skills I have learned to prepare and eventually conduct an interview. I recognize that I need to spend more effort to ensure the interview flows smoothly and how to maintain rapport with an interviewee, yet am fascinated because the data collected is unique in which it involves emotions and a life story which cannot be told by written text. In addition, I believe that developing rapport will allow for more trustworthiness resulting in richer and deeper conversation.  

These three areas I need to spend time developing/learning in order to feel more confident in my skills:

I believe I need more time developing interview skills which include formulating clear interview questions that lead to a meaningful story. (Hay, pg. 164, 2016) In other words, which questions will allow information to be gathered that would be useful and relevant for research? I would also spend more time properly using primary / secondary questions and appropriately ordering topics to preserve rapport and to support subsequent questions.

Another area I could improve is in coding. I could spend more time improving the organization of information in order to recognize patterns and translate appropriate information into something applicable for a project. As an example, when examining an article, I often used a flat coding frame resulting in too many separate themes.(Hay, pg. 379, 2016) As a result, it was difficult to identify which codes were most important and led to disorganization which slowed down the decision making process. 

Finally, writing a compelling research proposal is another area to improve my skills. Specifically, I spent a lot of time generating a research question that helped define cultural geography. By consistently adjusting and refining a topic or idea, I believe that I could better identify the gaps in my research. To specify, by questioning research methods I use, what criteria I would be using or which community to focus on, I can further specify my research question while keeping the big picture in mind. (Hay, pg. 101, 2016)

References

Anderson, B. (2016). Cultural Geography 1. Intensities And Forms Of Power, 41(4), 501-511. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132516649491

Hay, Iain. Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford, 2016. Chapter 1:Qualitative Research and Its Place in Human Geography, Chapter 2: Power, Subjectivity, and Ethics in Qualitative Research, Chapter 5: Writing a Compelling Research Proposal, Chapter 6: Qualitative Research Design and Rigour, Chapter, 8: Interviewing, Chapter 9: Oral History and Human Geography and Chapter 17: Participatory Action Research

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 2: Philosophy, Power, Politics, and Research Design and Week 3: Ethics [PowerPoint Presentation]. GEOG2260, Guelph.Week 6:Data Collection, and Interviews, Week 8: Coding

Rose, G. (2015). Cultural geography going viral. Social & Cultural Geography, 17(6), 763-767. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2015.1124913

Strait, J. (2012). Experiencing blues at the crossroads: A place-based method for teaching the geography of blues culture. Journal of Geography, 111(5), 194-209.

[amfgeog2260]

Mapping Racial Injustice

Article in ‘The Conversation’

For this week’s blog post I came across an online article published by ‘The Conversation’ journal on February 23rd, 2021 (link to the article: https://theconversation.com/how-black-cartographers-put-racism-on-the-map-of-america-155081). The article discusses the importance of cartography, which is the use, creation, and analyzation of maps. The article explains how useful cartography has been in the history of racial injustice, as a means by which to “put racism on the map of America” (Alderman and Inwood 2021). I have mentioned this in previous blogs, but I found a similar, more recent article for our digital storytelling project which mapped the global protests in response to the murder of George Floyd. This article caught my attention because it uses physical and social geography in the same way as the more recent article, but addresses and visually shows the impact of race related injustice across the United States. The article and maps also give visual weight to the specific states and regions which perpetuated more racial injustices throughout history, which we can draw similarities to the same states today. 

Key Message

There is a strong and noteworthy message here. Although this is not an easy topic to talk about or write about, this article explains the power of mapping social injustice, especially in the history of the United States. The article explains the ways and uses of mapping and cartography over the course of history in America, to better understand, reflect on, and keep account of nationwide racial injustice. The article provides examples of cartography’s use from the late 1800s to examples like mapping police brutality through cartography more recently in 2014 (Alderman and Inwood 2021). Which outlines very clearly for the reader, that racially motivated injustices and inequities are continually perpetuated even almost a century after they were first mapped out. 

The Articles Sources

Because of the historic value with which this article was written, a lot of their sources would have been primary sources or historical, geography related resources. Specifically, the article used a primary source published in 1919 by the “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”. The primary resource shows a map of the United States of America, and mapped out is all of the lynchings which occurred in a decade long span from 1909 to 1918 (Alderman and Inwood 2021). The second cartograph from the same primary resource shows a similar map of America but for a thirty-year period between 1889 and 1918 (Alderman and Inwood 2021). The other notable primary source you can see below this paragraph; civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in 1963 using maps to organize a march on Washington. The article explains that this is another way/reason for maps to be used to create politically disruptive movements for social change (Alderman and Inwood 2021). This is another parallel to my more recent example related to maps of global protests for anti-racism movements and solidarity for George Floyd. 

Expectations and Responsibilities of the Consumer

I think one of the most important parts of this article is the impact that it could have, either for awareness, education, and/or the future of social justice policy in the United States. We also have a responsibility as a consumer to take any source or article we see and properly evaluate it and reflect on it. The textbook and this week’s content discusses the importance of conducting participatory action research (PAR) which can create positive results associated with co-learning and collective action (Hay 2016, p. 352). This is the type of resource where we all have a responsibility to acknowledge the social injustices, inequities and structurally systemic issues that still impact an underrepresented minority of people. The text also mentions the important process of transformative reflexivity, in which the researcher and the audience or in the case of the textbook, person being researched to reflect on issues and “negotiate meanings of information generated together” (Hay 2016, p. 355). The text also talks about the technique of mapping to further our research and understanding of a topic. For reasons related to our social geographic topic in our final project, to the racial injustices seen in the United States and Canada over the past year, this seemed to be a prominent and important piece of writing to reflect on, and hopefully discuss further. 

References

Alderman H., D., & Inwood FJ., J. (2021, February 23). How black cartographers put racism on the map of America. Retrieved March 26, 2021, from https://theconversation.com/how-black-cartographers-put-racism-on-the-map-of-america-155081

https://www.loc.gov/static/classroom-materials/naacp-a-century-in-the-fight-for-freedom/documents/lynching.pdf

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford.

[amgeog2260]

Hi Aden!

I have recently used an article about the relationship between mapping/location and it’s impact on the origin of the Mississippi Delta Blues. I found this article interesting because there are some parallels with the delta blues article such as a similar finding that lower income communities relied more on their music to survive, or in other words they were most affected by racial injustice resulting in a lack of economic opportunity. 

You clearly define the sources and one thing I notice is that the writer combines sources from different time periods to show how racial injustice is evolving. For instance, maps are from the 1800's to 2014 which also tells a story and a different perspective to give power to those that are often silenced. (Hay, pg.8, 2016) This ties into the key message in that the cartography helps us understand the history of racial injustice and how it is relevant today. I also note that you remain critically reflexive when writing by identifying this as a sensitive topic. Additionally, you mention transformative reflexivity in which it is important to reflect on issues and “negotiate meanings of information generated together.” (Hay, pg. 355, 2016)This is important because it emphasizes shared learning and knowledge in a flexible way to explain any misunderstandings to achieve collaborative analysis. Finally, you mention how PAR emphasizes co learning and collective action. I agree when you mention that we all have a responsibility to be aware of systemic issues and injustices as the goal of participatory action research’s goal is to create social change. I enjoyed reading your post! One question I have is what are some major challenges associated with PAR in geography? 

Regards, Aiden

[ahgeog2260-deactivated20211210]

A Critical Evaluation of National Geographic

Introduction

The article I chose to critically evaluate comes from National Geographic. I consciously chose this publisher because I enjoy reading their postings and they have a wide range of topics to choose from. The specific article I chose is Where can you travel safely once you’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine? By Johanna Read. I know that I’ve chosen COVID as my topic for past blog posts but it is so clearly relevant in today’s world and there are new information and articles daily. The key message of this article is clear, the present is that you need a negative COVID-19 test hours-days before arriving at your destination, and in some areas, a mandatory quarantine is also in effect (Read, 2021). The future, and the present for areas such as Seychelles, is that you must be fully inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine and able to show proof before arriving at your destination (Read, 2021).

Where can you travel safely once you’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine?

Wanderlust is going to kick in after your jab. Here’s what to know before you book a trip.

Sources

Various sources were used in the research conducted to write this article, many of which are very reputable. The author, Johanna Read, provides readers with references to all keywords and sentences used throughout the article. For example, many of the points she makes come from various articles found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website, a very reputable source as it is a government website and referenced widely across the web. A few other sources are news websites such as NBC News, The New York Times, and Reuters News.

The Evaluation of Sources

The sources used throughout this article were evaluated by a few different methods. Upon reading through the article for the first time, I was able to identify two types of data collection I believe to have been used. The first is contextual information which is data that creates a context for an event (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021). This event would be the current pandemic we are facing, COVID-19. The second was determined through the reported key findings that support the main topic of the article (COVID-19 and Tourism) through the verbatim of speeches, such as the quotes provided from expert consultants (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021). By use of this data type, the author linked various findings from different sources to create another credible source, this article (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021).

Validation and Verification

From a quick read-through, I was able to determine that validation techniques were used throughout this article to ensure the information being repeated was credible. For example, the author showed that they continuously checked for representativeness of data (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021) as they said things like “the CDC released…” and “according to the Transportation Security Administration.” The author has used large, credible associations to validate their data. Additionally, the author used direct quotes from expert consultants in the field of study to validate their data (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021). For example, Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease doctor, and professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, to validate data based on COVID-19 tests and vaccines itself (the science), and Judy Kepher Gonna, the founder of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, to validate data based on traveling and restrictions (the tourism) (Read, 2021).

I can not confirm or deny if any verification techniques were used to credit the data throughout this article. I am unaware if the exert consultants were personally interviewed by National Geographic, or if their quotes come from other sources and are being used by National Geographic in this article. However, on the basis that this data was not verified then I would suggest that the author, Johanna Read, have the possible interviewees/experts react to the article and ask them questions surrounding if the information makes sense or if certain pieces of data appear to be misinterpreted (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021). This would allow for reflection to obtain validation and verification.

Expectations and Responsibilities of the Consumer

The expectations of a consumer when reviewing this article could be for the information presented to be of reference from credible sources, as well as for this information to not be skewed or rephrased in a way that misinterprets it. The responsibility that a consumer may have when reviewing this article is to further their research by reviewing the references as well to ensure that the information being provided is credible and correct. Furthermore, the consumer could cross-check the facts from the article under review with other credible sources of the same topic.

References

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 9: Writing Qualitative Geographies, Constructing Geographical Knowledge Data Analysis, Writing, and Re-Evaluating Research Aims Presenting Findings

Read, J. (2021, March 17). Where can you travel safely once you've had the COVID-19 vaccine? Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/what-will-international-travel-look-like-once-you-are-vaccinated

[amgeog2260]

Hi, I found this article interesting because it reveals the extent of travel already happening and the idea of vaccination passports with an explanation why some countries have different rules regarding quarantine. I agree that the author uses sources such as the CDC which are reputable and reliable because they refer to peer reviewed journals and offer consistent standards of information that the audience can trust. The methods of data collection that you have identified are accurate as the article both provides context and identifies key findings to explain their investigation using a series of quotes and speeches. How are these data collection methods evaluated or deemed valid?

From reading the article, I notice that the author references multiple sources that support a single point strengthening the argument and making the article trusted. For instance, you mention how the CDC and ministry of Transportation deliver similar findings and use expert consultants to validate their data. Finally, the responsibility of the consumer should be to cross reference the sources the article uses and to ensure these sources are credible and reliable before reading it. I mention this because a writer can be convincing without credible supporting evidence and checking this will not only ensure the information is coming from a consistent source but also gives insight into background information to determine it makes sense in relation to the article. I enjoyed reading your post. Do you think when we should travel depends on different medical experts and the situation in particular countries?

[amgeog2260]

Critical Evaluation

Article Overview

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56485667

I chose to critically evaluate the article written by the BBC called Bangladesh at 50: Why climate change could destroy my ancestral home. The article was written on March 25th, 2021 and focuses on how a Bangladeshi family is affected by climate change from outlining their story. The writer uses a storytelling approach to engage with those directly affected by climate change and gives a voice to often silenced groups wrestling in a wider perspective and developing a new paradigm. (Hay, pg.8, 2016) For instance, in the news article the researcher learns about the real impacts on specific people by listening to a wider and more diverse array of people that can challenge certain concepts and even create a new paradigm rather than the “mainstream media.” (Hay, pg.8, 2016) In the article, Qasan’s father mentions that he has worked multiple times to rebuild his village and “He doesn’t want it to be lost,” (BBC, 2021) which tells the researcher the connection families have to their homeland. By learning of this perspective, the researcher realizes that the impact of climate change can affect families in many ways including the effect of losing part of their identity, factors that can be analyzed to form an enhanced understanding to make better decisions when addressing climate change. I chose the article because it is fascinating to learn how developing countries like Bangladesh bear the costs of climate change, although they have less impact than developed countries. 

Image Retrieved From :https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56485667

Key Message and Validity/Evaluation

The key message of the article is that climate change is already forcing thousands of people out of their homes due to sea level rise and the current trajectory will displace 20 % of the country. (BBC, 2021) The article focuses on the perspective of one family displaced and outlines the impact of losing their ancestral home they have lived on for generations such as their community, identity and connection to the land. Throughout the article, the writer cites scholarly journals such as the UN Refugee Agency to outline the effects and potential impact on Bangladeshi civilians using migration numbers linked to climate change. The sources could have been evaluated by following criteria of accuracy/ reliability, currency, objectivity and their authority/credibility. For instance, the UN Refugee Agency is a legitimate source because they reference peer reviewed journals with science based evidence to support their claims and are relatively current. (written in 2015) The BBC article does not have citation information, a reference list or in text citation information, yet does have hyperlinks which will direct the reader to various journals and other credible websites. The writer might not want to attribute themselves to this article as it might be controversial as they are identifying and using information about specific people in Bangladesh that may be impacted. To further specify, the authour may want to distance themselves from the narrative to appear more neutral or objective. (Hooykaas, Wk.9, 2021) The writer has combined his own personal experience and used scientific based evidence to support his claim of the present and  potential future impact. This is an example of triangulation because he uses multiple sources that have continuous representation of data in order to create a theory. To specify, he uses 3 different types of sources (oral history, article, journal) from different backgrounds that present similar findings that describe the impact of climate change which are all outlined by expert consultants. (Hooykaas, Wk.9, 2021) The article uses a grounded theory approach as the writer hasn’t identified the answers yet, but by investigating can develop a better theory. (Hooykaas, wk 9, 2021) For example, the article  incorporates multiple ways groups of people creatively look at something in their own mind or create their own social realities (fantasy themed analysis). For instance, the article outlines the experience of the impact of climate change on Qasan’s family from their perspective and uses sources from multiple backgrounds to identify common themes.

Image Retrieved From: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56485667

Expectations/ Responsibilities of the Consumer

A reader’s responsibility is to ensure the author’s sources are credible and reliable. This is important because the audience will have expectations that the writer will back up their arguments with evidence that is able to be trusted. For instance, in the BBC article the UN Refugee Agency is known to be a consistent source with peer reviewed citations.  Using evidence from a non-credible source can fail to convince or make the reader believe the information told. The sources also give the reader an insight into the background data that can help them understand the full scope of the argument laid. For example, a reader can easily judge if information from a source makes sense to an argument made. Additionally, the article includes elements of participatory action research that is discussed in the textbook with the end goal of participation and action to change the world. In the article, research is conducted with participants from the Bangladesh community that engages with the experience and history to drive the growth of knowledge and effectively drive action to address social injustice. The consumer is expected to be engaged in a process that lets them gain knowledge of social injustices that have negative effects on people  and to “organizing skills necessary to remedy the injustice.” (Hay, pg 350, 2021) In this case, the article outlines a method of change when the author says “while people in Bangladesh are doing their bit, it is vital that those of us in Bangladeshi diasporas all over the world to not forget the people who are still there,” (BBC, 2021) outlining an expected responsibility for those outside Bangladesh to fight for the lives of those affected by climate change. 

Image Retrieved From: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56485667

References

Bangladesh at 50: Why climate change could destroy my ancestral home. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56485667

Hay, Iain. Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford, 2015.

Hooykaas (2021) Week 9. Applied Human Geography.

[kmgeog2260]

Coding in Qualitative Research

This week we have been asked to use qualitative coding methods to code two different sources of data. Coding is a process by which researcher’s structure and interpret qualitative data, it serves two major purposes, which are organization and analysis of the source materials (Hay, 2005). For my upcoming storytelling research project my group is working on the prompt, “What is Urban Geography, and why is it so relevant today?”. The two literary works I have chosen to code are both about the central theme of sustainability in the city. One source is a academic journal article by Thomas L. Saaty and Pierfrancesco De Paola titles Rethinking Design and Urban Planing for Cities of the Future (2017). The second source is the annual 2013 reprot from Toronto City Planning.

Coding

For these specific sources I have already read through them and have an idea of what I want to take out of them, therefore I will use deductive coding. Deductive coding is when you start with a predefined set of codes and the use them to code your data (Hay,2005). Although these codes are pre-set for these two sources, when diving deeper into my research I plan to stay flexible and understand that the common themes in these sources may not be as important later on. I will be using a hierarchical framework to organize the following codes based on how they relate to one another (Hooykaas, 2021). Development will be part of the top level and it will get split into environmental sustainability and social equality. Because these are the only two sources I have started to code I assume these “levels” will be broken down further in the future

The codes I have chosen to use are:

- Urban Development– Yellow highlight

- Environmental Sustainably– Green highlight

- Social Equality – Pink highlight

I tried to create codes that are related to the goal of the assignment/research but at the same time cover as much of sources information as possible that I want to use. Below are screenshots of the coding I have done so far on each source. (this does not include coding for the entire source)

Use for our research project

For our research project we have the idea of using development and sustainability as a way of demonstrating what urban geography looks like in practice, and how urban geography studies can influence real change. Doing so would not only help to answer the question “What is urban geography” but also our secondary question of “, why is it relevant?”. These specific codes allow for us to create a case that the urban geography projects are necessary and their effect. This coding can be combined with my peer’s work for this project by adding it to a shared document so that everyone can see new information we have gained. As well as these codes can help them when looking at other resources for what information we have and what we need.

Hay, I.(2005). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography(4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Saaty, T., & De Paola, P. (2017). Rethinking Design and Urban Planning for the Cities of the Future. Buildings (Basel), 7(4), 76. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030076

Annual 2013 report for Toronto City Planning. (2013). Retrieved 2021, from http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/pg/bgrd/backgroundfile-66966.pdf

[amgeog2260]

Hi Kaya, it is interesting how you mention that you would use deductive coding, a pre-defined set of codes as you read the article beforehand as well as being open to new ideas or concepts that may arise in the further analysis of your research. By doing this, you begin with a focus on key themes that may help address your topic or research question but additionally remain open as you would read information you would incorporate other areas you may have missed. I would conduct inductive coding in order to mitigate bias by analyzing the data beforehand to get a full scope and understanding of the relationships and meaning between key concepts and consistently relate this back to the focus, topic or research question. I appreciate by dividing key concepts into three codes, development, sustainability and social equality you can build a case connecting the importance of urban geography to the impact on social injustice and sustainability issues. For instance, from organizing the impact of development and analyzing the effects on urban geography you could answer What are the development factors that affect people’s relationship with their environment, in this case you have already identified two, social justice and sustainability. I approached it differently by identifying only key concepts such as migration, diffusion and music as factors a level below culture and geography. However by outlining phrases, you may be able to better define concepts. One question I have is in your longer sentences you have coded, do you see any potential areas to divide into smaller codes? You chose very effective codes to better organize and analyse your data to strongly support your research question. Hope your semester is going well!!

[amgeog2260]

Coding Qualitative Data

The Articles I have Coded

I have decided to code the peer reviewed journal Exploring cultural geography field course using story maps which explores the use of Story Maps and a place based approach to understand the Delta Blues culture, in the Southern United States. I also coded Experiencing Blues at the Crossroads: A Place-Based Method for Teaching the Geography of Blues Culture also focused on the geography of blues culture across the Mississippi Delta. From coding these two articles it provides an understanding of the cultural and geographic factors in which Blues Culture emerged.

Coding Methods Used

I have decided to use a hierarchical frame allowing a user to help organize codes based on how they relate to each other. (Hooykaas, 2021) For instance, when asking the question How have cultural factors affected relationships between people and their environment, a hierarchical flow can help define which themes are most important to help in the decision making process. To specify, in the Experiencing Blues at a Crossroads article I defined the theme of culture and geography as more important aspects as terms of music, diffusion and migration are all factors relating to the more broad concepts of culture and geography. This approach also allows me to better organize the themes and better understand the relationships between each of the themes. 

I decided to use an inductive Coding approach in order to mitigate the potential of bias as a user would analyze the data before developing codes rather than starting with a predefined set of codes. (Hooykaas, 2021) By conducting an inductive coding approach, I would avoid missing potential important terms such as diffusion and migration in Experiencing Blues at a Crossroads which could help me answer my research question and support my thesis. 

Application to the Digital Storytelling Assignment

The coding methods we have learned has allowed a large group of documents to be easily searched in order to better organize and analyze information to make sense of what we are talking about. (Hay, 2016) As an example, by always relating back to the main topic or research question when coding, you will organize data to be easier to analyze, for instance discovering how cultural factors impact the relationship between people and their environment. Coding the two articles will allow our group to easily find relative information that shows the relationship between key concepts, ideas and key terms to easily analyze the information. (Hay, 2016) Additionally, the patterns themes and trends outlined by coding will allow our work to be more concise and organized which allows us to strongly support our thesis. This is because categorizing what we think is most important at re-analyzing our data to avoid definitional drift will answer questions such as Does this Make Sense? Or What interesting stories can be told from this data? One strategy our group could take to avoid definitional drift would be to reread our peer’s coding of similar articles to assess consistency definition of codes and be critical of the methods used to develop important themes and concepts. Doing this would ensure our evidence is stronger and tells us how to change our approach or analyze further resources. Finally, in contrast can you think of benefits or consequences of automated coding of qualitative data, for instance with the aid of artificial intelligence or natural language processing to break text up into themes?

References 

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 8: Coding

Mukherjee, F. (2019). Exploring cultural geography field course using story maps. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 43(2), 201-223.

Strait, J. (2012). Experiencing blues at the crossroads: A place-based method for teaching the geography of blues culture. Journal of Geography, 111(5), 194-209. 

[awgeog2260]

Oral Histories: Why they Should be More Acknowledged in Qualitative Research

Originally I enrolled in this course (it is not required for my program) because I wanted to gain research skills in case I decide to do a masters program or do research with a professor at some point after my undergrad. But after the first two weeks I realized how valuable the course content and textbook material is for any consumer of knowledge. Thinking about where we get our information from and how we know this is reliable, is crucial to reflect on in 2021, when there is an abundance of information at our fingertips. We must be able to decipher what is legitimate information and what is not - or just make conscious decisions about what we indulge in. I also found week two on critical reflexivity, power, and subjectivity particularly interesting and again, felt like this kind of learning should be taught to a broad array of people, as it is very relevant in our lives not just as potential researchers, but as knowledge consumers. Thirdly, the Week 6 lecture and the incorporation of oral histories and tradition as a part of qualitative research and data resonated with me.

Personally I think that oral histories tell a story in a way that modern interviews or traditional history books can not. The part of human geography that I find interesting is the individualized human perspective. I like hearing stories from people who were there when a particular event unfolded, or who was living in a geographical place before it shifted into an entirely different landscape, or someone who has personal lived experiences and knowledge in a field that maybe doesn’t make it into our history classes. Right now I’m reading a book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I am sure some of you have heard of this as it was #1 on the bestseller list for some time.

The author is also a plant scientist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation. She uses oral histories that her mother told her to solve mysteries in the world of botany, and that is a lot of what she writes about in Braiding Sweetgrass. She explains that when she was an undergrad student research plants, she would ask her professors questions like “why do *flower A* and *flower B* always grow together in meadows?”, and the professor would tell her that is not a scientific question. She decides to research this topic more on her own, by asking her relatives that grew up collecting wildflowers and other plants for traditional medicines. Without spoiling this part of the book, I’ll just say that there was a scientific explanation to this question, just not one that was a part of traditional western research. It is important that we document the lives and histories of people before they are forgotten. These histories can also be told through maps and illustrations, later being used to maintain the integrity of these people’s experiences in museums, radia, television, or books. These oral histories seem to be often left out of research, especially in academia. I have tried citing information that people have verbally communicated to me throughout my life in an academic paper and was quickly shut down. To have richer, more inclusive research, we should include oral histories more often.

What are some ways you have seen oral histories used in qualitative research? I would be so interested to know!

References: Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.

[amgeog2260]

Hi Alanna, I enjoyed reading your post! One thing that stood out to me was how important it is to recognize how research is collected by reflecting on personal bias or power dynamics. With a vast amount of sources out there, it is important to critically analyze the information to recognize bias and compare multiple documents to confirm accurate data. I appreciate your perspective on the human aspect of research by conducting oral histories, I believe by listening to people's first hand experiences can develop deep conversations that have the power to affect policy or change the way people view their community by acquiring data that can’t be collected by quantitative research or traditional interviews. For example, stories of communities that have to move due to changes in the environment will develop a voice for those not told in history and a new perspective of how their community was directly affected. To answer your question, oral histories let Indigenous people’s teach about their own culture in their own words. This source is a vital method as it allows the passing down of stories, lessons and histories that offer a new perspective of how history is told. It is interesting how you mention in Braiding Sweetgrass, the importance of oral histories as it presents a solution from new perspectives and not only a western medicine approach. I also am aware that in some cases oral histories can be used as evidence to support claims of indigenous people’s on indigenous lands. For example, proof such as a song about a natural feature passed down through generations can prove an indigenous claim to their rightful territory.  I look forward to read more of your posts! Can you identify arguments that oral histories are not reliable?

[amgeog2260]

Compelling Research Proposal

What has resonated from this course?

In general, the aspect that has most resonated with me is how I have learned to write a compelling research proposal from the aids of the digital storytelling project, lectures and the textbook. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to learn the process of research as it is something I have keen interest in doing, both on the human geographic aspect and to a lesser extent quantitative approach. The base framework of developing compelling research proposals also incorporates ethics, interview skills and sources of bias while answering questions such as Where do Research Ideas Come From and What are the strengths of methods you are proposing? (2016, Hay, pg. 107) To begin, critically thinking while looking for sources that are reliable is a crucial skill I have learned especially since there is an abundance of information out there. This is particularly important when articulating a specific research question and deciding what to focus on. For instance, will you focus on the causes of homeless youth or types of services provided or needed? Asking yourself this question will help guide finding relevant information, develop critical thinking skills to address the question problem in the research proposal. (Hay, 2016, pg. 100) 

When developing a research proposal, a first question asked could be where research ideas come from in order to develop a topic. In the course, I have learned that ideas can come from reading personal experience and from other scholars and and will be heavily influenced from personal experience and skills. For instance, you should be passionate about the topic and be able to acquire the skills to complete the project, for example spatial statistics if they work in GIS. Another aspect is learning of the importance of ethical considerations that I have found interesting and important to encourage consideration of the relationship between professional practice and well being of people. What resonated with me the most is the fact that there are many considerations and the researcher must be aware at all times to mitigate bias, ensure the participant’s are treated fairly, and a community benefits from the research and not only the team conducting the research. For instance, decisions about which research topics to pursue, appropriate methods of investigation and right ways to relate to participants during the research process should all be made with ethical considerations in mind such as privacy/ confidentiality, and the role of intersubjectivity in research. (Hay, 2016, pg. 108) To specify, what I found interesting and was unaware of this before was that your social position and personal characteristics cannot be changed and the way you are perceived and at least determined by societal norms. ( Hay, 2016, pg. 39) For example, an informant would react differently to a male researcher than a female and may give different answers because they might think that one type expects a different answer to support their research. 

Something I would like to learn more about?

I would like to learn more about participatory action research which engages people to learn about social injustices negatively influencing their life circumstances. I am interested in this because it aims not only to analyze social reality but aims to change it through the active involvement of research participants. It is also an approach that would focus on better involving community members to achieve better outcomes, which would be interesting as academic interests are directly applied to relevant community issues. Another aspect I find interesting is the focus on attitude in relation to power dynamics, such as being perceived as elitist or patronizing rather than the research group being involved. This leaves me with the question of What is the importance of participatory action research and how does a research manage challenges such as the importance of behaviour towards the research group?

Participatory Action Research often involves stages where academic and social group members work together. 

Retrieved from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/participatory-action-research

[jbgeog2260]

A Short and Meaningful Interview: Population Geography

Overview

The goal of our digital storytelling project is to represent the importance of population geography by demonstrating how it connects to different aspects of geography and the world. If I had 5 minutes to interview a key thinker of this field, I would interview Dudley L. Poston, Jr, a professor of demography and sociology. I would interview him because of his experience working in these fields for over 50 years in hopes that he could provide some insightful information to help our project. Here are the semi-structured interview questions I would ask:

1. “What specific field of population geography do you enjoy focusing on and are you researching any issues in the world today related to this field?

Since I already know what field of geography he specifies in, I would like to know what part of it he personally enjoys and what he feels is important today. By doing this, I could get a better understanding of how the interview will go and possibly think of other questions to ask based on his response.

 I decided to keep my first question broad by asking a descriptive question so that I could ease into the interview and provide Poston with an idea of the questions I would be asking (Hay, 2021, p.154).

2. “What issues in our world today relate back to population geography that people wouldn’t necessarily think of being part of this field?”

By asking this, I would like Poston to explain how population geography connects to many different aspects of our world in order to hopefully prove the argument of our research project and to get other ideas we might not have thought of. 

This is a storytelling question because it allows Poston to explain factual details that he wouldn’t have to add his own opinion to (Hay, 2021, p.154). 

3. “What do you believe are the major drivers behind people being unequally impacted by Covid-19 and climate change due to their geographic location?”

The research we have already done on population geography has informed us that Covid-19 and climate change are currently some of the biggest issues in this field today. I would like to know Poston’s opinion on what causes people to be treated and affected differently by these two issues in order to get a good idea of how we can change these drivers and move toward a more equal world.

 I believe that if we can represent the benefit of taking a population geography approach to solving world issues, we could successfully demonstrate how important this field is today. 

This is opinion question provides an opportunity for a very detailed response unique to Poston, with new perspectives of why our world is so unequal today (Hay, 2021, p.154).

4. “If an understanding of population geography was more widespread, do you think there would be less geographic inequality?” And “What else do you think has to be done to reduce this inequality?”

Here, I would be trying to get Poston’s opinion on whether our project would actually be beneficial in moving toward a more equal world and if there’s anything else we should intentionally add to encourage this.

I would also use this opinion question as an opportunity for Poston to build off his last response of what drives our unequal world.

5. “Is there anything else you would like to add in regards to how we can represent the importance of population geography?” 

Since this is a semi-structured interview, I would finish off with a more open-ended question where Poston could provide information that I might not have thought about asking. 

I would like him to explain any additional tips that we could use in our project that would encourage people to deepen their understanding of population geography.

While researching demographers who have had a significant impact on this field, I noticed many of them have already died, or are very old. I originally thought I could use a multi-method approach and incorporate oral histories and allow Poston to provide any outstanding stories or ideas that he has not yet told (Hay, 2021, p.160). However since this is only a 5-minute interview, I believe incorporating some broad, open-ended questions would be just as beneficial.

References:

Hay, I. (2021). QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. Don Mills, Ontario: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.

Liberalarts.tamu.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/sociology/profile/dudley-poston/

[amgeog2260]

Hi Josh, I enjoyed reading your post and by interviewing a key thinker in the field of demography for the last 50 years, you can get a deep and rich conversation by asking them of their past experiences and how the field has evolved throughout time. You ask effective questions combining a variety of types of questions resulting in very different types of responses resulting in different ways to get to an answer strengthening your evidence. (Hay, 2016, pg. 154) For instance, you ask questions to gain the informants’ opinion to gain their feelings about a topic as well as ask a storytelling question to encourage further input. One question I would also ask would be at the beginning asking about his experience and the history of the field of population geography, this way the informant can then expand on their storytelling to answer questions such as why people are unequally impacted by Covid. (Hay, 2016, pg. 155) I appreciate your order of questions and I believe by asking a general question at the beginning will make the informant more comfortable and gain an understanding of how the interview will go and then expand in detail. At the end, you leave the door open for further discussion, in case the informant feels they have left out an important message that needs to be captured. Can you expand on why you chose a semi structured interview, for instance why not focus on an oral history in an unstructured interview? Well done on the post Josh!

Regards, Aiden Muir

[amgeog2260]

Interviewing Dr. Gillian Rose

Who I am Interviewing?

My group and I are researching Cultural Geography for our research project and the article Cultural Geography Going Viral by Gillian Rose was compelling. Rose writes about the scarcity of technology and social media in the field of cultural geography and the associated impact on the development of how cultural meaning is developed. I find the article fascinating because she suggests that cultural geography should be interested in social media because it has a lot to offer since it studies the power relations associated with social groups. For instance, as Rose points out, the concern of the Labour Party was the idea that it was distancing from its voters since their leadership lived in multi million dollar homes while their  working class members lived in average price housing. Another reason I would interview Gillian Rose is because she recognizes that the field of geography gathers very different experiences, skills and stories to better understand our world. For instance, she mentions that individuals themselves have different perspectives dependent on their environment, for instance a local identity vs a global identity. For this reason, I believe she would be more open as she would consider multiple perspectives before answering resulting in a deep and rich conversation. 

Gillian Rose’s Book Feminism and Geography in which she discusses how geographic knowledge is constructed. Image received fromhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/670238.Feminism_and_Geography

Interview Questions

1. Good morning Dr. Rose, when did you become interested in the field of cultural geography? Can you tell me the history of and how cultural geography developed as an academic study?

I am looking to identify key thinkers throughout the history of the subfield of cultural geography and to establish the order of events or provide context. I try to encourage storytelling and sustained input from the informant to gather an understanding of experiences, aspects and why it matters. The question will provide an opportunity to discuss and follow up with other questions to unpack and verify true meaning. 

2. How do you feel people are affected from understanding the relationship between cultural attitudes and their environment? For instance, the idea that voters are divided from their political leadership based on the image of place. 

This question encourages sustained input from the informant by expanding on their original thoughts. For instance, by asking to elaborate on the power relations between voters and political leadership will answer in detail the importance of social media, and dive into further topics such as why voters feel a disconnect between their political leadership. 

3. You mention that cultural geography should be interested in social media to better understand the relationship between place and landscape. Are you concerned with social media having a negative influence on cultural geography?

This is a contrast question in which the researcher is trying to encourage a reflection of the advantages and disadvantages. By considering both sides of an argument, the informant can dive deeper and expand on why they have their viewpoint and by explaining details. 

4.  If cultural geography was more widespread, how would social media affect the understanding of place and landscape?

This is a follow up question that aims to identify an informant’s ideology or assumptions and then question those assumptions to develop a deeper understanding of the material. 

5. In what direction do you see the subfield of cultural geography heading in? Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to add?

This question would help the researcher gain an insight of the future of cultural geography and answer about the importance of the relationship of power relations and landscapes. I am interested in the viewpoint of a key thinker regarding the role of social media in defining power relations by exposing the relationship between people’s actions and their environment. As a semi structured interview I wanted to leave an open discussion to listen to anything Dr. Rose believes is important and would like to add on. 

Why I Chose These Questions

I chose to conduct a semi structured interview as it allows the researcher to maintain control of the topics of the discussion and maintain the flexibility in which issues are addressed by the informant. (Hay, 2016, pg. 150) I ensured the order of my questions preserved the rapport by following the funnel structure to allow the informant to be accustomed to the interview. (Hay, 2016, pg. 155) For instance, I asked an easy question at the beginning followed by a question about her own experience and progressively asking more sensitive questions  then a question to expand and develop deeper reflection. (Hay, 2016, pg. 156) In addition, my questions are open ended asking why and how to allow the informant to expand on the issue discussed. By asking a variety of different types of interview questions, a very different sort of response will allow a deeper understanding of the material. (Hay, 2016, pg. 154) 

Rose, G. (2015). Cultural geography going viral. Social & Cultural Geography, 17(6), 763-767. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2015.1124913

Hay, I. (2021). QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. Don Mills, Ontario: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

[jbgeog2260]

Cooling Climate Change

My Ultimate Research Project

As a graduate with unlimited resources, I would research different ways to fight climate change. This is obviously an extremely broad topic with lots of research already being poured into it, however, I would be interested in only one aspect. Specifically, I would research new ways to cool the atmosphere. 

I’ve been aware of climate change ever since a young age, being a lover of winter and the outdoors. For me, climate change only really affected my hobbies by shortening the snowboard season and bringing rain instead of snow. However, for millions of people across the world, climate change can have devastating effects. It’s because of this that I’ve become so passionate about the climate and ultimately what’s driven me to study geography.

Time to Think Outside the Box

The fossil fuel industry is responsible for 89% percent of the carbon in our atmosphere, and it feels like nothing anyone else does to reduce their carbon footprint will make a difference unless this industry stops emitting. However, due to the massive amounts of money fossil fuel companies bring in, creating high GDPs and even funding environmental organizations, the chances of this happening seem to be extremely low. This is why I believe the next solution lies in removing carbon from the atmosphere and other ways of cooling it. 

Quantitative Research

This could occur the same way trees sequester carbon through photosynthesis, or by creating higher albedo land surfaces to reflect more incoming solar radiation. If we could cool the atmosphere at a faster rate than fossil fuels are produced, we could reverse climate change. My research would be objective as I would be dealing with mainly quantitative data. Since the Earth already naturally cools its self, I would begin my research with a historical approach through the content analysis of existing information. I would study climate proxies as they would provide me with information on Earth’s climate over the past millions of years, and the archives within them could show me the different processes that contributed to cooling the Earth. Once I had a list of all the factors that control Earth’s climate, I would find ways to recreate these processes or enhance them to be done faster and more efficiently. 

Qualitative Research

Since I don’t have experience with this, I would need the help of others in a similar field. I could work together with other scientists, perform semi-structured interviews with one of them, or a focus group with multiple. My interviews would be semi-structured as the main focus of my questions would be on how they would go about my project, but I would encourage other inputs and ideas as well. This part of my research would be qualitative, and I would have to make sure I took their information as it is, keeping it still objective. I would then experiment with my results, using the information I collected and the advice my colleagues gave me until I came up with some hopefully promising results! 

Ethics

With this research being mainly quantitative, there would not be too many ethical considerations  I would have to make since I wouldn’t be interacting with people too often. However, I would have to be aware that climate change is a global issue, and it affects me much less than it does others. I would have to understand my positionality of being relatively safe from climate change and how that could affect my project, different than someone who is at great risk of climate change. I would also have to make sure the climate proxies I used to collect my original data are free for me to use and that I have the informed consent from the owner of that information. I would then finally have to recognize the risks my project could pose when finished. Overall, I believe that since my research strives to fight against climate change, it would benefit everyone on Earth, and I would do my best to keep that goal throughout my research. 

What are some ways of cooling the atmosphere you think we could use to battle climate change?

Thanks for reading!

Josh

References

Fossil fuels and climate change: The facts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2021, from https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/stories/fossil-fuels-and-climate-change-the-facts/

Hay, I. (2021). QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. Don Mills, Ontario: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.

[amgeog2260]

Hi Josh,

I am glad to see your proposal to tackle/research climate change. I find it very interesting how you would focus on cooling the atmosphere, would you interview particular types of scientists? You make a good point mentioning fossil fuel companies emit 89% of carbon. Would your research aim to confront the fossil fuel companies or to focus on how to sequester the carbon? Your quantitative approach is very strong, for instance you use climate proxies from tree rings or sediment layers to help create climatic models and projections for the future. I believe this rigorous method will ensure bias or unequal influence is mitigated. You make a good point mentioning the importance of being critically reflexive and aware of your positionality. Recognizing biases and listening to those most affected by climate change will allow the researcher to gain new insight and perspective that has power to change policy or change how the issue is seen. A historical research approach also has the benefit to understand how a community faced issues in the past and through their stories, the researcher can analyse the relationship between climate change and how it affects everyday lives.

To answer your question, I still believe confronting the fossil fuel industry and hold them accountable for their actions is a necessary step. There is an opportunity to shift our economic and political system to solve problems such as poverty, education for all and addressing wealth inequality for instance to ensure a transition to a more just future for all. Inevitably, reducing atmospheric CO2, methane and other potent gases from the atmosphere is necessary, because adopting carbon sequestering technologies will justify more pollution from fossil fuel companies. 

Do you have a particular location or discipline you would focus your research?

Thank you for posting, I look forward to reading more posts!

Regards, Aiden

[amgeog2260]

Source: www.greatlakesenvironmentaljustice.wordpress.com

Overview

I am very passionate about addressing climate change and would like to gain a deeper understanding of those most affected, in particular lower income communities. For a research project, I would be scrutinizing the relationship between climate change and disproportional effects on communities. For instance, the decision to place a factory in a low income neighbourhood. I would travel to Sarnia, Ontario to conduct interviews and focus groups with residents and workers at various chemical plants and oil refineries. I would like to examine how residents cope with the impact of  “Chemical Valley” on their lives and to spread education with the outside world and those that might not be aware. I also ask the question Why do chemical plants and oil refineries do their business in Sarnia? Are their financial or political pressures to keep out these plants from the public view, for example in larger cities such as Guelph or Toronto? By conducting Google scholar searches I believe the research is underrepresented and do not focus on the long term effects. For instance, many focus on financial compensation for those affected by living in Sarnia. (Hay, 2016) Another question focuses on the long term health effects. Are they taken into consideration when calculating compensation?

Issue

Industry was first seen as a symbol of progress, productivity and modernity. However, over the last few decades the air quality has plummeted with dangerously high pollutants in the air, the worst in Canada. In addition refinery spills have resulted in a wave of illnesses in daycares parks and schools. In particular, the Aamjiwnaang First Nation and low income communities are surrounded by petroleum companies. 

Research Objectives

The research aims to identify political and economic motives and to gain a perspective from the local population most affected by these decisions. The goal is to approach the issue historically by asking for the stories of individuals which have the power to change how they are seen and could directly influence policy decisions. I hope to assess the impact of the refineries quantitatively through surveys and qualitatively through interviews. 

Field Plan

Interviews

I chose to conduct interviews rather than focus groups because it could result in more meaningful and honest conversations. For example, a participant may not be comfortable sharing in a large group. Although I might have enough time for only 5 interviews, I believe I would get a deeper story. These considerations must be taken into account to ensure the participant is not exposed to psychological risk and must be aware to withdraw from the research process at any time. To identify issues, deepen understanding and make evidence based decisions, it is important to reduce bias. (Hay, 2016)

Surveys

A stratified random sample would be used to focus on the results from low income communities as they are most affected by the chemical plants. Ideally they would be done in person, so the participant can easily ask for any clarification about the questions. The questions themselves should be valid and yield reliable results, questions about the attitudes and perceptions of the impact of chemical plants on their daily lives. (Hay, 2016)

Ethical Considerations/ Potential Problems

It is important to be critically reflexive and always be aware of your actions. For example, you might notice that the participants react differently to a male researcher than a female. As a result, they may offer different opinions and a researcher must take this into account. Understanding your positionality is also key as the researcher has potential bias and your identity might result in unaware influences on the research. (Hay, 2016) Another key would be to protect confidentiality and privacy. For instance, when conducting interviews the researcher may identify the participants using codes as pseudonyms to protect their identity. Encrypting information to ensure data is secure is also important. Informed consent is another consideration. You should not be in a position to force the participant into research but invited with an understanding they aren’t obligated and no negative consequences will result if they decide to leave at any time. This research could be used to empower indigenous peoples. The research will involve a community based participatory approach to build relationships throughout time and to promote learning on both sides. (Hay, 2016) For example, a long -term commitment with a focus on local relevance would strengthen understanding of the problem to create benefit for everyone.

Who Benefits?

It will be important to think of strategies in order to recruit members to participate in the research. One method would be to explain how this will benefit them directly. Despite being a student researcher, you should be honest and say the research might not reach as far or have much of an impact on the issue as much as an established researcher. However, you could still argue that your work expands the understanding of the issue and contributes to further research. In addition, there might be less risk in sharing knowledge that would result in harm to the community. The challenge might be convincing the community that the research will benefit them. The research will aim to benefit the direct communities by trying to pressure political groups to act. In addition the research can have a nation wide effect by potentially identifying the causes and drivers of air quality problems. In the long term, the project will influence how and what type of infrastructure is built and with key considerations affecting lower income communities. The research would benefit those who have lived under poor air quality standards as their stories will be heard and hopefully effect policy change which could include measures to mitigate pollution. (Hay, 2016) Further research such as the health effects of air pollution could be influenced as well. 

Could you identify any policy changes that this research could influence?

References

Hay, Iain. Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford, 2016

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 2: Philosophy, Power, Politics, and Research Design and Week 3: Ethics [PowerPoint Presentation]. GEOG2260, Guelph.

[rhgeog2260]

The Taiga Frontier

invisible backpIn 1936, premonitions of war and a coming violent change were floating around in Russia. Religious Old Believers were in danger. It was during this year that Old Believer Karp Lykov moved his family into the Siberian mountains, into the treacherous biome of the taiga - a zone primarily filled with coniferous trees and lots of snow. This area became the home of the growing Lykov family, including the birth of Agafia in 1944. Her life had been gruelling - no contact with the outside world, an intense environment, and more. In fact, once during a food shortage, Agafia’s mother starved herself to death so that her 4 children could eat. When the Lykov family was contacted by geologists in 1978 after 40 years of isolation, they had not even known about World War II. With these researchers came a presumed disease which killed 3 of the 4 Lykov children, leaving only Agafia. She lived alone with her animals for another 25 years before the return of one of the geologists, Yerofei Sedov. Incidentally, their relationship does not seem to be a happy one, as Agafia has to do most things for him. Additionally, she finds some of his actions sinful.

There are several research methods that can be utilized in the field of human geography. In this case, I feel that the team that produced the documentary Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years utilized the emperical-analytical approach. In this approach, researchers were physically in the location, taking in experiences and interacting with their subject rather than “viewing from afar”. They absorb hands-on information as opposed to simply studying literature or a perceived reality. Additionally, the researchers in this case were able to actually form a relationship with their subject. They stayed with Agafia for several days and observed her daily habits. They got to take part in some of her daily activities, such as fetching firewood and cooking the (albeit little) food she had. This immersive experience is certainly beneficial in getting an “inside” perspective into the world you are trying to learn more about. Through talking directly with Agafia, the researchers have potentially learned more about life isolated in Siberia than they could should they had only read books and taken on information second-hand.

The “invisible backpack” taken on by these researchers is a way in which we can refer to their struggles in ascertaining accurate first-hand knowledge. For example, while Agafia gets around either by walking or on homemade skiis, the research team was able to fly in on a helicopter. Another factor would be the fact that Agafia wears homemade clothing, while the researchers are adequately bundled up. Agafia is 70 years old, and not only takes care of herself and her house, but takes care of her neighbour as well. I would personally say that the only point in which these researchers do not have an “invisible backpack” is that they slept in tents in the Siberian mountains, while she has her heated house (albeit probably heated only by a wood stove). Despite all this I felt the documentary team was fairly ethical in their filming. They silently observed Agafia while she practiced her faith, singing prayers and reading from centuries-old texts. They aided her with some of her daily activities that she would have otherwise had to perform herself, such as the exhaustive work of sawing down a tree. They seemed to ask as few questions as possible in order to allow her to speak freely, adding to the conversation or stopping it when needed.

Should I conduct this research on my own, I would personally immerse myself even deeper into Agafia’s life. As such, I mean that I would stay a longer time, in order to primarily make my own clothes as she has, learn and actively perform her daily chores, cook food with items readily available in the area, and perhaps even build my own temporary shelter to resemble that of Agafia’s. Overall, I would like to not just ask her about her daily life, but I would actually live her daily life. I would have some bias in that I have lived in a suburban area my whole life, so I would naturally find this experience more difficult in contrast. I would try to mitigate this bias by leaving behind things like cellphones and “first world comforts”, as well as staying there for a longer time period than three days, as mentioned before. In this case I would identify more as a “participant” than a researcher. 

Agafia Lykov could be considered very inspiring in the 21st century - as we disconnect further and further from reality and nature, this woman has no other choice than to connect so incredibly deeply to the world around her. While that world may not have many people in it, one could argue Agafia is better off for it.

Many people talk about living off the grid some day. Watching this documentary may inspire either hope or fear into those with this specific desire. While a nice cottage in the woods sounds idilic to some, Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness For 70 Years really shines a light onto the potential difficulties that come with living strictly off the land in modern times. 

[amgeog2260]

Hi Robin, 

I really enjoyed reading your post, particularly how you would conduct your own research of the Lykov family. By showing initiative to live in a similar environment and integrating into Agafia’s way of life, the research would mitigate their bias and develop an alternate perspective. As a researcher with access to food and shelter, they must consider the risks to both the participants and themselves in a prolonged stay in the wilderness. For instance what precautions would you take to adjust to a new lifestyle, and do you have emergency precautions in case you fell ill? You also mention the researchers take an empirical approach in which they are physically in the location analyzing the experience of Agafia’s life in person. Although this approach enables a researcher to understand the relationships between participants, the research is often time consuming, expensive and has many difficulties in gaining permission. The research must ensure everyone is kept safe and respected when interviewing a person the questions you ask must not be pervasive or make the participant uncomfortable. Do you believe the empirical approach is the best method to research the Lykov’s family story? What difficulties might you encounter while conducting research of the Lykov’s family history?

 Regards, 

Aiden Muir

[kmgeog2260]

Case Study on Surviving the Wilderness with Agafia Lykovs

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68)

The short documentary produced by Vice tagged above is about Agafia, 70-year-old women who has been living in the Siberian wilderness for the majority of her life. In the 1930s due to her family’s religious beliefs and the political climate in Russia, her father moved his entire family into the woods (160 miles from the nearest town) with very extreme weather conditions. Over the years due to outsider visits causing illness, and starvation the rest of Agafia’s family has passed away. The documentary was published in 2013 and the researchers sought out to understand and experience Agafia’s life/ living situation firsthand in what they described as “one of the most inhospitable places on earth “, (Vice, 2013). The researchers flew by helicopter to where Agafia’s home is and set up camp to live with her for a few days. Research Techniques The research techniques and findings of the documentary where not explicitly laid out but in my opinion the research method they used was qualitative with a mix of observation and interviews. The researchers conducted interviews with mostly Agafia recalling her history with the land as well as asking questions about her everyday life. They also conducted some shorter interviews with the park rangers that had helped them get there, and her neighbour about the same. A keynote about their research method is that it was naturalistic observation, meaning that Agafia was not taken out of her “natural setting”, but rather the researchers came to her. Invisible Backpack and Ethics The researchers unknowingly, or perhaps knowingly, brought with them their invisible backpacks filled with privileges that might not seem as obvious at first. Within this invisible backpack was the privileges of clothes, money, access to technology, geographical location, and education (McIntosh,1989). These privileges which seem subtle in the film do play roles in the research being done and that is why it is important to take note of them. Afterall, one’s invisible backpack also holds and shapes their worldview that has developed in very different ways from those they might be researching. In the film the researchers wore highly advanced winter gear and arrived in a helicopter. It was abundantly clear upon entrance the difference in lives they had to Agafias. Although, in some ways these differences and the way the Agafia lives her life contrarily from the researchers was the point of the study. It seems to me that there were ethical decisions being made in the process of the film. The researchers came off well mannered, helpful, wanting to listen and learn as well as not overbearing on Agafia’s lifestyle. They seemed genuinely interested and concerned for Agafias mental and physical welfare. Although, there were some questions I felt unanswered and uneasy about while watching. Number one, was there communication with Agafia before arriving (any heads up), if so, how? Secondly, they spoke in the film about how her family members had died after being in contact with geologist from the “outside world”, were there any precautions taken to make sure none of the Vice team brought any illnesses? Also, other than sharing Agafia’s story who was to benefit from this research? (Feel free to respond to any of these questions) If I were to research.. If I was given this same opportunity to go and visit Agafia I would conduct my research is a similar way in terms of method (oral histories, observational, interviews). I too come with most, if not all the same invisible backpack as the researcher before me so this is something that I would keep in mind but also ask Agafia about, see her opinion on outsiders coming in. Beforehand, I would try to make contact with Agafia to ensure that me coming would be something she wants. While there, I would try to integrate myself into her ways of life as much as possible, perhaps by staying longer (if I could). In the film they ended off with a great note about Agafia being a case that humans can survive in the gravest of conditions in

isolation (Vice, 2013). I would really like to expand on that idea and see if this is a generalizable note or if Agafia is a rare case.

VICE. (2013, April 9). Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68%29

McIntosh, P. (1989). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Retrieved 2021, from https://psychology.umbc.edu/files/2016/10/White-Privilege_McIntosh-1989.pdf

[amgeog2260]

Hi Kaya! 

You ask some very insightful questions regarding ethical considerations taken by the researchers in the film. While it seems that the researchers have taken some consideration to justify the benefits outweigh the risks, some considerations are left unanswered. For instance, did the researchers take precautions to mitigate the risk of transferring pneumonia to Agafia and Sedov? This being said, the researchers do ensure Agafia receives a goat and rooster from her wish list, conduct chores around the house, examples of how the research would compensate or benefit the participant. However, despite the actions the researchers took, the idea of a sponsor, which might have not been the researcher’s decision, made this a potential exploitative relationship. The sponsor is using Agafia’s story to promote a product which results in a greater benefit than the sponsor is contributing to Agafia. You make a good point mentioning that consent is needed from the participant throughout the research process and integration would help develop an alternate perspective. A question I have is how do you know that Agafia would consider her environment harsh? What do you consider a harsh environment?

Regards, 

Aiden Muir

[amgeog2260]

Surviving in Siberia

Introduction

In 1936, the Lykov family, old believers of the orthodox church, travelled into Siberia to avoid persecution. Agafia Lykova was born in the Sayan Mountains and is the last surviving Lykov of her family. Agafia has lived in the remote Siberian wilderness for over 70 years and has only left six times, once for a 1 month tour of the Soviet Union and various times for health reasons. The family lived off the land for 40 years and were oblivious to the fact of world war 2. (Vice, 2013) By chance geologists found Lykov from the helicopter and presumably brought pneumonia that made the eldest children sick and later died. The researchers learn of Agafia’s story and analyze the influence of the outside world. 

Research Techniques

A research technique outlined is an oral history, process of gathering and listening to Agafia tell her her story and share her knowledge. In the video, Agafia mentions how she considers Sedov committed the sinful act by threatening that she would be handcuffed if she didnt live with him. (Vice, 2013) She mentions Susanna in the Old Testament in which she was framed by the elders, however her honour was restored by Prophet Daniel demonstrating knowledge passed down from previous generations. The oral history is a type of empirical approach by recording the information as well as storytelling through Agafia’s own experience of what happened in history and why. Another research technique is the biography at the beginning of the film. The researchers reconstruct the life history of the Lykov family through narrative and photographs in order to better understand social structures and relationships between individuals, in this case between Agafia and Sedov. The researchers also use a participatory observation approach by living in tents outside Agafia’s house in which Agafia and the researchers develop a relationship. In the video this is shown by interviews conducted with both Sedov and Agafia in which they can grasp non-verbal feelings and how participants communicate with one another. (Hay, 2016) For example, despite what Agafia considers a sinful threat from Sedov, Agafia takes care of him and is noted by the researchers that she remains optimistic living in harsh conditions. 

Researcher’s Invisible Backpack

The researcher’s brought their invisible backpack to Agafia’s home in Siberia outlining their privileges of education, being young and able bodied, seem to have steady employment, have the resources available to travel, have access to research tools and likely have safe housing not needing to worry where their next meal came from. Often these privileges are left unconscious, for instance  those that come from a city with access to resources may believe living isolated in the wilderness is a harsh environment whereas someone living in the wilderness may think the busy city to be a harsh environment. When the researcher says “She starts her day with prayers, we start ours with coffee,” (Vice, 2013) the researchers may be unconscious of their privilege of having access to health care, grocery stores in which they don’t have to pray for. From this point, it is important to be critically reflexive as it helps identify potential problematic power dynamics and can contribute to a biased perspective in the research. (Hay, 2016) It can be implied that the differences between Agafia and the researchers are large and they can be considered outsiders. For instance, they do not share the same ability and may not be able to relate the difficulties she confronts living outdoors in her 70’s.

Ethics Considerations

It appears that the research is a potentially exploitative relationship as the researchers would have more to benefit than Agafia. This being said, the researchers offer to get a rooster and a goat as part of Agafia’s wish list and help Agafia with house work. It is also implied that they organized and communicated with Agafia their plan however one risk was that Agafia became sick when she went to the city and when geologists came transferring pneumonia to her family members. (Vice, 2013) One question I have is did they make necessary precautions prior to visiting Agafia regarding the transfer of bacteria, viruses, etc? Do the benefits outweigh the risks for both Agafia, Sedov and the researchers? Who stands to benefit the most from learning about Agafia's lifestyle? Another ethical consideration lies in the sponsor at the beginning of the video, which could be problematic because it could be interpreted as a benefit for the company using the story of Agafia who stands to benefit less resulting in a potentially exploitative relationship. 

Image from: Vice (2013, April 9) “Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years (Full Length)” Youtube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68

How would I approach research differently?

It is important to identify as a researcher what they bring to the field and to critically reflect to recognize privileges and disadvantages as we all approach research differently. (Hooykaas, 2021) As a student researcher I have access to educational resources, I grew up in Southern Ontario, with access to reliable shelter, food and water. I started working at 15 to save for school, but have been helped out by the government and parents. I do not speak russian and have limited outdoor survival skills which could limit my understanding of Agafia’s lifestyle and story as well as affect whether or not Agafia understands what the researcher is trying to ask. This can result in miscommunication or confusion affecting the validity of the research. (Hay, 2016) To conduct research on the family, it will be important to learn the russian language to better understand her culture, for instance the religious history of Russia. I would also be important to clearly communicate the purpose of research and how the benefits will justify the risks. As a change from Vice’s research, I would want to learn russian to speak to the national parks employees as well because they offer a new perspective of the benefits of living in the wilderness, for instance the parks employee mentions it enhances the soul. In addition the participant must give consent and be aware that they can withdraw from the research at any point. A conversation before the research is begun ensures any difficult conversations will be held early on. What I would do differently is minimize the risks for both the researcher and participants. In the video, it is noted that Agafia has become sick with interaction with the outside world. It is not made clear any precautions made to offset this risk in the film. Another example is a psychological risk, in which Agafia seems uncomfortable as she is talking about an incident where Sedov threatened to send a letter out. To minimize these risks, despite gaining a further insight into the relationship between Sedov and Agafia, I would ask about the specific incident because there is a psychological risk and can make the participant feel uncomfortable. 

References

Hay, Iain. Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford, 2016

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 2: Philosophy, Power, Politics, and Research Design and Week 3: Ethics [PowerPoint Presentation]. GEOG2260, Guelph.

Vice (2013, April 9) “Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years (Full Length)” Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68

DISCLAIMER

This blog was created for GEOG*2260, University of Guelph. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the University of Guelph. The University of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog.