Sub sections:
December 2004
INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHERS INC.
RURAL STUDIES GROUP
NEWSLETTER
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2004)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDITORIAL |
FROM THE CONVENOR |
MEMBERS NEWS |
CONFERENCES |
PUBLICATIONS |
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the first edition of the Rural Studies Group Newsletter for 2004. Already there is much to report on with activities flowing on from 2003 and much planned for 2004.
For the IAG Rural Studies Group, 2003 ended on a high note with the joint workshop on "Neoliberalism and Australia's Regions", held at Newcastle. A good deal of thought-provoking debate occurred over the two days on this topic, which can be seen as indicative of the healthy state of contemporary rural and economic geography. Special thanks should go to the organisers of this event, namely Neil Argent, Phil O'Neill, Natalie Moore and Pauline McGuirk.
Looking forward into 2004, the main event is the IAG Conference being held in Adelaide from 13-16th April. This conference presents a worthwhile opportunity to keep up-to-date with what is happening on the rural geography front and to meet those with similar research interests.
Finally thanks should be extended to those who take the time to contribute to the newsletter and to Neil Argent whose organisation of the RSG brings together the audience for this news.
Wishing you all the best for 2004,
Rae Dufty
Postgraduate Candidate
University of New South Wales
Phone: 02 9385 4469
Email: RaeD@fbe.unsw.edu.au
PS: I will also be standing down from editing the RSG Newsletter however I would like encourage postgraduate students involved in the group to consider taking this position on as it is a great opportunity to become more involved in the RSG. If anyone is contemplating such a move please contact me if you have any questions.
FROM THE CONVENOR
I trust that you had a well-earned and relaxing break over Christmas and New Year. The group had a thoroughly stimulating joint meeting with the IAG Economic Geography Study Group on the theme of 'Neoliberalism and Australia's Regions' at the University of Newcastle in November last year. This is the first time that we have taken part in such a joint meeting, and I thought it a great success. It was particularly pleasing to see so many postgraduate students present and actively contributing to, and shaping, the debates. We were also fortunate to have some excellent keynote speakers to lead the discussions. I'd like to express my thanks to the University of Newcastle team (Phil O'Neill, Natalie Moore, Pauline McGuirk) for providing a great venue and for organising the catering. The good news is that the editors of Australian Geographical Studies have enthusiastically agreed to run a special edition of the journal to carry selected papers from the workshop. We are aiming for the first edition of 2005. This means that papers need to be submitted to either Phil or I by the end of May in order for us to arrange refereeing, get feedback to authors, etc. in time for the November 2004 deadline. We are stipulating a 5000 word maximum so as to get as many papers in as possible.
Contrary to what I said in an earlier email, I may be able to make the IAG in Adelaide. However, between now and then I'll circulate a report on the Group's activities (financial and academic) for your consideration before tabling it at the AGM. I'll be in touch about a meeting time in Adelaide, if possible, otherwise we can conduct most of the Group's official business via email. Thanks again to Rae Dufty, who is doing an excellent job in keeping us all in touch with each other. I, for one, will greatly miss her services as the Newsletter Editor. However, this opens up an opportunity for another person. Please get in touch with me if you are interested in the position. While on the subject of office bearers, the position of Group Convenor should be declared open. While I will not have served a full two year term by the time of the Adelaide conference, I will certainly serve well over that term by the time of the next IAG conference. I am happy to carry on for another term, but I think it only fair to declare the postion vacant and contestable at the Adelaide conference.
Best wishes for 2004
Neil Argent
Division of Geography and Planning
University of New England
nargent@metz.une.edu.au
MEMBERS NEWS
Neil Argent
Neil Argent has received an ARC Discovery-Project grant for 2004-2005 to investigate the relationships between perceived density, social interaction patterns and morale in Australian rural communities. Fieldwork in South Australia and New South Wales rural communities will be undertaken during 2004, with the Victorian fieldwork to be completed during 2005. With Fran Rolley (UNE), he is currently writing a chapter on rural homelessness in Australia for an international book on the topic edited by Paul Cloke and Paul Milbourne (Routledge). Andrew Beer (Flinders University) is contributing a chapter on youth homelessness in rural Australia for the same book.
Contact Details:
nargent@metz.une.edu.au
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Peter Herborn
The Future of Sydney's Rural Lands
A workshop called "From the Outside Looking In the Future of Rural Land in Sydney" was held on the 9th and 10th of February on the Hawkesbury Campus at the University of Western Sydney. A Forum addressing issues raised at the workshop is to take place around May this year.
Contact Details:
Sheryl Jarecki - s.jarecki@uws.edu.au
Peter Herborn - p.herborn@uws.edu.au or (02) 9678 7126
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John Holmes
John Holmes has just finalised the sixth draft of his paper in which he proposes that contemporary rural change in western nations is preferably conceptualised as a multifunctional rural transition rather than a post-productivist transition. Central to this transition is the emergence of multifunctionality, in which a variable mix of consumption and protection values has emerged, contesting the former dominance of production values. He proposes six distinctive modes of rural occupance in Australia, briefly described as: productivist agricultural; rural amenity; pluriactive; peri-metropolitan; marginalised agricultural; and conservation/indigenous. Within these modes, markedly differentiated trajectories can be identified. He will present this material at the Adelaide IAG meeting. Also, John and Kate Hartig will report on the cultural and socioeconomic fault-line between Cessnock and the Pokolbin 'gastronomic landscape' and on current efforts to ameliorate this cultural divide.
Contact Details:
j.holmes@mailbox.uq.edu.au
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Roy Jones
Conference Presentation (with Matthew Tonts, UWA):
"Sustainable country town, unsustainable housing stock? Some concrete implications of functional and demographic change in Narrogin, WA". International Geographical Union, Commission on Sustainable Rural Systems Conference, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, July 2003.
Roy has also received a research grant (with Christina Birdsall-Jones, Anthropology and David Wood, Urban and Regional Planning) worth $24,350 from the Curtin University Liveable Communities fund for a study of the potential for and the barriers facing the development of land-based indigenous tourism in regional Western Australia. 2004-5.
Contact Details:
R.Jones@curtin.edu.au
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Michael Roche
Over the last year I've continued to work on various historical topics to do with land settlement in New Zealand in the 1910 to 1930s. This has largely involved soldier settlement schemes (unsustainability 1920s style) but has extended to apple growing, and land drainage activities in the Manawatu. In addition I have provided the Rural Geography report for Progress in Human Geography. My third and last report will appear at the end of 2004. One highlight of the year was attending the Agrifood Network Meeting held in Akaroa and I hope to make their Canberra meeting in June of this year. I was also involved in organising the International Conference of Historical Geographers meeting in Auckland in December of 2003. Although as its name suggests primarily a gathering of historical geographers rural topics were much in evidence.
Contact Details:
M.M.Roche@massey.ac.nz
CONFERENCES/SEMINARS
Agri-Food Research Network Conference
Venue: Canberra, ACT
Dates: 9th-11th June 2004
Further Information: http://nceph.anu.edu.au/News/Agrifood.php
PUBLICATIONS
ROY JONES
'Some undisciplined thoughts on sustainable rural systems and ecosystem Health', keynote chapter, in Laurens, L. and Bryant, C. (eds.) The sustainability of rural systems - a social and cultural construction, International Geographical Union, Commission on Sustainable Rural Systems and Publications, Montpellier, 3 March 2003.
MICHAEL ROCHE
Roche, M., 2003 'Wilderness to Orchard: The Nelson', New Zealand 1908 to 1940, Environment and History, 9, 435-450.
Roche, M., 2003, 'Rural Geography: A Stock Take for 2002', Progress in Human Geography, 27, 779-786.
Email:
nargent@metz.une.edu.au
Division of Geography &
Planning,
University of New England,
ARMIDALE, NSW 2351, Australia
Phone : +61 2 67 73 2803 - Fax : +61 2 67 73 3030