Taking on the tweed suits: Reflections on the ‘How the other half lives’ and its critique of masculinist geography

McEwan, Cheryl

Abstract

In this commentary I explore the groundbreaking interventions of Jacky Tivers’ (1978) ‘How the other half lives’ (Area 10, 4, 302‐6). I recount both the context in which I first read and was inspired by the paper and the significance of the context in which it was written to highlight its contribution in focusing attention on two specific issues: the underrepresentation of women as producers of geographical knowledge and the exclusion of women’s issues as a focus of geographical inquiry. I argue that the paper broke new ground in the context of British geography by demonstrating the connections between the domination of the discipline by men and what was considered legitimate geographical knowledge, as well as demanding that the latter be addressed through the explicit study of the geography of women and gender relations. I reflect on the courage it took to challenge the status quo in 1970s geography and conclude with some thoughts on the contemporary resonances of the issues with which the paper was concerned.

Citation

McEwan, C. (2020). Taking on the tweed suits: Reflections on the ‘How the other half lives’ and its critique of masculinist geography. Area, 52(4), 770-777. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12647

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 19, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jul 19, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 2, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 29, 2020
• Journal: Area
• Print ISSN: 0004-0894
• Electronic ISSN: 1475-4762
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 770-777
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12647
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1267610