Spatial thinking

 

The nerd in me (and likely Massey as well) wants to reverse this to say "your space for place." 

The written...

Turned in yesterday morning 11am.
It seems only appropriate that the printer jammed and ran out of paper when I printed the final...

Forecast

Feels appropriate for the week...

1 week, 3 hours remain.

Ethical quandary

I find it to be a cruel irony that the book on the geography of ethics that I need from the library is missing, likely stolen, from the stacks.

10 days remaining.

21 days remaining

6 weeks seems a lot shorter from the week 4 vantage point.
4 questions drafted, 3 remaining.
Orals scheduled for December 8th.

p.s. Some of the answers are starting to complement each other, which is 1) creepy, 2) helpful and 3) pointing to me being a post-structuralist geographer.

...the stale taste...

I'm sorry, but this: "The Privileges of China’s Elite Include Purified Air"

reminds me of this: Perri-Air

and also this: Orwellian much?

namely because of this quote: “Breathing clean air is a basic human need,”
All are equal, but some are more equal than others apparently.

Joe's "Movember"

Before

In an effort to raise awareness about prostate cancer and men's health more generally, Joe and his colleagues have joined the movember movement. This translates to growing facial hair...or put differently, throwing out the razor for the month of November. While I have some misgivings over the effectiveness of this approach, I can see how the normally clean shaven faces will be a conversational point, as varying degrees of mustache and beard are expressed. Moreover, to participate you have to start from scratch...so for the first time in 8 years Joe will be without goatee, that will definitely be shocking (mostly for me I think).
This does seem rather a momentous occasion does it not?

After

Occupied...

 

The movement has relocated to 100 feet from my office...complete with drum circle.

No camping allowed on campus though...we'll see if they're still here tomorrow.

Update 10.28 - All clear.

Increasingly difficult...

 

I walked past this on my way in this morning and I found it impossible not to think about whether or not the act of spray painting "resist" (with an Anarchy symbol sidekick) is necessarily resistant.

Yes, yes I'm writing about resistance right now, so it's a tad obnoxious, but really...

In this case what are we resisting? 

Private property? This was spray-painted onto the side of a house.

Organized government? Chaos looks good in candy red.

The man? Well "you're the man as well."

Or maybe it's telling me that I should add more resistance to my life.

Disobey. Read: spray paint the side of shit that other people own because it's an illegal act.

Yet, how can we resist within domination? 

Perhaps, an individual act of civil disobedience is outside oppression. Rather than reproducing the power hierarchy and dualism of resistance/domination.

35 days remaining...

I spent the weekend balancing reading and writing for comps and reworking a grant proposal. And eating, playing cards and trying to sleep...

I've finished drafts of my two synthetic questions (no surprises I went for the food ones first).

Not a bike rack...

I watched this guy labor over putting up this sign...5 minutes later
this bike appeared...

42 days remaining

Well, my predictions were a bit off, but I knew they would give me a sovereignty question...I just guessed the wrong one. So I'll give myself half-credit this time ; )
Here they are in all their glory:

Systematic Field—Political, Cultural, Development

1.       How has James Scott’s Weapons of the Weak and Tim Cresswell’s In Place / Out of Place shaped conceptions of resistance in human geography over the past two and a half decades? What do you see as the future directions for geographers engaging the notion of “resistance”? (six pages)

2.       Explore Foucault’s notion of governmentality. Critically assess the ways this concept has been used in development theory by authors writing from a post-colonial perspective, such as Partha Chatterjee (2004), Tanya Li (2007) and Michael Watts (2003). (four pages)

Synthetic Themes—Agrofood networks, the region of Latin America

1.       Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Friedman and McMichael’s (1989) concept of “food regime,” which has been seen by many scholars as a useful tool in exploring global food and agricultural production systems.  Ground your discussion using examples from Latin America. (six pages)

2.       Food sovereignty, a term coined in 1996 by the trans-national agrarian movement La Via Campesina, represents a new conception of sovereignty based on the right to and power over food resources. In what ways does the concept of food sovereignty challenge traditional political geographic thinking on sovereignty? (four pages)

Geographic Thought and Methods:

1.       In response to the startling discussions over the Bowman Expeditions, the AAG convened  a panel to discuss ethics in research at the 2009 annual meeting and subsequently updated the 1998 [2005] ‘Statement on Professional Ethics’ and in 2010, the Indigenous People’s Specialty Group released the “Declaration of Key Questions about Research Ethics with Indigenous Communities.” Situate these documents in relation to longstanding debates on ethics in geographical research, and examine whether these policies have adequately addressed issues of ethics and informed consent in relation to indigenous communities. (four pages)

2.      Recently, geographers in a range of subfields have used actor-network theory to adopt a non-dichotomous approach to theory that has traditionally been bound up in understandings of systems (Guthman, 2010). Critically examine how actor-network theory has been taken up in at least two different sub-fields in geography and assess whether this approach successfully addresses the shortcomings of a “systems analysis” identified by Guthman. (six pages)

3.       Post-structural theory has been widely engaged and critiqued in geographical thought. What are the most telling uses and critiques of post-structural theory in geography? What do those uses and critiques suggest to you about where things are going in the discipline? (six pages)

 ....and no, I am not going to answer them in order. And yes, if you look closely, my committee did make some changes...

I'm starting with the question on food sovereignty and then moving to resistance; that way it'll be fun.

Predicting my exams

Today I have the meeting where I defend the questions that I wrote for my comps. The ones with the question mark...not the answers...
The process in my department (qualifying/comprehensive exams processes differ between departments and disciplines) is to write your questions based on your area of study and work on subsequent drafts with your advisor and then finally submit them to your doctoral committee for review.
So, this morning I will defend my questions and then be excused from the room while the committee chooses 7 from the 15 questions that I wrote. The questions fall into three main sections: systematic field, synthetic theme and thought/methodology.
The writing period is six weeks. I start next Monday (17th).
I will write 3 answers at 4 pages in length and 4 answers at 6 pages in length.
After I turn in my answers (6 weeks from Monday) I have an oral defense that will last 3-4 hours.
Of the 15 questions I drafted, I have a guess at which ones may be chosen going into the meeting,based on the make-up and interests of my committee members...this is where I will record my guesses (starred questions=predicted guess).

I also, want to use this medium as an outlet for updates over the next 6 weeks as I disappear into the literature. And really, I must say, I think I will need some support from outside the department in this case. So I'm hoping folks will use the blog to check in and say hello. Exams are an isolating experience. Students are not allowed to discuss their questions/answers with their colleagues as they are writing. The rest of the academic quarter will be given over to writing for me.

Below are the questions I submitted to my committee:

Systematic Field—Political, Cultural, Development

*1. How has critical geopolitics challenged traditional debates in political geography, particularly regarding the concept of sovereignty?

*2. James Scott’s Weapons of the Weak (1985) is a key text for understanding everyday resistance. How has everyday resistance been theorized in cultural geography since the publication of this influential work?  Focus on tracing the contours of evolving debates about resistance in human geography since the publication of Tim Cresswell’s In Place/Out of Place (1996), which has become a vital piece in understanding transgression and resistance.

3. Explore Foucault’s notion of governmentality. How has this concept been engaged in critical development theory by authors writing from a post-colonial perspective, such as Partha Chatterjee (2004), Tanya Li (2007) and Michael Watts (2003)?

4. How does the use of David Harvey’s concept of ‘accumulation by dispossession’ contribute to key debates in geographic thinking on development, specifically on the control of natural resources?

*5. In a recent piece in Cultural Geographies, Cresswell argued that identifying as a cultural geographer in the 21st century is a “curious state of being “(2010:169), noting that as a result of the ‘cultural turn’  many human geographers consider themselves cultural geographers. How has the cultural turn transformed what it means to be a cultural geographer?

  

Synthetic Themes—Agrofood networks, the region of Latin America

1. The concept of “food regime” developed by Friedman and McMichael (1989) has been a useful tool in exploring global food and agricultural production systems and in situating these dynamics in relation to processes of capital accumulation across time and space. Discuss the food regime approach developed by Friedmann and McMichael and explain how it has been used to understand global food and agricultural systems. What does this framework tell us about the history and politics of Latin American food systems?

2. Food sovereignty, a term coined in 1996 by the trans-national agrarian movement La Via Campesina, represents a new conception of sovereignty based on the right to and power over food resources. In what ways does the concept of food sovereignty challenge traditional political geographic thinking on sovereignty?

3. Academic discussions regarding ‘local’ and organic food in the global North have recently become the subject of animated debates. How have the terms local and organic been mobilized within academic discussions of food and how has it shifted over time from potential panacea to more critical work, which calls for new terminology?

4. The increased global desire for agrofuels has led many states in Latin America to open up land for agrofuel production, including the production of oil palm. What are the social and biophysical implications of agrofuel production? How has the promotion of agrofuels shaped rural development policy and how does such agricultural development challenge social movements that advocate food sovereignty?

*5. The promotion of import substitution and industrialization (ISI) between the 1940s and the 1970s transformed Mexico’s urban and rural spaces. Trace the contours of rural ‘modernization’ in this period, focusing in particular on how ISI remade rural landscapes and how it transformed the relationship between peasants and the state in Mexico.

*6. How have indigenous movements in Latin America transformed the region’s socio-political landscapes, particularly in the period following the 1994 Zapatista Uprising? 

Geographic Thought and Methods:

*1. In response to the startling discussions over the Bowman Expeditions, the AAG convened  a panel to discuss ethics in research at the 2009 annual meeting and subsequently updated the 1998 [2005] ‘Statement on Professional Ethics’ and in 2010, the Indigenous People’s Specialty Group released the “Declaration of Key Questions about Research Ethics with Indigenous Communities.” Situate these documents in relation to longstanding debates on ethics in geographical research and assess whether these policies have adequately addressed issues of ethics and informed consent within indigenous communities.

2. Recently, geographers in a range of subfields have used actor-network theory to adopt a non-dichotomous approach to theory that has traditionally been bound up in understandings of systems (Guthman, 2010). Examine how actor-network theory has been taken up in at least two different sub-fields in geography and assess whether this approach successfully addresses the shortcomings of a “systems analysis” identified by Guthman.

*3. Post-structural theory has been widely engaged and critiqued in geographical thought. Identify at least three key ways that post-structural thought has transformed geographical inquiry over the last two to three decades, using specific examples of work done by geographers in your discussion. What challenges or limitations do you see emerge from geographers’ engagement with post-structural theory?

4. Research using participatory methods has gained much traction in social and behavioral sciences since the 1990s, promoting broad participation of stakeholders in the research process and attempting to reach a mutually beneficial praxis (Bacon, et al, 2005; Savin-Baden & Wimpenny, 2007). Savin-Baden and Wimpenny (2007) argue that Participatory Action Research (PAR) presents a valuable framework to explore research aims, yet find that it has rarely been undertaken by geographers. What are the potential benefits and limitations to human geographers in developing and deploying PAR as a methodology?

Despite, the trepidation I have going into these exams, they are not designed to be evil. I've heard of much worse exam regimes at different schools. Instead, the objectives of the exam are to demonstrate a knowledge of the field---to test the competency of students to teach in the field.

Clarification

In case you were unable to make the connection yourself.

Salty, possibly bitter.

Classes officially began yesterday and although in the grand scheme of things for me this meant very little--I have been on campus pretty much all summer working--it did mean a flood of people. I spent most of my day calming overly-anxious undergrads about their course plans. I also met many of our new graduate students. Folks that have been around for a little longer kept being introduced as "old grads" (as opposed to new grads), I refuse to take up this moniker, not because it isn't correct (my grad schooling is older), but because I prefer to think of myself more as a seasoned graduate student.
Here's to another year...

On the plate for this quarter:
- Dissertation grant proposals, due Oct. 15 and Nov 3 respectively
- Comprehensive Exams, due to begin Oct. 17, oral defense during finals week.
- Final revisions to publication, no deadline

two days, two backpacks. twenty miles.

We spent the weekend taking a walk in the woods east of home and enjoyed seeing the restorative power of the forest in a post-fire regime. The B&B complex fire burned a significant amount of the forest in this area in 2003, now, just 8 years later ghostly trees remain and the meadow and wildflowers are thriving.

We had a delightful time, hiking on a section of the PCT for about 10 miles and then skirting off to our overnight destination, about a half mile on its own trail. The next morning we connected with a local trail that looped us another 10.7 (to be exact) miles back to the truck.

Three Fingered Jack from the distance

Essentially, our hike circumnavigated the volcano. A feat that seemed out of reach when observing it from this far away...however, our approach was a rather gentle incline, and the next time we saw the peak it was surprisingly close.

Looking out over the ghost forest

This is me swiping away mosquitoes in the snow...the snow!

Looking much closer, the south-west side of Jack

Looking North to Mt. Jefferson

Much closer. We think it has more than 3 fingers.

Our camping destination from above.

Our midway point and overnight destination was relatively undetermined when we set out, more an inclination--we'd like to make it to the lakes. In fact, we must make it to the lakes, otherwise we will be melting snow water for cooking and for our hike out. We only packed in enough water for our first 10 miles, packing along the much lighter water treatment gear instead. It was our first time taking this approach and it was actually a great learning experience.

As we approached the lookout for the lakes a shout of thunder came from the distance, beckoning us not to linger. We managed to locate a relatively flat spot and erect our tent before the thunderstorm started in earnest. It was an intense but short rainfall as the storm passed quickly overhead. After a lovely camp dinner the sun had truly gone down and we headed to the tent. Within a few moments we heard something gallop past outside. Not heavy enough to be an elk, but not light enough to be a dog. Perhaps a deer...

post-storm sunset

coffee, breakfast.

ready for day two

I promise not to hang glide.

reclaiming the forest

Our path.

almost around, Jack from the south-east.

snacks among ghosts of trees

A wildfire at Mt. Washington and the last lake of our hike

I fantasized about sitting on the tailgate of the truck with my feet up and drinking our cold (waiting in the cooler) 'ride-home' water for about the last mile and a half of day two. My feet were quite sore after trudging through the dusty terrain. Our longest weekend backpacking trek to-date, it was absolutely beautiful and well worth the stiffness and soreness I am still feeling the day after.

'homework'

My birthday fig, now portable.

There are many things I enjoy about summer—with specific reference to work though— I will say that I give myself a bit more relaxation time and a less rigid schedule, which allows me to do other fun things, such as playing in the garden and completing projects on the house. The past two weekends have been a combination of both as we ripped out carpet, installed new floors, built a cedar box and planted, picked and pruned in the garden, made some delectable foods and enjoyed some deliciousness too.

I must also say, that it helps significantly to be actually in the country during the summer. I missed last summer quite a bit.




To maintain consistency with the existing floors we purchased a light shade of laminate wood flooring for the bedroom and our office. It pained us a bit to do it. We're coming to the latter half of our residence and ownership of this home and the decisions we make now are more about what fits with the ranch house, our budget and in a 3 to 4-year trajectory, which is, at times, in conflict with our social, environmental and otherwise long-term planning. I do think though, that it is rather funny to be worrying about laminate floors when we simultaneously seasoned our cast-iron pan, (over the same 12-hour period) by rendering pig fat from our 1/2 pig, purchased back in February, made a couple jars of tomato sauce from some CSA Brandywines and picked hops from our vines to embellish our evening libations.

 

Taking down the office...this is the before shot.

Anytime we make a significant change to this house we are met with some fantastic surprise of leftover goodness, circa 1972. In this case, there was evidence of two different carpets and some super awesome vinyl, that really wins the competition for crazy vinyl in this house overall.

 

Cat damage from move-in day.

Look! More vinyl!

"this is ridiculous" --Joe on removing the moulding

Oh vinyl, you are much better as a record.

planning.

Completed floor.

Reconfigured office

Bedroom, sans carpet

Half-done, the bed migrated as we worked

Finishing touches

Bedroom: same same but different

Before: frozen, chopped fat

As I mentioned above, we also took the opportunity, being home all day, to render fat. No, not like this.

When placing our order with the butcher back in February I asked for the fat from our pig. It has been in ziplock bags in the freezer, I took out about half and consulted with Rosanna to see how to go about it. I have to admit, at this point I was most excited about seasoning our cast iron pan, which has sat lonely in the cupboard for over a year.

After.

Without going into too much detail, I can say that it took longer than expected. I cut the fat up into too large of chunks, which lengthened and complicated the process and made all of the neighbors likely hate us. We used the homebrew burner and propane outside, which allowed a smell reminiscent of 1000 pounds of bacon being cooked to waft over our fence for 12 hours.

Lard.

I also used my new food mill to make the first tomato sauce of the summer. Although, since it's reached almost 90 degrees here every day for the past week, I do slightly regret opening the bottle of red wine to season the sauce with. It will likely be vinegar before I'm in the mood to drink it again.

What I really want, is one of these:

A mix of hops from the garden