Tessera

Folgen

Dr Anna Lawrence

@annamlawrence.bsky.social

Cultural & Historical Geographer | Managing Editor @RGS-IBG (views own) | critical plant studies | 19th C. floriculture

70 Posts1228 Follower 705 Folgt

Area @areajournal.bsky.social · 2d ago

New in Area: 'Reimagining the politics of citation through critical curation' by James Esson et al. This piece brings together insights from art curation and geography, outlining 6 curatorial principles for reorienting approaches to citation in academic publishing. doi.org/10.1111/area...

Area | RGS Geography Journal | Wiley Online Library

Bringing together insights from art curation and geography, this paper reimagines academic citation as a form of critical curation that fosters more deliberate, generous and grounded citational pract...

doi.org

Ed Armston-Sheret @edarmstonsheret.bsky.social · 2w ago

Interested in polar exploration? Free next Wednesday evening? Come along to my book launch, 6-8pm, 29 July, Hatchards Piccadilly.

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 2w ago

Huge few days for us at @britishacademy.bsky.social as we’ve brought issues of the humanities into the public eye with different stories in the Times, Guardian and FT. Well done to all my colleagues for the hard work that makes this happen

Opinion UK society
We need humanities more than ever in the age of AI
Subjects like literature, languages and history are vital to a thoughtful and prosperous society
HETAN SHAH
+ Add to myFT
Many humanities subjects have been suffering from low uptake and financial struggles, yet prioritising Al-prompt engineering over literature may turn out to be a mistake © Getty Images
Hetan Shah
Published JUL 16 2026
口 217

Opinion
The Guardian view on humanities cuts in universities: academic departments are more than cost centres
Editorial
Literature, the arts and social sciences must not be sacrificed as higher education funding is squeezed

Hetan Shah, its chief executive, said:
"Recent economic, geopolitical and societal shifts mean that linguistic skills are now firmly in the nation's strategic interest. The UK is on the brink of a language skills crisis, including in languages that are strategically vital for diplomacy, defence and national security as we need to know what our potential adversaries are thinking.
"Our research shows that both student and staff numbers in languages and area studies are contracting at an alarming rate, which should be a serious concern to the government. Once the expertise in a particular language has gone, it's not easy to rebuild. Decisions being taken by individual universities rather than overseen in a strategic way puts the nation at risk of accidentally losing vital language skills to make our way in an increasingly volatile world."

"Universities will be central to achieving the regional growth aspirations of our new prime minister, but they are suffering a major financial emergency," Shah said.
"The result is greater inequalities, fewer opportunities for students and the gradual erosion of the world-leading research our economy, democracy and global standing rely on.
«The alarm bells are ringing, and policymakers should treat these findings as a wake-up call before more lasting damage is done."

RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · last mo.

Check out this month’s highlights for a snapshot of research published across our journals in June👇 GJ - Wilson et al.: https://ow.ly/YJhw50ZjxJz GEO - Uribe-Albornoz & Talbot: https://ow.ly/UEgi50ZjxJL TIBG - Jeffrey et al.: https://ow.ly/s2Y450ZjxKl AREA - Yu et al.: https://ow.ly/R6LO50Zjx2v

Seabirds perched and nesting on a multi-level urban structure designed as a seabird hotel for avian habitat experiments.

A high-altitude Colombian páramo landscape featuring rugged mountains, a reflective water body, and native vegetation under a partly cloudy sky.

Young woman reading a book in a library aisle filled with books, while a man uses his phone in the background.

Two elderly men practicing Tai Chi in a park surrounded by trees and paved paths.

Geo: Geography and Environment @geoopenaccess.bsky.social · 3w ago

🔋New in Geo🔋 'How to move from unjust to just transitions for renewable energy futures? Place-making and "unmaking" in the "left behind" coastal town of Blyth, Northumberland, UK' by Brett Cherry doi.org/10.1002/geo2...

Screenshot of a paper abstract in Geo: Geography and Environment by Brett Cherry (2026) entitled: 'How to Move From Unjust to Just Transitions for Renewable Energy Futures? Place-Making and ‘Unmaking’ in the ‘Left Behind’ Coastal Town of Blyth, Northumberland, UK' with an orange banner at the top.

Coastal towns with rich legacies of industry, technological innovation, and socio-technical infrastructures are in some cases prime locations for offshore wind energy transitions. However, some of these towns have been labelled as ‘left-behind’ due to the decline of coal mining and other high-carbon energy industries. This results in deep-seated impoverishment and socio-economic devastation for affected areas. This paper reports on research from the coastal town of Blyth, Northumberland in the North East of England. Blyth has a proud industrial heritage that has recently focused on cutting edge research and development of offshore wind technologies, and supply chains, for the UK's net zero energy transition. However, the research finds that to build a just transition co-produced with place-based communities requires new forms of collaboration (capacities) and place making that resonates with their values and assets. Otherwise, place-based interventions for net zero energy futures may be alienating for long-term residents, especially when coupled to forms of economic regeneration that may overlook or exclude marginalised voices. The multi-method approach of this study applies an assemblage theoretical framework that draws on in-depth interviews with community and industrial actors, ethnographic walks, go-alongs, asset mapping, and documentary analysis to highlight ‘possibility spaces’ for justice in a coastal town known for its community solidarity. The paper provides recommendations for how Blyth, and places like it, can enable marginalised community voices to co-produce local just transitions for the town and region, with implications for global justice.

Anson Mackay 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈@ans.bsky.social · last mo.

Read this account by James on what is known so far about Exeter’s destructive round of job losses. The use of NDAs by senior management is pretty insidious too

James Dyke@jamesgdyke.info · last mo.

www.technosphere.earth/the-bonfire-...

Dr Anna Lawrence @annamlawrence.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A lovely sunny day in Birmingham leading a publishing workshop for NERC students - big thanks to Charlene Rose for organising!

Photo of Birmingham University campus in the sun with the tower and trees.

Matilda Fitzmaurice @matildaf.bsky.social · 2mo ago

My @thegj.bsky.social piece has been spotlighted by @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social for May!

RGS-IBG Higher Ed@rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Every month we spotlight papers from across the Society’s journals, capturing the latest in geographical research. Explore May’s highlights. 👇 Dobson: https://ow.ly/XAlo50Z5vVP Fitzmaurice: https://ow.ly/KYiX50Z5vQQ Mosso et al.: https://ow.ly/nPAE50Z5vQN Davies et al.: https://ow.ly/Ufku50Z5vQM

Sheffield Hallam University campus buildings surrounded by green trees under a clear blue sky.

The Geographical Journal @thegj.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Have a read of @matildaf.bsky.social's recent GJ commentary on reproductive futures, featured in last month's RGS-IBG Journals highlights: doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

doi.org

RGS-IBG Higher Ed@rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Geo: Geography and Environment @geoopenaccess.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🌏New in Geo🌍 'Interdisciplinary perspectives on geoviolence: Towards relational conceptual integration' by Nora Komposch et al. This commentary explores the concept of 'geoviolence' in the context of accelerating human-driven environmental harm. doi.org/10.1002/geo2...

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Geoviolence: Towards Relational Conceptual Integration

Environmental degradation is widely recognised as largely driven by human activity, yet the terminology and conceptual frameworks used to describe socioenvironmental interconnections vary across disc...

doi.org

RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🔊The provisional programme for this year's Annual Conference is now live. We're excited to feature over 600 sessions this year, engaging with the theme of Geographies of inequalities: towards just places. Explore the virtual event space and our programme highlights 👇 https://bit.ly/4uDOpJh

Annual International Conference programme

Read our information about the conference programme, including programme start and end times.

ow.ly

Political Geography @politicalgeography.bsky.social · 2mo ago

NEW Editorial - Climbing a paper mountain: Academic publishing at a critical juncture authors.elsevier.com/a/1nAwq3Qu6u...

Dr Anna Lawrence @annamlawrence.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Enjoyed celebrating the launch of Climate Hegemony in the RGS-IBG Book Series last night @rgs.org - thanks to all who came out! You can read the #OpenAccess book here for free: share.google/boY6a0Y56fGQ... @laurieparsons.bsky.social @lsepress.bsky.social

The main hall of the Royal Geographical Society with people standing and sitting around talking and having drinks. There are polar expedition sledges, paintings and an old kayak on the walls.

A photograph of a Q&A session with Laurie Parsons and Catherine Souch sitting in front of a seated audience.

A photograph of an RGS staff member serving drinks. There is a display with some cover images of the book Climate Hegemony on the right.

Dean Bond @deanbond.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Important editorial & practical step from @tibg.bsky.social The editors nicely lay out the central problems with citation practices (although they do not mention the problems that come with using Harvard/APA format, which contributes to the name check problem and lax pp. referencing).

TIBG@tibg.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📢From now, reference lists will no longer be counted in the 10,000 word limit for papers submitted to TIBG In our latest editorial, we lay out the reasons behind this decision & encourage prospective authors to reflect on their citational practices. Available to read here ⬇️ doi.org/10.1111/tran...

Screenshot of an editorial abstract in Transactions by Anna Lawrence, James Esson, Ben Anderson, Katherine Brickell & Beth Greenhough (2026) entitled: 'Citational politics in Transactions' with a red banner at the top.

From now on, authors writing in Transactions will no longer be expected to count their reference lists within the 10,000-word limit. In this editorial, we take the opportunity to lay out the reasons behind this decision. Our purpose in removing references from the word limit is not to encourage authors to cram in as many references as they can to the detriment of their own voice, but rather to encourage practices of careful, conscious, and capacious citational generosity. Picking up on threads running through past editorials (Bailey et al. 2023; Esson et al. 2024), here we continue discussions of ‘care’ in scholarly publishing and what constitutes a ‘landmark paper’ within the discipline, this time through the lens of citational politics. This editorial proceeds by locating the decision within current debates around citational justice and citation as a reproductive technology (Ahmed 2013; Kim 2020), before considering the broader landscape of source discovery, reading and referencing in the digital/AI-crowded world, following the publication of the last ever print volume of Transactions in December 2023. We end with a discussion of how the practice of citation might be imagined differently, from the teaching of citation as a joyful praxis (Quave and Ohbi 2024) and the reflective insights collected around the #CiteBlackWomen movement (Smith 2022) to the rethinking of citation templates to better account for knowledge that sits outside of the Western episteme (MacLeod 2021). We encourage authors writing in Transactions to reflect on their own practices of reading and citing, and we highlight the role that journals, reviewers, and editors must play in moving forward with more inclusive citational practices.

RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Authors writing in TIBG no longer have to include reference lists within the 10,000-word limit. Read the latest editorial - Citational Politics in Transactions - which lays out the reasons for this change, inviting authors to reflect on their own citational practice 👇 https://ow.ly/zJTE50Z4lxV

Editorial page from Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers discussing changes in citation policies and practices.

Geography at Durham @geogdurham.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Durham Geography PhD student Jay Sinclair has helped to instal the first air quality monitor for a new community monitoring project in Teesside. Funded by @rgs.org, the study tracks how heavy industry and new green projects affect health, stress, and sleep. Exciting work on environmental justice! 🌍💨

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)@rgs.org · 2mo ago

We’re delighted that our very own Dr Catherine Souch, Head of Research and Higher Education, has been awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's Tivy Education Medal 👏 Catherine is a champion for HE geography in the UK, helping ensure the discipline remains relevant and future-focused.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 2mo ago

For food poverty among the student population, and measures to address it, this spotlight report from the Royal Geographical Society is good. 2/2

Student food poverty: the role of universities

Many university students struggle to afford basic needs. While schools and nurseries provide free food, universities’ role in this is less understood.

rgs.org

RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Join us for the launch reception of Laurie Parsons's new book 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦, in the RGS-IBG Book Series. 📆 Thursday 28 May, 6.30pm-9.00pm 📍 RGS-IBG, London Register to attend: https://ow.ly/igbC50Z25G5 LSE Press

Announcement for the book launch of Climate Hegemony by Laurie Parsons at the Royal Geographical Society on May 28, 18:30-21:00.

RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Had a contribution accepted for Annual Conference 2026? Whether you're joining us in-person or online, register now and plan your attendance. Further details on accommodation, travel, letters and how to get the most out of our online platform are on our website: https://ow.ly/qB7950YRFiF

Planning your attendance | RGS

Plan your attendance at the conference, both in-person and online.

ow.ly

Antipode @antipodeonline.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Read Alex Loftus' review of the new #OpenAccess book by @laurieparsons.bsky.social "Climate Hegemony: Confronting the Politics of Environmental Impasse" antipodeonline.org/2026/05/19/c... @lsepress.bsky.social @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social

Climate Hegemony: Confronting the Politics of Environmental Impasse - Antipode Online

Alex Loftus (King’s College London) on Laurie Parsons’ Climate Hegemony: Confronting the Politics of Environmental Impasse Read Review

antipodeonline.org

Cambridge Geography @camunigeography.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🌍 Geography for All: supporting underrepresented students Check out this brilliant RGS initiative helping break down barriers to studying and progressing in geography at every stage

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)@rgs.org · 3mo ago

Meet Regan McDonald, Public Health Research Officer at Ikon Gallery 👋 In this Inspiring Heads video, he reflects on the meaning of creative health and the role art can play in shaping how we understand wellbeing. Learn about our work supporting underrepresented students: https://bit.ly/4fk7A5I

Sarah Evans @fridaylast.bsky.social · 3mo ago

It continues... About to find out who's in two places at once, and move the post-its around until those clashes are all fixed. Think this is the first time we've hit ten sheets a day before 😱🫣

Large wooden table covered in large sheets of white paper, in turn covered by blue and yellow post-its

Emily Herring @emilyherring.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Recently, for *obvious reasons*, I've been thinking about what it means when anxiety and sadness are caused not by individual predispositions, but by the state of the world itself. This led me to early 19th-c. France and the notion of "mal du siècle" (sickness of the century) aeon.co/essays/young...

Gen Z but two centuries ago
A generation of young people with ‘full hearts in an empty world’ sought hope in the face of insurmountable malaise
By Emily Herring

On a painting of young 19th-century men looking drunk and sad around a table with cigarettes and drinks

Area @areajournal.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Find out more about our Area Prize winner @maddiejoyce.bsky.social's research here ⬇️

RGS-IBG Higher Ed@rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Congratulations to this year’s Area Prize Winner, Maddie Joyce! 🗣️ We spoke to Maddie about her research in the Korean Demilitarised Zone. Read the full Q&A 👇 https://www.rgs.org/about-us/our-work/latest-news/researching-korean-dmz-madelaine-joyce

Alex Baker @anomiegeog.bsky.social · 3mo ago

OH THANK GOD

TIBG@tibg.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 3mo ago

2,700 in limbo for months, with more than 600 expected to lose their jobs. Having been at risk of redundancy last year, I can’t imagine the impact of so many feeling so insecure and devalued. Cruel and destructive. Solidarity to all.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3mo ago

Thousands of University of Nottingham staff told they are at risk of redundancy

Prof. Sarah Mills @sarah-mills.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Great to be interviewed for BBC Radio 4 about my @britishacademy.bsky.social research on election betting...

Loughborough University PR@lboropr.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Professor Sarah Mills @sarah-mills.bsky.social @lborogeog.bsky.social spoke on BBC Radio 4's 'Currently' programme, to discuss prediction markets and the issues surrounding them. Listen here at 12:55 ⤵️ www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Dr Anna Lawrence @annamlawrence.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Pleased to be making this change in Transactions - hopefully it will allow more space for citational generosity & care, all the more important in this world of AI & hallucinated references. Do have a read of our reasons for this move: doi.org/10.1111/tran...

TIBG@tibg.bsky.social · 3mo ago

RGS-IBG Higher Ed @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Congratulations to this year’s Society medal and award recipients, recognised for their outstanding contributions to geographical research. Learn more about some of this year’s recipients, working across the geography academic community, below 👇