POPULATION GEOGRAPHY
RESEARCH GROUP
PGRG NEWSLETTER
MAY 2001
ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY –
INSTITUTE OF BRITISH GEOGRAPHERS
________________________________________
PGRG Newsletter Address
Correspondence to:
Dr. Darren Smith
Research Fellow
School of Geography
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
Tel: 0113 2336756
Fax: 0113 2333308
Email: darrens@geog.leeds.ac.uk
Contents
Committee members 2001
2
Editorial
3
Report from the Chair
4
PGRG Annual Report 2000
6
Constitution 2001
7
Forthcoming events
9
Conference reports
16
Postgraduate corner
18
Postgraduate celebrities
18
Academic celebrities
20
1
Committee Members 2001
Chair
Professor Paul Boyle (-2004)
Department of Geography, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY19 9ST,
01334 462397, Fax: 01334 467298, Email P.Boyle@st-andrews.ac.uk
Tel:
Secretary
Dr. John McKendrick (-2002)
School of Social Sciences, Glasgow CALEDONIAN University, Glasgow G4 0BA,
Tel: 0141 3313492, Fax: 0141 331 3439, Email: j.mckendrick@gcal.ac.uk
Treasurer
Dr. Adrian Bailey (-2003)
School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT,
Tel: 0113 333322, Fax: 0113 2333308, Email a.bailey@geog.leeds.ac.uk
Newsletter Editor
Dr. Darren Smith (-2004)
School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT,
Tel: 0113 336756, Fax: 0113 2333308, Email darrens@geog.leeds.ac.uk
Postgraduate Liaison Officer
Andrew Bateman (-2004)
Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, SA2 8PP,
Tel: 01792 295228, Fax: 01792 295955, Email: ggbatea@swansea.ac.uk
Web Site Manager
Dr Paul Williamson (-2002)
Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, PO Box 147, Liverpool, L69 3BX,
Tel: 0151 7942854, Fax: 0151 7942866, Email: william@liv.ac.uk
RGS-IBG Awards Officer
Professor John Salt (-2002)
Department of Geography, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP,
Tel: 0171 504 5525, Fax: 0171 380 7565, Email: j.salt@geography.ucl.ac.uk
Conference Officer
Dr. Jenny Seavers (-2004)
Centre for Urban Development and Environmental Management, Leeds Metropolitan
University, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 3HE,
Tel: 0113 283 1723, Fax: 0113 2833190, Email: J.Seavers@lmu.ac.uk
Societies Liaison Officer
Dr. Khalid Koser (-2003)
Department of Geography, UCL, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP,
Tel: 0171 380 7564, Fax: 0171 380 7565, Email: k.koser@geography.ucl.ac.uk
2
Editorial
Welcome to the PGRG newsletter 2001. I hope my first ‘stab’ as editor of the PGRG
newsletter meets with your approval, and you find the content and information valuable. The
new format of the newsletter will include: Spring / Summer (May), Autumn (September),
Winter (January, 2002) editions.
As well as being informative, I hope the newsletters stimulate more discussion between
PGRG members, and enhance dialogue and raise awareness of issues that are being debated
within population geography and the wider social sciences. For this purpose, in the
forthcoming editions I will be seeking wider contributions from those of you who have been
hiding in the ‘population wardrobe’ – so please be prepared to ‘come out of the closet’!
Also, the ‘voices’ of the postgraduate population geography community will become more
vociferous in the newsletter, and postgraduates will be encouraged to contribute material.
As a starting point, a new section has been introduced to the newsletter, titled – ‘Postgraduate
Celebrities’ and ‘Academic Celebrities’. The aim here is to enable postgraduate population
geographers to introduce themselves and their research interests to the more ‘established’
members of the population geography arena, and at the same time, to profile a more
‘experienced’ member of the community within their department. Hopefully, this will help to
overcome barriers between academic and research staff, and postgraduates; enabling
professional and social interaction at conferences and other events, and perhaps establishing
supportive sub-disciplinary relationships. Special thanks to Andrew Bateman and Paul
Norman for taking this forward.
There is no doubt that my ‘bedding in’ process, as PGRG newsletter editor, as been made a
great deal easier by the work and enthusiasm of members of the PGRG. I would particularly
like to thank Paul Boyle, John Stillwell, Adrian Bailey and John McKendrick for their
support and guidance during the production of this edition.
Please forward any material which you would like to be included in the next edition of the
newsletter, and I would be keen to receive any suggestions or comments for potential new
sections. I look forward to hearing from all of you – ‘out there’!
Best wishes
Darren
3
Report from the chair
This will be the first newsletter since I have taken over as chair and Darren has obviously
done a great job. Please let me reiterate the point that he can only continue to do this if the
group’s members are willing to contribute items. There has clearly been a fantastic response
from the School of Geography at Leeds this time, so let’s make sure other Departments get
involved in the future. To help Darren along, I thought it would be interesting if I mentioned
just a few of the strengths and weaknesses that I see in the Population Geography Research
Group, with the hope that it might help stimulate some debate. Please email any views about
the short- and long-term future of population geography to Darren.
It seems to me that the Population Geography Research Group has begun to take a critical
look at itself recently. Certainly, this was one of the feelings that came across most strongly
at the ‘(Re)theorising Population Geography’ conference held earlier this year at St Andrews
(see below). This meeting was well attended and was particularly useful because it included
some views from people who would not perhaps see themselves as population geographers. I
left that meeting thinking that there are a number of exciting areas that we are contributing
to…but also that there are some that we should be doing a better job in.
Some of the achievements that we should be proud of:

Members of the group continue to persuade ESRC (and other organisations) to fund our
work – one notable example was the large number of projects awarded to population
geographers in the ESRC Census Development Programme.

Phil Rees, one of our most well-known population geographers, has played an extremely
important strategic role in the ESRC Census funding plans, in recognition of his expertise
in this field.

The International Journal of Population Geography has continued to attract good work
since its launch in 1995 and has continued to be strongly associated with the group since
that time.

We continue to have regular meetings both at the RGS-IBG and at other venues during
the year.

Postgraduate population geographers continue to be active with the IXth meeting of
Popfest planned for July 2001 at the University of Wales Swansea (see below).
Room for improvement:

There are certain fields that population geographers are notably absent from. Examples
include debates on population ageing, asylum seekers, changing family structures, and
global population issues (see Findlay and Hoy 2000). This is certainly not to say that our
voices are absent in these debates, but that these are issues that should be central to our
sub-discipline and when was the last time a population geographer was heard to comment
on them on Radio 4?

Population geographers have been slow to engage in the theoretical debates that have
been important in other geography sub-disciplines. The fact that we needed a recent
meeting to consider theory was perhaps indicative of this – is there a sense that we feel
4
slightly insecure about our contribution? Why did the Cloke, Crang and Goodwin (1999)
text fail to mention population geography at all?

While there are obviously postgraduates in population geography, how many are attending
our meetings? Can we do more to persuade them to come along to both the RGS-IBG
meeting and our other events?

The International Journal of Population Geography is not cited on the Web of Science.
Perhaps this is simply because it has not been around long enough, but we should make
every effort to get it more widely cited. Perhaps we could even help:
“The Institute for Scientific Information welcomes suggestions and recommendations
for coverage. We regularly conduct customer surveys and market research. If you
would like to recommend a journal for evaluation, please contact the Editorial
Development Department by FAX at 215-386-6362 or send e-mail to
journals@isinet.com Please provide the full name of the journal, its ISSN, the name
and address of the editor, and the journal's publisher. If possible, send the most current
issue of the journal and then the next two or three issues as soon as they are published.
Enclose a brief statement explaining the unique features of this journal and how it is
distinguished from other journals in its field. Send sample journal issues to the
Publication Processing Department, ISI, 3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
USA.”
Finally, I would also like to draw attention to the First International Conference for
Population Geographies that will be hosted by the Population Geography Research Group in
St Andrews in July 2002. I hope that some of the best achievements of population
geographers throughout the world will be presented at this meeting, and that it will become a
bi-annual event that all population geographers will strive to attend. Perhaps we might even
still be discussing some of the points I raise above? Brief details are included below and
registration details will be included in a newsletter nearer the time.
Cloke P, Crang P and Goodwin M (eds) 1999 Introducing Human Geographies Arnold,
London
Findlay AM and Hoy C 2000 Global population issues: towards a geographical research
agenda Applied Geography 20 207-219
5
Royal Geographical Society –
Institute of British Geographers
Population Geography Research Group
Annual Report 2000
The Research Group participated fully in RGS-IBG debates/initiatives during 2000 and has continued
to be active in promoting population geography research in the UK.
Membership numbers
The Research Group has a membership of over 200 members, all of whom are RGS-IBG Fellows. The
Research Group does not charge any additional subscription to members. Population geographers who
are not members of the RGS-IBG can affiliate to the research group (at a cost of £10/annum), although
at present there are no such members.
Conferences and Seminars
The Population Geography Research Group was involved in organising the Migration in Europe
session at the RGS-IBG Annual Conference at the University of Sussex in January 2000. This session,
convened by John Stillwell (University of Leeds) and John Salt (University College London), involved
four modules devoted respectively to ‘International and Internal Migration’, ‘Transnational Migration
in European Cities’, ‘Migration Trends: Census or Register-based Approaches’ and ‘Migration Trends:
Survey-based Approaches’. The PGRG welcomed two guests from Germany to the conference,
Hansjörg Bucher and Brigit Montag, both of whom made presentations in the morning modules.
The Population Geography Research Group was involved in organising one further meeting during
2000. Over the 5th – 6th September, Paul Boyle and Elspeth Graham of The University of St Andrews
hosted a meeting of the Population Geography Research Group (PGRG) entitled ‘(Re)theorising
Population Geography’. The meeting was divided into three sessions: ‘(Re)theorising Migration’;
‘(Re)theorising Process’; and ‘(Re)theorising People And Events’. Two guest lectures demonstrated
how wider theoretical agendas could be incorporated into population research. Michael Brown
(Washington, USA) discussed the problems encountered with mixing epistemological approaches,
drawing upon experiences of combining empirically-orientated quantitative analysis of home-deaths in
Seattle, with post-structuralist attempts to deconstruct the data categories that informed these results.
Meanwhile, using Foucauldian inspired discourses of power/knowledge relations, Chris Philo
(Glasgow) offered insight into understanding how attempts may be made to control, monitor and
categorise ‘problem populations’ in space. The event provided an opportunity to take stock of
theoretical advances, as well as to promote new research agendas. Fifteen delegates from ten
institutions presented papers and an audience of thirty contributed to a lively discussion.
Newsletter
The PGRG produced two issues of its newsletter during the year.
Web Site
The PGRG web site remained active during the year (http://www.liv.ac.uk/Geography/PGRG/).
Publications
Paul Boyle and Elspeth Graham of The University of St Andrews are co-ordinating the submission to
the International Journal of Population Geography of a selection of papers from the ‘(Re)theorising
Population Geography’ conference.
John McKendrick
PGRG Secretary, Glasgow Caledonian University
6
Royal Geographical Society –
Institute of British Geographers
Population Geography Research Group
Constitution
1.
The group shall be called the Population Geography Research Group (hereafter the “PGRG” of
the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (hereafter the RGSIBG)
2.
The aim of the PGRG shall be to promote the study of Population Geography within the RGSIBG.
3.
Membership of the PGRG shall be open to all members of the RGS-IBG. and to other such
persons as may be decided by the Committee (see below), upon the payment of a subscription
at a rate to be determined at the AGM.
4.
The business of the PGRG shall be conducted by a committee consisting of 1. a Chair, 2. a
Secretary, 3. a treasurer, 4. and six Ordinary members
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(f)
All committee members shall be eligible to hold office for three years.
At the end of their period of office the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer shall not be
eligible forr e-election to the same office.
At the end of their period on the committee, Ordinary Members shall not be eligible
for immediate re-election to the committee in the same role.
The committee is empowered to co-opt a maximum of two additional members as
required. They shall be co-opted on an annual cycle and shall have fully voting rights
in committee meetings
Elections for places on the committee shall be arranged in such a way that three places
will become vacant each year, including one of the following: Chair, Secretary,
Treasurer.
Forthcoming vacancies on the committee shall be notified to members at least one
month in advance of the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for these vacancies
must be submitted to the Secretary before the Annual General Meeting at which the
elections shall take place. All nominations must be proposed and seconded by
members of the Study Group and must receive the assent of the nominee before
submission.
Forthcoming vacancies on the committee shall be notified to members at least one
month in advance of the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for these vacancies
must be submitted to the Secretary before the Annual General Meeting at which the
elections shall take place. All nominations must be proposed and seconded by
members of the PGRG and must receive the assent of the nominee before submission.
5.
The Annual General Meeting of the PGRG shall be held during the Annual Conference of the
RGS-IBG’s Research Division and at the same venue.
6.
Business shall be passed at the Annual General Meeting by a simple majority of all those
present and eligible to vote.
7.
Changes in the Constitution can be made with the assent of two thirds of the members present
at the Annual General Meeting. Proposals for changes must be seconded and submitted to the
Secretary at least two months in advance of the Annual General Meeting, and members will be
notified of the proposed changes at least one month in advance of the Annual General
Meeting.
Adopted at the AGM of the PGRG, 5th of January 2001
7
Forthcoming Events
8th May 2001
Title:
Organisation:
Location:
Contact:
Launch of CRSIS (see http://www.crsis.eca.ac.uk)
Centre for Research into Socially Inclusive Services
Wester Hailes, Edinburgh
Professor Glen Bramley, CRSIS Director, School of Planning and
Housing, Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot Watt University, 79
Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2HJ, Tel: 0131 2216174,
Email: crisis@eca.uk.
As Government policy stresses the importance of joined-up action, inter-agency working and
community empowerment, a new Research Centre is being established in Edinburgh to provide a
national centre of expertise on issues of social inclusion in local private and public services. The
School of Planning and Housing in Edinburgh College of Art, in association with the School of
Management in Heriot-Watt University, has been awarded a Research Development Grant of nearly
£0.5m by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) to establish the Centre for
Research into Socially Inclusive Services (CRSIS). This will create an interdisciplinary centre to
stimulate, support, undertake and disseminate research into the provision and use of local private and
public services in deprived areas. Key themes of the Centre include the analysis of financial exclusion,
retailing and social exclusion and local public service provision. The Centre aims to raise
understanding of the issues of social inclusion in the sphere of service access and consumption to
inform policy in Scotland and the UK. Attendance is by invitation only, but if you or your organisation
would like to attend, or would like further information regarding the Centre’s activities, please contact
above.
7th – 9th June 2001
Title:
Organisation:
Location:
The European Population Conference (see
http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/EAPS2001.htm)
European Association for Population Studies (EAPS) in collaboration
with Väestöliitto, the Family Federation of Finland, Statistics Finland
and Finnish Demographic Society
The Best Western Hotel Haaga, Helsinki, Finland
The Conference aims at providing insights into the variations of European population trends and
patterns, the various contexts which shape this variety and their multiple consequences. A full range of
population issues will be covered by this general conference and although its main focus is on Europe's
population, the conference will also address global population issues. The scientific programme of the
conference comprises one Plenary Session and sets of Convenors Themes. The Plenary Session will be
devoted to "Delayed Childbearing in Europe: determinants and consequences". This topic in the
domain of fertility and the family has been selected because of its importance in today's Europe and
also because of the specific Finnish interests in it. The Convenors' Themes are structured around 14
general themes which are listed below. As usual in EAPS conferences these themes will be developed
into specific Sessions based on the Abstracts (deadline for final abstracts is 1st May 2001) which have
been requested from the participants.
8
Convenors' Themes
Theme A: Fertility, contraception and reproductive health
Convenor: Kalev Katus, Estonia
Address: Estonian Interuniversity, Population Research Centre, P.O. BOX 3012, EE-0090 Tallinn,
Estonia. Email: kalev@ekdk.estnet.ee
Theme B: Families and households
Convenor: Irena Kotowska, Poland
Address: Warsaw School of Economics, Institute of Statistics and Demography, Al Niepodleglosci
162, PL-02-554 Warsaw, Poland.
Email: iekoto@sgh.waw.pl
Theme C: Health, morbidity and mortality
Convenor: Tapani Valkonen, Finland (chair of EAPS Working Group)
Address: University of Helsinki, Department of Sociology, P.O. BOX 18, FIN-00014 Helsinki,
Finland. Email: valkonen@valt.helsinki.fi
Theme D: Regional population dynamics
Convenor: Philip Rees, United Kingdom
Address: The University of Leeds, School of Geography, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom. Email:
phil@geography.leeds.ac.uk
Theme E: International migration and migrant populations
Convenor: Antonio Golini, Italy (chair of EAPS Working Group)
Address: Universita La Sapienza, Dipartimento di Scienze Demografiche, Via Nomentana 41, 1-00161
Rome, Italy. Email: golini@uniroma1.it
Theme F: Population ageing
Convenor: Emily Grundy, United Kingdom
Address: Centre of Population Studies, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel
Street, London WC 1 E 7HT, United Kingdom. Email: e.grundy@lshtm.ac.uk
Theme G: Population and policies
Convenor: Nada Stropnik, Slovenia
Address: Institute for Economic Research, Kardeljeva Ploscad 17, Sl-100 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Email:
stropnikn@ier.si
Theme H: Population in Developing Countries
Convenor: Therese Locoh, France
Address: INED 133 Boulevard Davout, F-75980 Paris Cedex, France. Email: locoh@ined.fr
Theme I: Demographic toolkit (theories, methods, models)
Convenor: Nico Keilman, Norway
Address: University of Oslo, Department of Economics, P.O. BOX 1095, N-0317 Oslo, Norway.
Email: n.w.keilman@econ.uio.no
Theme J: Applied Demography
Convenor: Michel Poulain, Belgium (chair of EAPS Working Group)
Address: Universite Catholique de Louvain, Gedap-UCL 1, Place Montesquieu, Bte 7, B-1348
Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium. Email: poulain@spri.ucl.ac.be
Theme K: Scenarios and projections
Convenor: Juha Alho (Finland)
Address: University of Joensuu, Department of Statistics, P.O. BOX 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu,
Finland. Email: Juha.Alho@Joensuu.fi
9
Theme L: Historical Demography
Convenor: Alexandre Avdeev, Russia
Address: Moscow State University, Center for Population Studies, MGU, Vorobievy Gory, RU119899 Moscow, Russia. E-mail: avdeev@ined.fr
Theme M: Teaching and Training in Population Sciences
Convenor: Frans Willekens, the Netherlands (chair of EAPS Working Group)
Address: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Population Research Center, Postbus 800, 9700 AV Groningen,
Netherlands. E-mail: f.j.willekens@frw.rug.nl
Theme N: Open Forum
Convenor: Charlotte Höhn, Germany
Address: Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforshung, P.O. BOX 5528, D-65180 Wiesbaden, Germany.
Email: bib@statistik-bund.de
Theme O: Poster Sessions
Convenor: Ismo Söderling, Finland (The Chairman of the Finnish National Committee)
Address: Väestöliitto, The Family Federation of Finland, P.O.BOX 849, FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland.
Email: ismo.soderling@vaestoliitto.fi
Participants should register to the Conference and make all reservations in advance by 1st May 2001.
The form should be returned to Congreszon, the official congress office of the Conference.
Congreszon
Address: Itälahdenkatu 22, FIN-00210 Helsinki, Finland
Tel.: Int. +358 9 5840 9350
Fax: Int. +358 9 5840 9555
E-mail: congress@congreszon.fi
www.congreszon.fi
15th June 2001
Title:
Organisation:
Location:
Contact:
Investigating Aspects Of The Lifecourse
Population Geography Research Group
Leeds Metropolitan University
Dr Jenny Seavers, Centre for Urban Development and Environmental
Management, Faculty of Health and Environment, Leeds Metropolitan
University, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3HE, Email:
J.Seavers@lmu.ac.uk, Tel: (0113) 2831723
This one day conference is designed to provide a stimulating forum for those interested in or currently
undertaking research, on various aspects of the lifecourse. The day will centre around three key
aspects: families and household change, ageing, and youth and children. These are areas that have
resonance in both current academic and policy debates and we hope that this conference will provide a
forum for the cross-fertilisation of ideas. Prospective participants are invited to send an abstract (c.
250 words) and title of paper to Dr Seavers. The deadline for abstracts is 1st May.
10
18th – 22nd June 2001
Title:
Organisation:
Location:
Contact:
Research Training Workshop
British Society for Population Studies
University of Liverpool
Professor Bill Gould, Department of Geography, The University of
Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, Tel: 0151 7942853, Email:
wtsg@liv.ac.uk
BSPS, supported by funds from the training programmes of ESRC and its own resources, is sponsoring
a week-long specialist training workshop for doctoral students in Demography, Population Studies and
associated fields. This follows the pattern established in the highly successful 2000 Southampton
Training Workshop, and will be held this year in the University of Liverpool. Applicants should
complete an application form and send it by Thursday 12th April to the course organiser:
23rd – 28th June 2001
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
The Second Demographic Transition in Europe, Euro Conference
on Family and Fertility Change in Modern European Societies:
Explorations and Explanations of Recent Developments (see
http://www.esf.org/euresco/01/sc01174a.htm)
European Science Foundation
Bad Herrenalb, Germany.
Ms. Rhona Heywood, Euresco Office, Email: rheywood@esf.org
Since the 1960's, fertility and family behaviour in Europe has entered a new phase of radical changes,
reflecting and contributing to new developments in social organisation, beliefs, attitudes, economic
progress and medical knowledge. The fertility decline, which followed the baby boom of the 1960's has
ceased or even reversed in some Northern European Countries by the late 1980s. In Southern, and
more recently in Eastern Europe the fertility decline has progressed and has lead to hitherto
unprecedented low levels of fertility. At the same time, the processes of union and family formation
have been transformed and Europe may witness a new divergence in demographic patterns.
This conference will address the current empirical and theoretical knowledge about these recent
developments in fertility and family behaviour in modern societies. Topics will include the relation of
family and fertility changes to demographic changes in the area of migration and mortality, the
development of methods for measuring demographic changes in low fertility contexts, the possible
social, economic or biological "limits" of fertility decline, and the separation of parenthood from
partnerships. Moreover, the conference will foster the development of new theoretical explanations for
fertility and family behaviour in modern societies, including a focus on the biosocial and sexual aspects
of fertility behaviour.
Paper proposals that fit within the theme of the conference are welcomed. Papers not presented for
oral presentation can be presented and discussed in poster sessions.
Young scientists, including graduate students, who would like to present a paper or poster are
specifically invited to apply.
The conference is open to researchers world-wide, whether from industry or academia. Participation
will be limited to 100. The emphasis will be on discussion about new developments. The Conference
fee covers registration, full board and lodging. Grants will be available, in particular for nationals from
EU or Associated States under 35. The deadline for applications is 2nd April 2001.
11
9th - 11th July 2001
Title:
POPFEST, IX Annual Population Studies Postgraduate Conference (see
http://ralph.swan.ac.uk/popfest)
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
Population Geography Research Group
University of Wales Swansea
Andrew Bateman, Department of Geography, University of Wales
Swansea, Swansea, Singleton Park, SA2 8PP, Email:
ggbatea@swansea.ac.uk
This is an excellent opportunity to present and discuss research interests in a relaxed and informal
environment and to get to know other population postgraduates from a range of disciplines. Travel
subsidies are available to ALL presenters, upon request (receipts are needed). The deadline for
submission of papers or poster abstracts is 31st May.
3rd – 5th September 2001
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
British Society for Population Studies Annual Conference 2001
British Society for Population Studies
University of Leeds
See below for convenors of sessions
The plenary sessions will be on the theme of Health for All in the 21st Century, with invited speakers
tackling the subject from various international standpoints. Invited speakers include Professor Sir
Michael Marmot and Professor Adam Wagstaff.
Contributed papers can be on any demographic subject. The strands of these contributed sessions, and
their organisers, are listed below. Please submit an abstract (maximum 400 words, preferably by
email) to the strand you consider most appropriate.
If you wish to submit a paper you do not consider fits into any of the below strands, please send it to
the organiser of Strand 8.
1. Fertility and Family Demography
Clare Holdsworth, Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZT, Email:
clareh@liv.ac.uk
2. Mortality and Health
Zoe Matthews, Department of Social Statistics, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ,
Fax: 02380 593846, Email: zm2@socsci.soton.ac.uk
3. Historical Demography
Andrew Hinde, Department of Social Statistics, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ,
Fax: 02380 593846, Email: prah@socsci.soton.ac.uk
4. Local Planning and Housing
Rachel Leeser, Research and Information, Greater London Authority, 81 Black Prince Road, London,
SE1 7SZ, Fax: 020 7983 4606, Email: racel.leeser@london.gov.uk
5. Reproductive Health, and Family Planning
Ernestina Coast, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics, Houghton Street,
London, WC2A 2AE, Fax: 020 7955 6833, Email: e.coast@lse.ac.uk
12
6. Migration
Dave King, Population and Housing Research Group. Anglia Polytechnic University, Victoria Road
South, Chelmsford, CM1 1LL, Fax: 01245 493136, Email: d.g.king@anglia.ac.uk
7. Methods and Models
James Brown, Department of Social Statistics, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ,
Fax: 02380 593846, Email: jjb1@socsci.soton.ac.uk
8. Environment and Regional Studies
David Coleman, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford, 32 Wellington
Square, Oxford, OX1 2ER, Fax: 01865 270324, Email: david.coleman@socres.ox.ac.uk
There will be a poster session – details to be announced. For students in Britain, bursaries will be
available to attend this conference; please submit application as soon as possible to:
BPSP Secretariat, Population Investigation Committee, Room Q152, London School of Economics,
Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, Fax: 020 7955 6831, Tel: 020 7955 7666/6985, Email:
pic@lse.ac.uk
5th – 7th September 2001
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
Regional Migration and Housing Markets (see
http://www.weru.org.uk/dur2001.htm)
Regional Science Association International British and Irish Section
Durham Castle, Durham
Annette Roberts, Secretary RSAI:BIS, Welsh Economy Research Unit,
Cardiff Business School, Aberconway Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff,
CF10 3EU, Tel: 029 20874173
Abstracts of approximately 500 words should be submitted to the Secretary (see above) by
19th February 2001. Authors will be notified of the committee’s decision in March.
2nd - 6th January 2002
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
Migration and Health
Population Geography Research Group
RGS/IBG Annual Conference, School of Geography, Queens
University, Belfast
Professor Paul Boyle, School of Geography & Geosciences
University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, Tel: 01334
462397, Fax: 01334 463949, Email: P.Boyle@st-andrews.ac.uk
This session explores the relationship between health and migration. Papers are invited that cover any
aspect of the relationship between migration and health. These might include, for example: the effects
of migration on health; migration and it's influence on health care provision; migration and the spread
of disease. We encourage submissions that focus on both the developed and the developing worlds and
both contemporary and historical studies are welcomed. The deadline for abstracts is 31st May.
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2nd - 6th January 2002
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
Geographies of Diaspora: migration, displacement and dispersal
Population Geography Research Group
RGS/IBG Annual Conference, School of Geography, Queens
University, Belfast
Dr Caitríona Ní Laoire, School of Geography, Queens University
Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Email: c.nilaoire@qub.ac.uk
Diaspora studies have been the focus of much interest in recent years, from geographers as well from
other disciplines. This module will explore geographies of diaspora and aims to bring research from
population studies together with cultural and political perspectives on diaspora. Issues such as the
nature of diaspora and mapping diasporas will be addressed, at scales ranging from global processes of
population dispersal to local experiences of displacement, settlement, departure and arrival. Papers on
any of the following themes are welcome:





conceptualising diaspora
globalisation and transnationalism
migrants and refugees, spaces of exclusion, boundaries, illegal migration
myth and memory
researching diasporic groups.
The deadline for abstracts of around 200 words is 31st May.
2nd - 6th January 2002
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
Divided cities: regeneration or (re)division?
Population Geography Research Group
RGS/IBG Annual Conference School of Geography,QueensUniversity
Belfast
Dr Paul Williamson, Department of Geography, University of
Liverpool, PO Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX, Tel: 0151 794 2854, Fax:
0151 794 2866, Email: william@liv.ac.uk
After decades of decline, cities appear to be experiencing a renaissance. Government policies are
encouraging the redevelopment of ‘brownfield’ sites, whilst social trends are leading to the
reemergence of city centre living and continuing selective gentrification. This is a call for papers that
explore the impact of these latest trends in urban regeneration upon the socio-economic composition of
urban populations. For example, what sorts of people are occupying the new-build in inner city areas,
and where are they coming from? Are current trends leading to genuine regneration or simply to new
social divisions and increased social polarisation? International comparisons and papers on other
aspects of social division within cities, such as religion and health, are also welcome.
The deadline for abstracts (max. 250 words) is 31st May.
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2nd - 6th January 2002
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
Postgraduate Research in Population Geographies
Population Geography Research Group
RGS/IBG Annual Conference, School of Geography,QueensUniversity
Belfast
Andrew Bateman, PGRG Postgraduate Liasion Officer, Department of
Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea,
SA2 8PP, Tel: 01792 295 228, Email:ggbatea@swansea.ac.uk
This session is open to all geography postgraduates with population research interests. Each
presentation will last a maximum of twenty minutes followed by a short discussion. Themes for the
modules will be fixed, once all the abstracts have been submitted. The aim of the session is to promote
the active participation of population geography postgraduates within the PGRG of the RGS/IBG,
whilst also drawing attention to the current research interests of this group. The deadline for abstracts
(max 150 words) is 31st May.
19th – 23rd July 2002
Title:
Organiser:
Location:
Contact:
The 1st International Conference on Population Geographies
Population Geography Research Group
School of Geography & Geosciences, University of St Andrews
Professor Paul Boyle, School of Geography & Geosciences
University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, Tel: 01334
462397, Fax: 01334 463949, Email: P.Boyle@st-andrews.ac.uk
Population Geography is buoyant in many nations, but despite this there is no regular international
meeting bringing us together. This will be the first conference designed to do so which will be hosted
by the Population Geography Research Group which is one of the specialist research groups of the
Royal Geographical Society / Institute for British Geographers.
The long-term aim is for this to be a bi-annual event with the 2nd meeting in the summer of 2004. We
hope that it will become the major, regular Population Geography event world-wide.
Participants
Although designed for geographers, contributions will be welcomed from those who would not regard
themselves as population geographers, but are working in pertinent research areas. For example, we
would welcome speakers from other disciplines including Demography, Sociology, Economics, Social
Anthropology etc. Postgraduates are also encouraged to attend and offer papers. Attendance will not
require the presentation of a paper, but we would strongly encourage people to submit papers.
Papers
The remit for the 1st meeting is broad. We will not be advertising specific themes, but will be
encouraging people to submit papers on any research issue relevant to Population Geography. The
organisers will decide the strands of the conference once we have received the abstracts. Papers will
be 20-25 minutes long, allowing for 5-10 minutes discussion in ½ hour slots.
Accommodation will be booked in St Salvator’s Hall, North St, University of St Andrews.
Please note that a call for abstracts, registration form and details about travel arrangements and
accommodation will follow – this is an early notice to encourage you to put the dates in your diary!
15
Conference Reports
Royal Geographical Society / Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference,
Exeter, January 2001.
Report of the GHRG/PGRG Session
The second day of the conference began (for some of us) with a joint event between PGRG
and GHRG. The theme was Populations at Risk, and we were to examine the traditional
geographical issues of environmental risk and spatial distributions. The risks in question
were, however, sunlight (presence or absence of) and other people. There was, it should be
noted, a strong element of East Anglian influence also detectable.
Graham Bentham’s paper examined the curious epidemiology of MS (Multiple Sclerosis), a
progressive neurological disease with about 50,000 sufferers in UK. The evidence seems to
suggest that living nearer the equator is better for you (at least in terms of MS). A convincing
statistical analysis, aware of ecological fallacies, seemed to relate this to sunlight exposure
and eating oily fish. You really do need to get out more. His colleagues Jones & Catlin then
presented a highly technical paper incorporating archaeology and microbiology. Theirs like
his, challenged the Mediterranean (Olive Oil) diet and seemed to show that more sunlight
also reduces your blood pressure. It is all linked to stress as well (who needs an excuse?). In
a very different, qualitative study from Canada, Fiona Coyle gave insight into a new issue:
environmental illness or aversion to the 20th Century. She showed how people may use
Foucaldian insights into other and safe spaces as strategies.
Also from UEA results, presented by Haynes and colleagues, were derived from hospital and
health authority databases to examine risks of accidents. Gender students may be interested
to note that more boys in a household means more accidents, but so does having three or
more girls. There’s more to play for here. Some of the unexplained variance, certainly,
relates to the accessibility of A&E departments. Lovett and other’s paper (also UAE)
examined the effects of rural bus re-organisation on the accessibility of primary care.
Strikingly, the Inverse Care Law holds even here, and an ongoing debate with policy makers
was demonstrated. After that, it was refreshing to hear about The Disaster that Didn’t
Happen. While we all recall the dramatic coverage of the Mozambique floods, Collins
showed how much worse it might have been, had diseases such as cholera exploded. Of
course, as he admitted, this raises more questions than he could answer!
In the afternoon, the Population geographers went off and continued the Southern African
theme, concentrating more on disease, youth, and care. The Health Geographers returned to
issues of health inequality, NHS policy, and resource allocation, within a much more local,
South-Western orientation. A long way from Traditional Geography, this session focused
more on organisational analysis approaches.
In the Health Geographers‘ afternnon session, Mark Exworthy’s paper set us off with a broad
macro perspective into the minds of policy makers, showing that Inequality means different
things to diferent people. Refreshingly for us, nearly all gave Real World priority to issues of
Geographical Inequality. Geography (i.e. area-based initiatives) was seen as both desirable
and feasible. Sue Smith and a Scottish team examined an area – Housing – where there is a
long history of area-based interventions. This paper showed the complex interactions between
16
housing and health, and that owner occupation seems to confer some qualitative benefits.
Tenure is part of the process, and not just an indicator. Back in the South West, Moon,
Mohan and others examined the new areal unit through which such policies are likely to be
modulated: the PCG – and showed how complex this is likely to be.
The final three papers explored the current Area-Based initiative: the HAZ (Health Action
Zone). An introduction by Michaela Benzeval unpacked the strategy elements of these
strange creations. Like Mark, earlier, she gave us interesting insights into the geographical
variation in policy makers‘ priorities. Further insight into the particular problems of rurality
and deprivation in the English Riviera was gained in subsequenat papers. We should note
that these have been tragically worsened by the subsequent impact of FMD (Foot and Mouth
Disease) which then was not even a cloud on the horizon. Local geographers shared space
with the managers of the two local HAZs, who demonstrated a shared antipathy for Central
Government’s moving targets. Interestingly, both reflected on the way in which the HAZ has
reinvented the 1850‘s Board of Health approach, with a focus on education, poverty,
sanitation and water.
Mark R D Johnson
Mary Seacole Research Centre, De Montfort University, Leicester LE2 1RQ
Email: mrdj@dmu.ac.uk
Populations at Risk 3: Social exclusion, policy and practice
The two sessions on social exclusion provided a useful forum to raise questions about the implications
for policy and practice. The first session unfortunately only contained two of the three papers.
However, these provided some interesting and contrasting perspectives. The first paper by Jenny
Seavers looked at marginalized young people and those on the edges of the labour market, highlighting
the key supporting role that parents play in helping these young people maintain their social networks.
The second paper by Ross Loveridge looked at organisational support, focusing on the role of the
Scottish churches in assisting marginalized groups. Both highlighted the complexity of the notion of
social exclusion and the need to acknowledge the important role that non-governmental organisations
and families play in the process of social inclusion.
In a similar vein the second session highlighted the problems faced by minority groups, with papers on
ethnic minorities by David Owen and Anne Green, disabled refugees by Keri Roberts and travellers by
Angela Drakakis-Smith and Keith Mason. Three key points emerged from this session, first that those
who are excluded display significant heterogeneity often not accounted for in policy. Second, that
current policies do not allow for multiple identities, resulting in potential gaps or conflicting views of
particular groups who do not fit standard categories. Finally, that the implementation of national
policies locally can work to spatially marginalize groups as a result of interpretation by individual local
authorities.
Overall, the two sessions demonstrated clearly the important part that geographers and geographical
research can play in engaging with the policy arena, whilst still providing important insights to
theoretical debates. So, instead of contemplating whether geographical research should be either
academically or policy oriented, a situation somewhat reminiscent of the ‘baby and bath water’
discussions of earlier years, it would be good to see more geographical studies that offer something to
both the policy and academic debates.
Dr Jenny Seavers, Leeds Metropolitan University
Dr Keri Roberts, University of York
17
Postgraduate Corner
"A Word from the PGRG Postgraduate Liaison Officer"
My name is Andrew Bateman and I am the Postgraduate Liaison Officer on the PGRG
Committee. Apart from convening the postgraduate session at the 2002 RGS/IBG Annual
Conference in Belfast, my role is to facilitate the participation of population postgraduates
within the PGRG, so that it remains an active and vibrant research group.
In order to achieve this, I am opening myself up as a point of contact between population
postgraduates and senior academics, so that issues of concern, as well as success, can be
managed effectively.
I would like to propose that a "Postgraduates" link be established on the PGRG website, to
initiate this line of communication. In addition, the link could also record the contact and
research details for all PGRG postgraduate members
(http://www.liv.ac.uk/geography/PGRG). This way, future population geographers can be
'advertised' to the wider community e.g. for collaborative research and employment
opportunities.
Comments are warmly invited!
Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the announcement of POPFEST (see below), by
way of initiating the promotion of population postgraduates within the PGRG and beyond...
Andrew Bateman.
PGRG Liaison Officer
Department of Geography
University of Wales Swansea
Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP
Email: ggbatea@swansea.ac.uk
Postgraduate Celebrities
Paul Norman, School of Geography, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Tel: 0113 233 3348, Email:
p.norman@geography.leeds.ac.uk
“Do I consider myself a population geographer?”
Well, if I am a population geographer my career got off to a somewhat tangential start. On
leaving school in 1978 with Geography and Music A-levels (grades D and E respectively!) I got a
job with a subsidiary of Boosey & Hawkes called Rudall Carte, a firm of flute makers and
musical instrument wholesalers. The reason being that my ambition through school was to be a
professional musician and I was playing in a band whose singer was the daughter of a director of
Boosey & Hawkes and he fixed me up with a job. During six happy years with this company I
moved from wholesale stores to sales office and then to sales rep with the obligatory Cortina ‘terracotta’ as I recall!
18
Redundancy followed when the firm was swallowed up by the parent company, but by then I was
doing enough paid gigs as a bass player and arranger in addition to freelance instrument sales to
became self-employed as a ‘musical instrument consultant’ (a title suggested by an old school
friend who promptly volunteered to become my accountant). Nine years of ducking and diving
later, following a downturn in instrument sales due to the widespread demise of peripatetic music
tuition and with few gigs in my diary it was time for a change of career. So what does an aged
thirty-something itinerant musician do? It’s obvious, become a geographer! Well it’s not such a
quantum leap if genetics and upbringing have anything to with one’s life course activities given
that my dad was a music teacher and my mum was a geography teacher!
The first step was to get a respectable A-level grade to get into university and I studied
Environmental Science at an FE college. My return to study fifteen years after leaving school
was surprisingly successful and I subsequently began a geography degree in the Environmental
Science Department at Bradford University in 1994. As a budding population geographer as well
as first year modules on human geography, statistics and map work I also received a grounding in
geology, geomorphology, ecology and environmental economics. During my second and final
years the emphasis of my studies was on Town and Country Planning and Historical Geography
and these remain strong personal interests and hopefully future teaching and research topics.
It was a third year undergraduate placement that laid the foundations for the direction my studies
have now taken. I spent nine months at Bradford Council’s Research Section supervised by Ludi
Simpson devising an estimation method to update the district’s ward populations. This period
also exposed the world to my GIS-induced blasphemy through various council projects and some
work in conjunction with Bradford Health Authority. Following my graduation from Bradford
University the experience of using GIS pointed me in the direction of learning the software
properly via an MA at the School of Geography, University of Leeds.
I saw the MA in GIS as a vocational course and despite Messrs. Myles Gould, Graham Clarke
and Seraphim Alvanides all trying to persuade me to stay on and do a PhD I was determined to
get a ‘real’ job and stop being a perpetual mature student. However, despite a couple of tempting
job offers, Paul Boyle ripped my arm off and hit me with the wet end until I relented and agreed
to do the project I am now involved in. I have an ESRC Case award that is a collaboration
between the School of Geography at Leeds and the Anglia Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Team
(ACET) at Addenbrookes Hospital. Supervision is by Phil Rees at Leeds, Paul Boyle at St.
Andrews and Corinne Camilleri-Ferrante at ACET.
For the PhD I am investigating the effects of population migration on medical statistics. The
main aim being to provide a time series of small area population estimates with a migration
element that can be used as denominator ‘populations at risk’ in medical studies. I am also
looking at selection effects by determining the differing morbidity and mortality experiences of
migrants compared with non-migrants and whether healthy and unhealthy migrants tend to move
to different types of locations.
So have I achieved the transposition from musician to population geographer? Well
underpinning my current work are census, vital statistics and health event data, the purpose is to
improve the quality of medical statistics and all have a locational element so that surely must
make me a population geographer. I still play music occasionally though and have an
arrangement with a hairdresser where I live in Skipton; free haircuts in exchange for guitar
lessons. Yes, yes, I know, my hairstyle calls into question the quality of my music teaching!
Paul Norman, April 2001
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20
Academic Celebrities
Dr John Stillwell, Reader, School of Geography, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Tel: 0113 233
3315, Email: J.Stillwell@geography.leeds.ac.uk
John Stillwell is currently Reader in Migration and Regional Development at the School of
Geography, University of Leeds, and is also the Director of Postgraduate Studies. This article is
written at a time when he is ‘stepping-down’ as Chairman of the RGS-IBG Population
Geography Research Group, after over ten years of service on the Committee, interrupted in
1995-1998 when he was Chairman of the school.
For such an active member of the PGRG it would be easy to forget John’s other research
directions. In addition to population geography he has published widely in the fields of local and
regional development, planning, GIS, spatial modelling and land use simulation. As he suggests,
it would be a “moot point” for him to be classified as just a population geographer (for those less
familiar with his career, a glance at www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/staff/j.stillwell will bear this out). As
outgoing Chair, he would like to take the opportunity to throw a few ideas into the PGRG
discussion pot.
As population geographers, John warns that we can easily get bogged down in the description
and analysis of datasets whilst striving to understand what human behaviour is all about. Though
academically sound, and of interest, this work is not necessarily applicable in a practical sense.
John exemplifies a role for population geographers in applied work with over ten years
experience with the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Research Observatory, his research
contribution including population estimates and projections and evaluations of educational
performance. Recent collaborations of an applied nature with which he has been involved
include a research partnership between Leeds and Newcastle Universities on national level
projects for DETR, and research for the European Commission investigating the relationship
between international and internal migrants. He notes the future roles for population geographers
in producing population forecasts to aid the Commission’s funding allocations, and at local level
addressing the need for ward and postal sector-based forecasts of population and related
variables. He also feels that some population geography ‘flag-waving’ is needed to demonstrate
a genuine need for the sub-discipline to other geographers, as well as to people outside the field.
John recognises that population geographers are often encouraged to draw on theory and method
from other areas such as social theory. He observes that quantitative population geographers
frequently have enough time only to “dip into” other literatures and to develop a full
understanding would be both very intellectually demanding, as well as time-consuming; the
equivalent task that critical human geographers would face with an excursion into the modelling
literature. Keen to bring qualitative and quantitative approaches closer together, he believes this
must be carried out methodologically during research but acknowledges that working other than
superficially in terms of theory, is difficult. John himself demonstrates a pragmatic approach to
research with a ‘Rees-like’ attention to detail and desire for transparency of method, which is an
example to all geographers, whatever their specialism.
The International Journal of Population Geography was set up by the PGRG in conjunction with
John Wiley, but John feels there has not always been insufficient collaboration between the
publishers, editors and the PGRG. He observes it important to maintain the links to ensure that
the journal quality and content remain influenced by its initiators, particularly since the flow of
submissions and book reviews is not always buoyant. This places great pressure on the editors.
Logically, if we regularly submit high quality research to the IJPG, the profile of the journal and
21
of population geography will be raised. The PGRG remains very active with a series of sessions
at each annual conference and with regular interim meetings, including some excellent joint
ventures with overseas collaborators. For the future, John encourages us to sustain these
activities and to publish the research presented as papers, proceedings, edited books or as themed
issues of IJPG.
Although the outgoing Chairman, John has been on the PGRG committee since the late-1970s
and has fulfilled many roles including treasurer and secretary. With a twinkle in his eye, he is
particularly proud that he has carefully managed to avoid being newsletter editor and would not
wish to be considered for the job in the future (bad luck Darren, you can’t resign yet)!
Perhaps this instant shift from earnest discussion to dry wit demonstrates the ‘Stillers’ we know.
It has been hard to write this article and keep a straight face whilst recalling numerous Stillersisms; the right-hand gesticulations, the sharp intakes of breath, the “we need data”, the “let’s
tease out those important relationships” and above all the, “absolutely”! Surely the most
mimicked member of staff at Leeds, I have even found myself doing an impersonation at a
committee meeting that John was also attending (though my attempt pales in comparison to
Messrs. Clarke and Debenham who are favourites for the ‘Synchronised Stillers’ event at the
Athens Olympics). Legendary are the field trip stories, though few are printable! John allegedly
delights in introducing innocent young students to the fleshpots of Montpellier. His prowess in
sport is renowned largely due to his unerring will to win and when things don’t go perfectly, he
gives himself a good talking to. On the squash court he often reduces me to a sweaty blob
announcing “I’ve just got to go for the winners, I can’t help it!” He plays hockey infrequently but
with typical gusto, handing out the bruises, often to his own side! On the academic front the
stories abound. Never known to use two words when six will do, John produced the second
longest PhD thesis that Phil Rees has supervised.
John would like to thank his colleagues on the research committee for their efforts during the last
3 years, in particular John McKendrick who has demonstrated his efficiency on numerous
occasions. He encourages young enthusiastic population geographers to be on the PGRG
committee and to organise workshops and conferences. John suggests the research group should
try to adopt a longer term strategy than has perhaps been achieved previously, especially in
relation to the forthcoming 2001 Census. He passes on all good wishes to Paul Boyle, the new
Chair, and knows that the PGRG will be in safe hands under Paul’s stewardship.
For his own future there appears to be no let up in John’s research output. Get your advance
orders in for his third collaboration with Henk Scholten, a book entitled ‘Land Use Simulation
for Europe’ published by Kluwer later this year. In the pipeline are ‘Planning Support Systems in
Practice’ with Stan Geertman, and ‘Applied GIS and Spatial Modelling’ with Graham Clarke.
John is currently working with Oliver Duke-Williams on a web-based interface to interaction
data, and is also hopeful that the ESRC will see fit to fund the development of a service that
allows users to access 2001 Census interaction data via MIMAS. He is co-supervising three PhD
students, including James Debenham who is looking at performance indicators for the projection
of retail consumption patterns; an example of the applied nature of population geography that
John is actively promoting.
I’m sure you will join me in thanking John for his Chairmanship and trust that we can look
forward to learning about his ongoing research at future PGRG meetings.
Paul Norman, April 2001
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