Publisher: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, 1998
Description: 556 pp.
Language: English
Price: R250.00
ISBN number: 0471 962317 (hardback) / 0471962325 (paperback)

Expanded description: Extensive use of tables, graphs, maps and diagrams. Accessible style, using columns rather than solid text which makes the material less dense and easier to read. Appendix containing statistical tables, a section on further reading for each chapter, and a comprehensive reference list (44 pages) as well as an index.

Methods and Techniques in Human Geography is an excellent text for post graduate, and possibly more advanced undergraduate students in geography. It deals with both quantitative and qualitative methods and so can be used by both physical and human geographers, although its focus is on human geography. The book approaches research techniques from the context of the theory and philosophy of geography, which makes it stand apart from many of the other texts produced in research methods over the past forty years. Methods that are explained and developed in the text are considered in relation to theoretical developments in geography (which are referenced) and students can begin to appreciate how the methodologies they use fit into the discipline of geography as a whole. The book therefore develops critical thinking as the methods and techniques are situated within a theoretical framework. It is written in such a way that the material continually moves from techniques and examples to broader discussion, which helps to de-mystify the quantitative terminology. It is a challenging book which requires that the reader engages intellectually and technically with the material.

The text deals with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in a comprehensive, accessible and interesting way, and so it is recommended as a key text for a research methods course. It draws on theory and methods developed in geography over the past forty years and so also provides a comprehensive summary of work in this discipline. The material requires that students are numerate and so the text may need to be supplemented with more basic material. The author acknowledges the difficulty many students have in working with numbers, and has developed this text in such a way that quantitative methods are accessible to both mathematical and non-mathematical students, thereby encouraging greater use of mathematical and statistical techniques. The methods are taught through worked examples, requiring that the reader develops understanding through examining the problem being explored, rather than using a 'recipe' for investigating a research question. This is a far better method of teaching research techniques, but it implies that students may need to access other material set out in a more step-by-step manner to fully understand the mechanics of a particular statistical test. However given the support of statistical software, students should rather understand a technique than be able to mass produce it, and the book certainly makes this possible.

The book was published in 1998 and so is contemporary and relevant. Guy M. Robinson is a Professor of Geography at Kingston University, Surrey, United Kingdom and has twenty years experience in teaching statistical and quantitative methods to geography students.

Methods and Techniques in Human Geography consists of 16 chapters which cover the wide range of methods available in geographical research. Key areas emphasised are statistical techniques, spatial analysis and modelling, the use of computer technology and GIS and qualitative methods. The introduction provides insight into the link between the history and philosophy of human geography and the techniques developed within the discipline, focusing on the positivist/humanist debate that has emerged over the past 30 years. This chapter reflects on the need to find a balance between empirical content (which was very strong in the 1960s) and theoretical concerns in research.

The five chapters that follow the introduction (Chapters 2-6) deal with quantitative methods. 'Exploring geographical data' considers descriptive statistics, the construction of data, sampling methods and probability distributions. The following chapters deal with hypothesis testing, measuring associations, multivariate analysis and generalised linear models. Various tests and techniques are explored and examples of each of the tests are provided.

The role of mathematical and statistical techniques in geographical models is explored in Chapters 7, 8 and 9 where spatial allocation, spatial interaction and spatial models and structure are considered. An understanding and analysis of time in the research process is introduced in Chapter 10 which deals with spatial diffusion, epidemic models and time series analysis. This focus on space and time is fundamental to any geography course, but it is one which is not often adequately considered. This text provides good insight into spatial and temporal patterns and models and so makes a significant contribution towards the student's understanding of these concepts. Chapter 11 focuses on systems, introducing ideas on systems analysis, catastrophic systems and chaos theory. This leads to a section on Geographical Information Systems, which uses examples on data collection in the tropics and land use planning in Scotland, to explore the application of GIS. A critique of GIS and its link to positivist analysis ends this chapter.

The second part of the book (Chapters 12-16) deals with qualitative methodologies where the focus is on the individual, on interpretation and context. It begins with a chapter on behaviour and perception, exploring the behavioural geography of the 1970s and 1980s. Questionnaire surveys form a key component of this chapter. The design of surveys is comprehensively covered. Chapter 13 covers a wide range of qualitative methodologies from interviewing and phenomenology to participant observation. The chapter ends with a very useful section on how to analyse data collected from interviews and participant observation, something which is often not adequately covered in other research methods texts.

Chapters 14, 15 and 16 consider theoretical approaches to analysis. Marxist analysis in human geography, which considers theoretically informed and less technically oriented approaches, is followed by a chapter on methods and approaches used in feminist geographies. Finally the role of postmodernism in geographical thinking and analysis is explored with deconstruction and discourse analysis being investigated. This chapter ends where the book began, with the debate around positivist and post-positivist geographies, and how trends in geography have changed over time. As Robinson says (1998, p 482): "Today statistics are still part of the geographer's canon of knowledge, but only as part of a broad portfolio of techniques allied to a burgeoning flow of ideas entering the discipline. The current trends suggest that in the future it will be the qualitative and the interpretive methods that will be central to geographical inquiry, requiring a different sort of 'technical' ability. However, technological development is also likely to bring different technical challenges via cyberspace and the next stage of computing and information revolutions. The challenge is indeed multifaceted.... and gloriously unpredictable".

The examples used in the text are clear and relevant and so provide students and teachers with insight into how these methods could be applied. The book does not provide other examples and so teachers using this text would need to ensure that students work through their own examples, thereby testing their knowledge and understanding of these techniques.

The text would be useful to geography and environmental management/science students, practitioners and those conducting research within this discipline. It is an accessible text and so could be used for undergraduate teaching, while at the same time being challenging enough to be used by post graduate students and teachers. It uses a wide range of examples, covering both developed and developing country contexts, but with a bias toward research in the developed world. Problems and issues associated with research in a developing world context would need to dealt with independently of the text. However it is a comprehensive text that provides an excellent foundation for research methods in geography. This is the kind of book that any serious post-graduate student should have on their bookshelf as a key reference text.