Oxford Geography Prof. Danny Dorling: If Geography was more international subject, its literature would have wealth of perspectives

Prof. Danny Dorling is a Social Geographer, and his work ties in with the theme related in my blog post https://newsforwardsfromalanwheatley.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-apartheid-of-wealth-state-we-are-in.html

He has worked closely with Taxpayers Against Poverty. He has some very candid and illuminating words to say about his subject, the students who are attracted to it, and the fruits by which it is known.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/geography-soft-option-posh-students-104226543.html
Especially of relevance to the current UK General Election 2019 is
http://taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk/news/a-better-politics-by-danny-dorling-on-tap-website-some-alternatives-to-the-
Title: A Better Politics by Danny Dorling on TAP website some alternatives to the mess created [from 2010 to 2016]

Within my 1993/97 Interdisciplinary Studies (Major: Sociology) BA pathway at U. Westminster, I studied a module The Geography of Development. One of the things I learned in that module was that South African apartheid and exploitation of migrant male mine workers was a key factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. Male migrant workers were allowed into the Republic of South Africa to work in the mines, but not allowed to take their families with them. That resulted in their seeking sexual contact with women local to the mining locations, some of whom wer HIV+. Thus they took the virus back with them to their homelands.

On the positive side,

In ... the journal Emotion, Space and Society,Dorling wrote that university geography departments need to do more to address their imperial origins as it is the “core subject of imperial domination”. 
 

He explained: “Most of the world doesn’t have many geography departments. It is a very British-centred thing. If it was a more international subject, our journals would be full of people writing from different backgrounds.”

According to the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) 40 per cent of 16 year olds study geography, compared to around 27 per cent in 2010. This increase has largely come from black and minority ethnic minority groups.

A spokesperson for the RGS told The Times: “It is right that geography reflects the diversity of the world within its students. There is more work to be done across the geographical community to properly achieve this.”

Source: https://uk.yahoo.com/news/geography-soft-option-posh-students-104226543.html

On the negative side, Dorling has told the Times Higher Education Supplement:

“Geography in the UK has become a soft option for those who come from upper-middle class families where increasingly you are expected to go to university, especially for those who were privileged (and so often have high GCSE marks) but are not actually that good..."

Although the curriculum should cover issues like climate change and global inequality, Dorling said it actually gives rise to graduates who “make the world an even worse place” by taking careers in industries like banking, advertising and management.

He added geography is the “favourite subject” of “ those who create hostile environments for immigrants, political parties that border on the facists, of war-mongers, bankers and imperialists”.

Famous geography alumni include former Prime Minister and Conservative MP Theresa May and Prince William who studied the subject at St Andrew’s University in Scotland.

Source: https://uk.yahoo.com/news/geography-soft-option-posh-students-104226543.html