Department: Geography ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
115 matches in the database.
These are records: 1 - 30.
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1.
Adams, Tyler Anthony.
“We Do Not Want This Sickness!”: Religion, Postcolonial Nationalism and Anti-Homosexuality Politics in Uganda.
Degree: MA, Geography, 2011, Ohio State University
► Uganda made international headlines in October 2009, when Member of Parliament (MP)…
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▼ Uganda made international headlines in October 2009, when Member of Parliament (MP) David Bahati proposed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The bill would require the death penalty for certain acts of homosexuality. International pressure has made the bill’s passage unlikely, but the politics that went into producing it continue. This thesis examines these politics, asking how it is that homosexuality came to be conceived as such a grave threat as to require the death penalty. I analyze the statements and writings of various Ugandan anti-homosexual activists, including Pentecostal pastors and state leaders, tabloid exposés and the text of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Ugandans have come to understand homosexuality through American Christian Right, postcolonial nationalist, and local religious movement discourses. Together, these discourses make homosexuality a grave threat to and a neocolonial imposition upon the African heterosexual family, the laws of God, and the Ugandan nation. They come together to produce an imaginary multiscalar geography of homosexuality that precludes a homosexual national subject. I find that the bill consolidates and solidifies practices of policing, employed by a fundamentalist revival movement, already at play in Uganda. I suggest that the very dynamic that makes the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill unlikely, namely the structure of the international political economy in which the African state must answer to Western states before its own citizens, galvanized the writing of the bill in the first place.
Advisors/Committee Members: Thomas, Mary.
Subjects: African Studies; Geography
Keywords: Anti-Homosexuality Bill; Uganda; Pentecostalism; Balokole; Christian Right; evangelicalism; postcolonialism
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2.
Ancien, Delphine.
Global city theory in question: the case of London and the logics of capital.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2008, Ohio State University
► Since the 1980s the greater London area has been home to an…
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▼ Since the 1980s the greater London area has been home to an increasingly large proportion of the British population, economic activities and profits; its population growth has been quite phenomenal. Many observers over the past few years have been warning that this growth threatens to be self-inhibiting. This has to do with London's escalating housing costs. Housing shortages in turn tend to create labor shortages in low-skilled low-paying jobs as much as for middle-and-higher-income positions. This problem is quite common in large economically-booming cities, and even more so in what have been identified as 'world' or 'global cities', such New York City, Tokyo, and London. These cities are characterized, in particular, by their concentration of command and control functions of the world economy, and especially global financial functions. These have become a crucial aspect of capitalism in an era of increased globalization and financialization of capital. However, although the world city and global city literatures appear as a very important departure point for analyzing London's housing crisis and, crucially from the standpoint of this dissertation, the ways different agents and coalitions of actors have been approaching this issue, I argue that it is necessary to go beyond the rather standard world/global city accounts that have ensued. This is so in particular because they do not allow us to fully understand how this situation has emerged, the particular conditions, forces and space-time juxtapositions that have led to the production of London as a global city and the subsequent issues of labor reproduction that have to be dealt with today. In short, they are, in many instances, de-contextualized accounts. In this dissertation I address some of the shortcomings of global city theory and I argue that global cities have a political geography of a quite complex nature, one that has been constructed over time and that has to be taken into account if we are to understand their production and reproduction. Through a reinvestigation of the case of London, using mainly intensive qualitative research methods, this research aims at providing some benchmarks through which to reassess global city theory through an emphasis on the capital accumulation process. First, by resituating global cities with respect to the capitalist accumulation process - understood as a production relation rather than an exchange relation - and how it unfolds within particular ensembles of space-time constraints and possibilities - characterized sometimes by a strong happenstance element - new light can be shed on the their production and continuing reproduction. Second, the concept of the politics of scale is very useful in understanding how global cities are always embedded in wider sets of socio-spatial relations that need to be managed if they are to be reproduced. Finally, the state appears as a key aspect of different historical geographies of capitalism, including the formation and reproduction of particular global cities.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cox, Kevin R.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: global city; world city; London; United Kingdom; capital; geography; uneven development; housing; state; governance; politics of scale
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3.
Atalan-Helicke, Nurcan.
The Seeds of Change: The State, The Politics of Development and Conservation in Neoliberal Turkey.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2011, Ohio State University
► This dissertation interrogates connections between agricultural restructuring, development of rural livelihoods and…
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▼ This dissertation interrogates connections between agricultural restructuring, development of rural livelihoods and conservation of agricultural biodiversity (agrobiodiversity) in Turkey, a center of origin and diversity for wheat domestication. Often, crisis narratives accompany these connections, reflected as simplified assumptions about transformations of nature, livelihoods and the state under neoliberalism. Through a multiscalar analysis that attends to state-international relations, ways the state articulates development and conservation policies and ways farmers engage with these policies, this dissertation argues that the crisis narrative is used to justify dominant solutions for conservation of agrobiodiversity and development of livelihoods. By engaging with different aspects of transformation under neoliberalism, in particular Turkey’s 2006 Seed Law, the World Bank funded Agricultural Reform Implementation Program, and changes due to European Union accession, the dissertation treats current transformations as a snapshot of complex change for the role of the state, farmers’ livelihoods and conservation of agrobiodiversity. The dissertation shows how neoliberal development and conservation practices have come to dominate (and yet appear beyond the reach of) global economic, political and environmental policy circles, and demonstrates the effects of such practices on access to agrobiodiversity and livelihood strategies. The dissertation is based on empirical research and archival work conducted in Turkey over eight months between 2007 and 2010. Methods included (1) semi-structured interviews with state officials and representatives of international, farmer and non-governmental organizations in Ankara and (2) ethnographic research and participant observation in the villages of two provinces in northwest and central Turkey, Kastamonu and Sivas, where traditional wheat varieties are grown. I link the empirical findings to broader analysis that connects North and South by drawing on postcolonial theory, development geography and political ecology to make two broad arguments. (1) Instead of a moment of crisis that can be solved through neoliberalism, current development practices in Turkey reflect both power struggles within the state and the historical continuity of earlier state projects of modernization and Europeanization. (2) The effects of markets on conservation of agrobiodiversity and livelihoods were diverse and contingent on internal dynamics of perceptions and articulations of farmers with external dynamics of interventions at local or national scale. As a result, neoliberal conservation cannot fulfill its double promise of serving livelihoods and conservation of nature. By challenging the crisis narrative, these findings contribute to our understanding of sustainability of development and conservation more broadly, particular with regard to food security, farming communities, and crop improvement in developing country contexts. First, these findings show that neoliberalism translates into local contexts through a process of articulation, reworking and negotiating of economic and conservation policies, reminding us of the friction caused by physical nature in neoliberalization. Second, these findings challenge the neoliberal premise that markets always can provide development and conservation better than the state or international organizations. Third, the dissertation deepens the discussions on neoliberal subject formations by discussing the limited role of farmers in neoliberal conservation practices in relation to the state’s contradictory goals of encouraging agrobiodiversity use by farmers and maintaining sovereignty over plant resources.
Advisors/Committee Members: Mansfield, Becky.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: development, conservation, agricultural biodiversity, neoliberalism, Turkey, European Union
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4.
Ballinger, Thomas Justin.
The Influence of Atmosphere-Ocean Teleconnections on Western Arctic Sea Ice and Surface Air Temperature.
Degree: MA, Geography, 2011, Ohio State University
► Over the last several decades western Arctic sea ice has declined in…
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▼ Over the last several decades western Arctic sea ice has declined in thickness and extent while surface air temperatures (SATs) have increased. Numerous studies have analyzed both anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the modes of natural variability, known as teleconnections, amongst other contributors. Separating anthropogenically-forced from natural signals is computationally difficult and far from perfected. While it is largely accepted that GHGs play a role in Arctic warming, previous papers have largely neglected to find a consistent multidecadal sea surface temperature (SST) or atmospheric teleconnection capable of explaining a significant amount of sea ice and land SAT variability in the region. As a result, statistical analysis of ten global teleconnections against sea ice and SATs in the western Arctic is carried out from 1951-2007 over multi-seasonal, summer and annual scales. Rotated principle component analysis (RPCA) is employed to reduce, simplify and negate the potential for multicollinearity amongst the teleconnections while maximizing each component’s explained variance. Those components are then regressed against the eleven separate sea ice retreat longitudes and coastal SAT locales at Barrow, Alaska and Mys Uelen, Russia using the stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) technique in order to yield corresponding cumulative predictors of the variability. Contrary to previous studies, a multidecadal teleconnection presence, in the form of the seasonally-composed (winter, spring and summer) Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), is found to be the initial predictor for ten of the longitudes. The AMO generally explains an increasing amount of the variance across the study (r2 = 0.41) of the poleward ice retreats to a longitude of approximately 146.05°W (L146) before it decays. In fact, the AMO combined with other multi-seasonal teleconnection predictors, most notably AO/NAO in spring, accounts for approximately half of the explained variance for L151, L146 and L141 sea ice longitudes. A similar pattern with weaker r2 values persists for the summer-only teleconnection and sea ice analysis. Barrow annual SATs are more robust than Uelen in summer and annually, but not during the seasonal analysis. The most robust temperature returns occur in the annual analysis where the AMO explains only a slight portion of the explained variance (r2 = 0.19) in conjunction with the PDO (r2 = 0.11), though these connections pale in comparison to the aforementioned sea ice studies. Time series of observed and residual values are generally better correlated than observed and predicted values. This indicates rather consistent under prediction by the SMLR statistical model. Nevertheless, the respective t-value and F-ratio regression tests show the slopes significantly differ from zero. The residuals are mostly insignificant and therefore random and normally distributed. Final comparisons of the principal components and raw-averaged teleconnections indices are examined with the sea ice retreats where the largest variances were explained (L151-L141) and Barrow annual temperatures. Notable correlations (≈ r ≥ 0.50) further indicate a good fit between the AMO and ice retreats over the entire study period. These statistical outputs can be physically substantiated thereby supporting the presence of this multidecadal teleconnection in the western Arctic.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rogers, Jeffrey.
Subjects: Climate Change
Keywords: Arctic; sea ice; surface air temperature; teleconnections; AMO
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5.
Ban, Hyowon.
Visualization Of Urban Concepts In Two Directions Of Thinking.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2009, Ohio State University
► This study pursues questions about the top-down and the bottom-up directions of…
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▼ This study pursues questions about the top-down and the bottom-up directions of geographical thinking. A question about the top-down direction: 1) how geographical concepts could influence spatial data, is asked in the first half of the study, and another question for the bottom-up direction: 2) how existing data could inform geographical concepts, is asked in another half of the study. To answer the first question, Part 1 deals with the uncertainty of an exurban concept as a primary example, since there are many different definitions of exurbanization and the spatial boundaries based on them are not identical. Several definitions of exurbanization are investigated to determine how they represent exurban areas, and formal representations of the fuzzy-set approach are developed to analyze and visualize the uncertainty of the exurban definitions. The study develops a software interface that would allow interactive exploration, analysis, negotiation, and visualization of uncertain geographical concepts. Selected exurban definitions and empirical spatial data demonstrate concept comparison and concept creation activities using the interface. A case study of five different definitions of exurbanization in Ohio, U.S. shows different degrees of agreement on the exurban boundary, and also illustrates an impact of different approaches to negotiate the multiple definitions. In addition, Part 1 provides results from user evaluations of the developed software interface to better support the exchange of knowledge and communication between exurban stakeholders in Ohio. Findings from the evaluation indicate that the software interface could be useful for urban ontology research and land use, with support of the different ontologies of various actors for a common concept. To answer the second question, Part 2 attempts to derive some time-geography concepts from a set of spatio-temporal choreographic information developed by a multi-disciplinary project, “The Synchronous Objects project” (http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu/) based on an existing dance movie, “One Flat Thing, reproduced”. Part 2 starts with asking several guiding questions to understand the data and derive geographical concepts from it, and then introduces corresponding methods, data, and results. The methodology illustrates how the data can be explored, analyzed, and represented in both geographical and statistical approaches such as spatial analysis, 2D/3D geovisualization, multivariate visual analysis, static and animated brushing techniques, and the linking between multiple plots. For the spatio-temporal analysis of the dance, Part 2 develops a rich database on choreographic information and uses it as a test-bed for the analysis and the visualization. The results are presented in the form of a series of static and animated visualizations based on several experiments, and demonstrate distinct differences and similarities in activity patterns and temporal clustering from the dance data. Part 2 also identifies some limitations of existing exploratory software in dealing with large volumes of spatio-temporal data. Based on the findings from Part 1 and Part 2 of this study, future extensions integrating the approaches in the two parts are suggested.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ahlqvist, Ola.
Subjects: Dance; Design; Geography; Statistics
Keywords: geography; visualization; urban; ontology; exurban; virtual reality; GIS; GIScience; dance; choreography; brushing; visual analytics; 3D; animation
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6.
Birkenholtz, Trevor L.
The politics of groundwater scarcity: technology, institutions, and governance in Rajasthani irrigation.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2007, Ohio State University
► This dissertation examines the conditions under which tubewell groundwater lifting technology in…
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▼ This dissertation examines the conditions under which tubewell groundwater lifting technology in Rajasthan, India is adopted and adapted by producers, technicians, and bureaucrats, and how these adoptions later feed back into the landscape and political ecological processes. By examining the links between environmental knowledge, technology adoption, capital accumulation and ecological change, I demonstrate the ways that these processes operate recursively to produce new social institutions, alter social power relationships (including environmental knowledge) and ecologies, while informing the future creation of equitable groundwater governance strategies. My research contributes a new approach to the fields of political ecology, critical development studies, and science and technology studies (STS) through fresh exploration of the effects that agrarian technologies have on political ecological processes. First, findings include that tubewells, as one example of a scarcity-reducing technology, actually create scarcity for particular communities, alter existing relationships of power, and condition the production of new institutions and new kinds of modern ecological people (or subjects). For instance, tubewell adoption has led to the proliferation of new informal (e.g. sharing of tubewells and/or electricity for pumping between farms) and formal (e.g. Central and State Groundwater Boards and irrigation departments) institutions. Moreover, their use alters ecological conditions, including soil and groundwater quality, which undermines both their continued use and the continued production of high-yielding crops. Ironically, farmers are returning to the production of traditional crops as soils become sodic due to increasingly poor quality groundwater. Tubewell use has, therefore, undermined the original conditions under which it proliferated in a recursive process of ecological change, leading to further political ecological differentiation. Consequently, tubewells have capacity to motivate human and non-human processes, and are both cause and consequence of ecological change and social institution formation. Second, findings from the work also suggest that groundwater knowledge systems are a hybrid drawing on diverse sources including tubewell drilling firms, groundwater departments, and Hindu spiritual leaders. Third, tensions exist between these various knowledges and institutions, in particular those between farmers and the state, which impede the future creation and implementation of groundwater governance strategies. I examine this example of a scarcity-reducing technology to illustrate the complex interaction of traditional and technical knowledge and technologies with environmental change, local and state forms of power, and development policies. This project demonstrates the contradictory effects of ecological modernization around the world.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cox, Kevin R.
Keywords: Political Ecology; Groundwater; Scarcity; Irrigation; Reverse Adaptation; India
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7.
Bodaar, Annemarie.
Cities and the “Multicultural State”: Immigration, Multi-Ethnic Neighborhoods, and the Socio-Spatial Negotiation of Policy in the Netherlands.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2008, Ohio State University
► Immigration is widely acknowledged to be a major social issue in Western…
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▼ Immigration is widely acknowledged to be a major social issue in Western European countries. In this context, the Netherlands was one of the few countries to commit itself to the ideal of a ‘multicultural state’. While this policy ideal was intended to maintain the coherence of the increasingly multi-ethnic state, alleviate growing fear and suspicion of immigrants among sections of Dutch society, and overcome growing ethnic segregation in major cities, its implementation has produced a number of contradictions, however. There has been both a massive political shift in favor of anti-immigrant parties, and increases in segregation in the big cities. In this context the Nethelands has recently reconsidered its multicultural programs. While assimilation is gaining ground as the dominant discourse of immigrant integration in a number of liberal states, the Netherlands has experienced the most profound change away from multiculturalism. Dutch cities therefore could be considered laboratories for the analysis of changes in the way state actors and residents across the world are negotiating immigrant incorporation. This dissertation explores how policies aimed at immigrant integration developed, were implemented and how they were negotiated when implemented in specific multi-ethnic neighborhoods and its effects for neighborhoods, cities and the nation. Using a mixed-methods approach – with a qualitative focus – this research contributes to our understanding of the multicultural city. Central to the research is the governmentality approach, providing a framework through which to analyze the uneven geographies of policy implementation. Several findings from my research stand out. First, an analysis of state policy documents shows that integration is demanded only of ‘ethnic minorities’ who are perceived to be a threat for social stability of the nation-state. Secondly, local political and economic context shapes the way negotiation strategies are being developed. In Rotterdam Delfshaven multi-ethnic bonds were created through informal networks, while in Amsterdam Zuidoost immigrant residents used formal ways to secure the inclusion of immigrant residents in neighborhood decision-making processes. Finally, the micro-scale segregated use of squares does create familiarity and acceptance, and in so doing can contribute to changes in attitude and behavior towards immigrants.
Advisors/Committee Members: Kwan, Mei-Po.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: immigration; multiculturalism; geography; the Netherlands; multi-ethnic neighborhoods; urban policy
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8.
Boschmann, Eric.
Getting To Work: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Metropolitan Area Working Poor Employment Access.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2008, Ohio State University
► This dissertation explores the patterns and processes of employment access among the…
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▼ This dissertation explores the patterns and processes of employment access among the working poor in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. While job accessibility and spatial mismatch has been extensively researched, much of the empirical analysis focuses upon employment barriers among minority populations living in high-poverty inner-city neighborhoods. The ever-changing social and economic structure of U.S. cities warrants the need for more research that looks at employment barriers among the working poor, regardless of race, who increasingly reside outside the central city.This research utilized a two phase mixed method approach. In Phase 1, the patterns of employment access and factors of geographic context are explored through a standard set of spatial analytical techniques, including pattern analysis, accessibility modeling, geocomputation, cluster analysis, spatial regression, and geovisualization, using geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical software. The analysis is based upon spatially aggregated secondary data from the U.S. Census that provides geographically detailed information about workers at place-of-residence, place-of-employment, and the journey-to-work flow. Phase 2 examines the underlying socio-spatial processes that lead to limited employment access among the working poor and how they negotiate the residence-commuting-employment nexus. Primary data was collected through in-depth interviews and participant sketch mapping with 30 individuals. Informants discussed specific aspects of their everyday lives including, residential and employment histories, location decision-making, employment search strategies, and commuting experiences. Several key findings emerged from this research. Poverty and working poor housing and employment patterns are decentralized in the metropolitan area, and patterns of high/low job proximity are highly localized. The relationship of geographic context factors is spatially complex but lacks definitive and suggestive influences. Warehousing and distribution centers offer many higher-paying low-skilled jobs in the Columbus area, and temporary employment agencies play a key role in job search strategies. While the pattern analysis determines that the region has good job access for the working poor population, the local knowledge of individuals reveal how the higher-paying jobs are inaccessible by public transportation. The characteristics of the Columbus metropolitan area are typical of many mid-sized urban regions across the U.S.: the decentralization of urban functions, a polycentric form, population growth and development of low-density suburban areas, post-industrial service sector economic growth, and inadequate and inequitable CBD-oriented radial public transportation systems. Therefore, the findings here provide useful insight for employment access research in similar urban areas. This work extends the conceptualization of spatial mismatch by examining the dislocations of work and residence for working poor persons residing throughout the metropolitan area. As a piece of mixed method research, this work illuminates the utility of both primary and secondary sources, whereby the static and dynamic nature of data can greatly enrich understanding of human urban geographic phenomena. It is argued that conflicting outcomes from separate research phases highlights the multiplicity of realities and represent dual truths that should equally be considered valid and informative to broader knowledge. The broader implication of this work recommends locally specific public policies and urban planning to create more socially sustainable and equitable cities.
Advisors/Committee Members: Kwan, Mei-Po.
Subjects: Geography
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11.
Cha, Ho-Seop.
Enhancing equity in public transportation using geographic information systems and spatial optimization.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2008, Ohio State University
► Public transportation is a vital part of urban living. Public transportation agencies…
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▼ Public transportation is a vital part of urban living. Public transportation agencies receive substantial governmental subsidies due to the significance of their impact on society. For instance, public transportation services help reduce road congestion, oil consumption and air pollution, and they serve people who need to travel throughout urban environments at the same time do not have access to private vehicles. The latter aspect is an important matter of social justice. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss how the issue of equity is addressed in public transportation. It is important to understand why the interest in equity in transport is growing, why public transportation should favor the transport disadvantaged, and why analyses of equity measurement and improvement are needed. Measuring the level of access to public transportation among the transport disadvantaged provides a theoretical basis for analyzing potential improvements in access by adjusting public transportation facility locations. This research will focus on examining what equity issues in transport are present, how they are implemented in current public transportation systems, and their limitations. Another aspect of this research is modeling approaches used in establishing public transportation infrastructure and systems. Using GIS and spatial optimization models, the level of access to public transportation in terms of equity will be evaluated and improvement of the level of access will be attempted by offering new service stop locations. To this end, the Polygon Intersection with Network Point Set (PINPS) method is developed to locate potential facilities along a continuous road network ensuring complete coverage of polygon demand objects. Using the Maximal Covering Location Problem (MCLP), the optimal locations of potential facilities to cover equity favoring origin- and destination-based demand are identified. This research finally provides a set of optimal service stop locations maximizing coverage of origin- and destination-based demand simultaneously through implementation of a bi-objective model, applied to the City of Hilliard, Ohio. In addition the capabilities of coverage models utilizing PINPS and randomly obtained potential facilities are compared. Also, the use of models that represent polygon-based demand versus those depending on only typical point-represented demand will be discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Murray, Alan.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: equity, public transportation, Polygon Intersection with Network Point Set (PINPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial representation, spatial optimization models
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13.
Chen, Wei.
The Design and Implementation of a Web-based GIS for Political Redistricting.
Degree: MA, Geography, 2009, Ohio State University
► The World Wide Web (www) has dramatically changed our way of producing,…
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▼ The World Wide Web (www) has dramatically changed our way of producing, utilizing and consuming information, especially geospatial information in recent years. Web-based GIS (Geographic Information Systems) are designed to provide Web users analytical tools to assist their spatial decisions making process. With the advantages such as platform independence, customizability and cost effectiveness, Open Source Geospatial (OSGEO) software has been more adopted to develop Web-based GIS applications. Also, the increased availability of spatial functionalities in OSGEO software has opened many possibilities towards the implementation of a more powerful, interactive and collaborative Web-based GIS platform which is favorably referred to as the GeoWeb. However, compared with proprietary systems current open source based online GIS systems have several limitations. For example, most of them do not provide customizable web mapping service and spatial data processing service. However, these two types of services are essential to effectively filter spatial information and explore area of interest. This research introduces a framework of implementing a Web-based GIS using Open Source Software, including Postgresql/PostGIS, MapServer, and OpenLayers. On the server side, Postgresql/PostGIS is used to store and process spatial data. MapServer is adopted to provide Web Mapping Service (WMS). Server side scripting language PHP is employed to dynamically generate map file from PostGIS for MapServer to render. On the client side, OpenLayers provides the programming interface to incorporate layers from different data sources into a same DOM container. Web-based GIS for political redistricting, as an example, has been developed to demonstrate both merits and demerits of adopting this framework. Initial results of the demonstration show that the integration of PostGIS, MapServer and PHP could facilitate query based map generation and make mapping of massive spatial data efficient. Query based Web Mapping Service is capable to dynamically generate map and legend images. Spatial data handling functions in PostGIS are suitable for developing user interactive functions for querying, measuring and processing spatial data. Users could use the implemented Web-based political redistricting GIS to explore census, devise and evaluate new plan, and compare different plans. This framework based on open environment can be adapted to applications with similar requirements. The application implemented in this research can be access through gis.osu.edu/redistricting.
Advisors/Committee Members: Xiao, Ningchuan.
Subjects: Computer science; Geography; Information Systems; Political science
Keywords: Web-based GIS, Political Redistricting, Open Source Geospatial (OSGEO), Public Participation
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14.
Chmara-Huff, Fletcher Paul.
Marine Protected Areas and the Territorialization of the Oceans in the Exumas, Bahamas.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2011, Ohio State University
► Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an increasingly popular conservation strategy that seeks…
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▼ Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an increasingly popular conservation strategy that seeks to protect oceans from over-exploitation of fisheries by setting aside large spaces as reserves. While they are similar to conservation areas on the land in design and implementation, little research has examined the ways that MPAs change the ocean into a contested political space. In contrast to the historical perspective of the ocean as a weakly territorialized space in which conservation can occur with little resistance, this dissertation examines MPAs as an object that needs to be examined through the concept of territoriality. The dissertation develops a theory of territorialization as practice to analyze the process of MPA formation in the Exumas Islands in the Bahamas. The Exumas are slated to have three no-take Marine Protected Areas as part of a wider plan to set aside twenty percent of the ocean in the Bahamas. Drawing on archival and field research such as interviews and participant observation, the central argument is that MPAs are territorializing objects, and that the ways in which they are deployed can offer political possibilities for either resistance or new expressions of state power. The dissertation first analyzes three existing approaches commonly used to explain and/or justify MPAs, but finds that these explanations are wanting. It then interrogates the ways in which policy actors in the Bahamas deploy specific spatial imaginaries that frame marine conservation. It shows that policy actors are dependent on logics of state territory and natural resource management that do not fully account for resource users. Finally, the dissertation turns to the fishers of the Exuma Cays, to record both their spatial imaginaries and the ways they relate to ocean conservation as it has been imposed in places they use for their livelihoods. It becomes clear that the people of the Exuma Cays are responding to the threat of MPAs in ways that resist the conventional logic of MPA design through a variety of tactics, including declarations of local identity tied to local oceans and practices, and actively transgressing conservation spaces in a territorial fashion. Yet rather than defending a pre-existing territory, what is occurring in Exuma is in response to conservation practice. New territorial claims are being made in response to the threats of withdrawal posed by MPAs, suggesting that territoriality, as a political practice, should be considered as a social factor in conservation efforts. Through examining the logics and spatial imaginaries of MPAs, this dissertation breaks new ground regarding conservation practice to show that setting aside tracts of the ocean as MPAs is not a simple solution to the problem of overfishing. In short, MPAs are not innocent conservation programs, but rather use specific logics to territorialize the ocean in ways that exclude local resource users while protecting the economic interests of the nation-state. These territorializations are then resisted through re-territorializations by stakeholders, who deploy different logics and spatial imaginaries. Through these re-territorializations, there is the potential for a libratory politics that can contribute to local self-governance and possibly change the politics of marine conservation.
Advisors/Committee Members: Manfield, Becky.
Subjects: Caribbean Studies; Cultural Resources Management; Environmental Justice; Environmental Management; Environmental Studies; Geography; Natural Resource Management; Sustainability; Wildlife Conservation
Keywords: Marine Protected Areas; MPA; Territoriality; Marine Conservation; Exumas; Bahamas
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16.
Chung, Su-Yeul.
Intra-urban segregation changes: an evaluation of three segregation frameworks with a case study of Columbus Ohio MSA, 1990 and 2000.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2005, Ohio State University
► There are three major frameworks on segregation changes: spatial assimilation, place stratification,…
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▼ There are three major frameworks on segregation changes: spatial assimilation, place stratification, and resurgent ethnicity. Previous efforts to evaluate the significance of each framework, dominantly relying on cross-urban metrics, fall short in shedding light on underlying processes of segregation changes within a city, providing only circumstantial evidences for each framework. The author diagnoses that this shortcoming is a result of neglecting variability of segregation at the neighborhood level. Accordingly, this dissertation argues that more attention should be given to local segregation measures and proposes a set of local segregation measures corresponding to two spatial dimensions of segregation: the Location Quotient (LQ) for concentration-evenness and Local Moran’s I (LM-I) for clustering-exposure. Using these local measures, the dissertation examines segregation change at the neighborhood level in terms of residential patterning of race/ethnicity and neighborhood characteristics of racial/ethnic clustering/segregation in the Columbus Ohio MSA, 1990 and 2000. The overall findings strongly support resurgent ethnicity as the most relevant of the three frameworks.
Advisors/Committee Members: Brown, Lawrence A.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: race, ethnicity, segregation, neighborhood, spatial assimilation, place stratification, resurgent ethnicity
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17.
Chun, Yongwan.
Behavioral specifications of network autocorrelation in migration modeling: an analysis of migration flows by spatial filtering.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2007, Ohio State University
► This research is concerned with the fact that migration flows between two…
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▼ This research is concerned with the fact that migration flows between two regions are most likely related to other migration flows in a regional system. This phenomenon is called network autocorrelation. Because the presence of network autocorrelation violates the independence assumption that is frequently applied in migration estimation procedures, statistical results without accounting for network autocorrelation are likely to be biased and can potentially produce misleading conclusions. This research aims at [a] investigating the underlying behavioral and structural mechanisms leading to network autocorrelation and its operationalization in a network link matrix, [b] the statistical identification of network autocorrelation in empirical migration systems, [c] the explicit incorporation of network autocorrelation into a migration model by adopting the novel spatial eigenvector filtering approach, and [d] demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed methodology by applying it to interstate migration system of the U.S. during from 1995 to 2000. Network autocorrelation among migration flows can be explained by reflecting on how potential migrants may search for a destination within a regional system. Specifically, as migration is a spatial choice process, it is important to comprehend how migrants perceive space and choose a destination in the space. Network autocorrelation can be incorporated into modeling spatial search behavior of migrants by specifying a proper network dependency structure. In this research, concentrating on competing destination effects and intervening opportunities, two different criteria were proposed: the connectivity through a joint node and the spatial association between nodes. This research proposes spatial eigenvector filtering as a method to model network autocorrelation in Poisson regression. As the spatial eigenvector filtering method is conceptually easy to comprehend and produces robust spatial autocorrelation models, the method can be utilized to isolate network autocorrelation and to control for the effects of network autocorrelation onto a Poisson regression model. As a result, the potential biases in the estimated model parameters and their standard errors are adjusted in the spatially filtered Poisson regression model. The spatial eigenvector filtering approach for network autocorrelation in a migration model is demonstrated by an empirical analysis of the interstate migration in the U.S. during 1995-2000.
Advisors/Committee Members: O'Kelly, Morton.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: Network autocorrelation, spatial eigenvector filtering, migration, Poisson regression, network link matrix
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18.
Clark, Jill Kathleen Bukovac.
The Repositioning of Farming in Newly Restructured, Consumptive Spaces: The Relational Geography of U.S. Peri-Urban Agriculture.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2009, Ohio State University
► In recent decades, geographers have been theorizing about the current form and…
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▼ In recent decades, geographers have been theorizing about the current form and future direction of industrialized countries’ agriculture given globalization and capitalization trends. Farmers are evaluating and making decisions to either proactively or reactively address their goals in the face of their changing environment. Nowhere is this complex and varied landscape more obvious than in peri-urban areas, where post-industrial activity is most intense and results in the greatest variety of socioeconomic modes of production. Theorists tell us that peri-urban farm households are changing their relationships to their commodity chain to seek out new or unused spaces and respond to the opportunities that the peri-urban lifestyle provides for firm survival. Unfortunately conceptual frameworks and models designed to explain the new geography have not kept pace with the theories of agricultural change. This dissertation synthesizes recent theoretical insights from agricultural geography with new lines of inquiry in relational economic geography to propose a new and timely framework for peri-urban agriculture in an attempt to better understand these individual decisions within a broader system. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, landowner surveys and key informant interviews from five distinct farming regions across the United States are used to characterize the diverse trajectories of agricultural change and examine them within this relational framework. The results demonstrate the importance of the relational geography of the farm - path dependence, contextuality and agency - in constituting peri-urban agricultural geography. In particular, the motivation and ability of farm households to change their relationships and adapt to their context over time are critical factors for firm survival. Further, evidence reveals that the spatiality of farm household agency is tempered by its own history, farm and family lifecycles, perception of development pressure, position in the commodity chain, and the regional historic commodity mix. Therefore, influences emanating from different scales and relationships to these influences, along with household-level actions, mutually constitute the farm trajectory over time and co-construct the boundaries for what are possible adaptations. Finally, research demonstrates that all farm trajectories, regardless of production systems, can be explained using the same general relational framework.
Advisors/Committee Members: Munroe, Darla.
Subjects: Geography
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19.
Coleman, Jill S. M.
Atmospheric circulation types associated with cause-specific daily mortality in the central United States.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2005, Ohio State University
► The relationship between weather and human mortality has been limited to studies…
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▼ The relationship between weather and human mortality has been limited to studies centering on one or two meteorological variables. Recently, the focus is shifting toward a more holistic approach to weather, with several meteorological elements being combined to describe an air mass or weather situation that can effect the human environment. This dissertation continues the trend of recognizing discrete atmospheric circulation types that are most associated with negative health effects and identifies those causes of death occurring most regularly with a specific weather situation. Seventeen MSAs are investigated for significant mortality rate differences among a set of synoptic types prevalent in the central United States, a region that encounters frequent changes in weather conditions. Atmospheric circulation types are determined using statistical techniques. S-mode principal component analysis (PCA) is performed on a 7,305 x 1,225 ((the number of days between 1979-1998) x (25 atmospheric variables x 49 grid points)) matrix. The unrotated score solution is then entered into a two-step clustering procedure to resolve days into groups with similar atmospheric circulation conditions. The final cluster solution categorizes each day into one of nine synoptic types that characterize seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation over the central and eastern United States. Three of the synoptic types occur dominantly in summer and the winter types show some interannual variation with modes of Pacific atmospheric teleconnections. The nine synoptic classes are compared using the ANOVA F-test statistic for significant differences in daily mortality for each MSA by mortality grouping (e.g., respiratory deaths) and season. Significant differences in mortality rates among the synoptic types are most prevalent during spring and autumn at a one-day lag period, especially between the generally lower warm-season cluster mortality rates and higher rates in cold season clusters. Mortality rates are significantly different among the synoptic types for people over age 65, for weather related causes, and for circulatory death categories. Significant results for winter and especially summer are more irregular and do not display the sharp contrast between the warm season and cooler-colder season cluster sets.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rogers, Jeffrey C.
Subjects: Physical Geography
Keywords: weather type, mortality, principal component analysis, cluster analysis
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20.
Crossa, Veronica.
Entrepreneurial urban governance and practices of power: renegotiating the historic center and its plaza in Mexico City.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2006, Ohio State University
► This dissertation examines socio-spatial exclusion in Mexico City’s Historic Center. Specifically, how…
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▼ This dissertation examines socio-spatial exclusion in Mexico City’s Historic Center. Specifically, how new power structures are struggled over and negotiated in people’s everyday lives. This work centers on a recently implemented entrepreneurial policy in Mexico City called the Programa de Rescate (The Rescue Program). The prime objective of the policy is to revitalize the streets, buildings, and central plaza of the city’s Historic Center. Although this policy seeks an improvement in the quality of life for the local population, it excludes particular forms of social interaction that are central to the well-being of a large sector of the population, particularly street vendors who rely on public spaces for their daily survival. Much of the existing literature that focuses on socio-spatial exclusion in an entrepreneurial context has emphasized new structures of power and problems posed to excluded groups. However, I argue that despite the constraints placed upon different groups of affected citizens, excluded groups develop survival strategies that enable them to maintain a livelihood and in some cases empower them to thrive. Further, I question conventional thinking that views the state as monolithic and necessarily constraining to marginalized groups and certain (formal and informal) businesses. Rather, I show that state practices are shaped by different social groups, including those sectors of society who are typically viewed as excluded and disempowered. Through a historical analysis of the Mexican state, I show that excluded groups have managed to tap into the state and thus exert influence over the shape and workings of state policies. By analyzing a particular type of public space in the Latin American context – the plaza – my research asks if these spaces have been reconstituted physically or symbolically and if so, how. I critically synthesize Latin American literatures on the plaza and entrepreneurial urban governance; I connect this synthesis with the European and US literature on entrepreneurial urban governance and shed light on processes that this literature has overlooked; and I recast entrepreneurial urban governance by focusing on the role of agency and the multiple ways in which power is practiced by different social groups in everyday life.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ettlinger, Nancy.
Keywords: Mexico City; Historic Centers; Plazas; Human Geography; Urban Geography; Entrepreneurial Urban governance
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21.
Davis, Jason Michael.
Reconsidering Antarctic Bioprospecting through Territorialities of Science, Property, and Governance.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2011, Ohio State University
► Antarctic formations of science, property, and governance complicate how the commercial use…
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▼ Antarctic formations of science, property, and governance complicate how the commercial use of genetic and biochemical data derived from biota (bioprospecting) might be managed there. Antarctic science should be cooperative, but patents that arise from bioprospecting could generate competition. If Antarctica is perceived as a global commons, exclusive rights to its resources could threaten that status. The peaceful governance of Antarctica is based on the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, but its authority could be threatened by other groups seeking to govern over this new activity. This dissertation explores these issues through two territorial approaches: one focused on the hierarchical bureaucracy of Antarctica and another focused on alternative geographical imaginaries of the continent. While there has been a great deal of concentration on states and the Antarctic Treaty System, this study reveals that careful reconsideration of geographical imaginaries can present alternate solutions.
Advisors/Committee Members: Mansfield, Becky.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: Antarctica, Antarctic, polar, Geography, science policy, property, governance, territory, geopolitics, bioprospecting
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22.
Ding, Guoxiang.
DERIVING ACTIVITY PATTERNS FROM INDIVIDUAL TRAVEL DIARY DATA: A SPATIOTEMPORAL DATA MINING APPROACH.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2009, Ohio State University
► Human space-time activities are dynamic with many interacting dimensions. The analysis of…
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▼ Human space-time activities are dynamic with many interacting dimensions. The analysis of human space-time activity patterns plays important roles for the understanding of many phenomena, such as urban sprawl and growth, transport planning and management, locating new facilities, disease outbreak control, etc. Understanding the dynamics of human space-time activities in human and environment systems, reasoning their relationships, modeling spatio-temporal behavior, and predicting future changes are essential for many people-based applications. In transportation research community, the analysis of space-time activity patterns has been extensively studied, but some issues have not been sufficiently addressed so far. First, space and time are two fundamental dimensions that are important for the understanding of spatiotemporal activity patterns. However, they are often analyzed separately, which makes the interpretation of space-time interaction difficult. Second, human activities take place in the real world, but few of the existing research can handle activity pattern with real geographic locations that are important to reason the space-time relations. Recently, GIS-based time-geographic analysis has been proposed to analyze human space-time activity patterns and it proves to be an efficient to understand complex patterns with real geographic locations. However, the number of individuals can be analyzed by this method is still limited, which limits broader applications. In this research, group pattern analysis based on GIS-based time-geographic analysis has been proposed based on activity pattern classification and geovisualization. This research aims to solve the following key problems in the classification of human space-time activity patterns. First, what kind of mathematic measures can be developed to compare the differences between space-time activity patterns with many interacting dimensions? Second, based on the time-geographic approach, how to analyze and classify the space-time trajectories when a large number of individuals are involved? Third, what kind of characteristics can help to explain the observed activity patterns? In this study, a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm has been developed to measure the dissimilarity between space-time trajectories and a k-medoids clustering algorithm has been utilized for activity pattern classification. Each pattern group and their representative patterns can be presented in a 3D GIS environment for explorative spatial data analysis. Statistical analysis shows that extracted pattern groups are correlated with socio-demographic and behavioral variables.
Advisors/Committee Members: Kwan, Mei-Po.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: sptiotemporal data mining, multiobjective evolutionary algorithm, activity pattern analysis, multidimensional sequence alignment, space-time trajectory
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23.
Eddy, Alex Michelle.
A mixed method approach to exploring and characterizing ionic chemistry in the surface waters of the glacierized upper Santa River watershed, Ancash, Peru.
Degree: MA, Geography, 2012, Ohio State University
► Dramatic glacier loss in the upper Santa River watershed in Ancash, Peru…
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▼ Dramatic glacier loss in the upper Santa River watershed in Ancash, Peru has significant impact on proglacial hydrologic systems, with implications for downstream impact on human water use activities. Glacial resources serve as freshwater reservoirs, mitigating the rain shadow effect that deprives the western slopes of the Andes of regular annual water resources via precipitation. The reduction of glacial resources is coincidental with economic and population growth, and concern for the quality and quantity of water resources drives research that contributes to understanding regional hydrologic systems. This thesis integrates hydrochemical analysis and spatial exploration with the aim of assessing inorganic water quality characteristics and determinant processes within the region. The chemistry of proglacial surface waters is primarily determined by weathering processes in rock-water contact areas, and pristine glacial meltwater inherits the chemical properties of the surficial lithology along a flow path. Hydrochemical analysis methods identify elemental characteristics that are unique to the study region. Dominant hydrochemical processes include silicate weathering, coupled pyrite oxidation with silicate weathering, and to a lesser extent, carbonate weathering. Sulfate constituent is unusually high for portions of the study region and is attributed to highly acidified waters immediately downstream from glacial point sources. Geovisualization and exploratory data analysis extend the results of the hydrochemical analysis by showing temporal change and suggesting connections between lithology, areas of high erosion and weathering rates, rapid deglaciation, and elevated sulfate concentrations.
Advisors/Committee Members: Mark, Bryan.
Subjects: Climate Change; Geochemistry; Geographic Information Science; Geography; Geological; Geology; Inorganic Chemistry; Latin American Studies
Keywords: glacier loss, climate change, peru, water, hydrologic, chemistry, hydrochemistry, Andes, weathering, exploratory data analysis
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24.
Evenson, Grey.
Empirical Investigations of Coupled System Relationships: Water Quality, Amenity-Based Growth, and Urbanization within and around Lake Erie.
Degree: MA, Geography, 2009, Ohio State University
► Using a simplified conceptual model of the Lake Erie system, this study…
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▼ Using a simplified conceptual model of the Lake Erie system, this study presents a set of empirical analysis intended to verify and parameterize salient process interrelationships. Two empirical investigations are presented examining (1) a hypothesized negative relationship between urban land use change and water quality within the lake; and (2) a hypothesized nonlinear and ‘U-shaped’ relationship between amenity-based economic growth and water quality within the lake. Several regional land use, economic, and water quality datasets are employed in statistical investigations of these relationships. Yet these investigations are only partially successful. The first affirms a negative relationship between urban land use and water quality but does not provide robust results and is therefore only weakly capable of parameterization. The second is unable to find a significant correlation between measures of economic activity and water quality. A discussion of the conceptual and technical limitations associated with coupled systems empirical work, however, implies an opportunity for improved investigations. Specifically, alternative conceptual frameworks reveal complementary relationship conceptualizations that may inform a more complete investigation. Additionally, the prospect of added relationship accuracy is revealed via consideration of the many dimensions of complexity within coupled systems.
Advisors/Committee Members: Munroe, Darla.
Subjects: Geography
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25.
Ewers, Michael C.
Post-Oil Knowledge: The Acquisition of Human Capital for Transition in The Arab Gulf States.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2010, Ohio State University
► This research examines the human capital dimensions of structural change in oil…
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▼ This research examines the human capital dimensions of structural change in oil economies, with a focus on the case of the Arab Gulf States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These oil-abundant, labor-deficient countries have undertaken numerous efforts over the past four decades to diversify their economies beyond oil, with varying levels of success. Oil-generated capital (rent) accumulation, however, has generated severe labor market distortions in the region, with private sector work dominated by majority foreign workforces and a high-wage public sector providing employment for the minority citizenry. The resulting human capital mix presents a structural barrier to developing the local capacity required for creating or sustaining a post-oil economy. Accordingly, this project examines the evolution of the Gulf labor markets in response to the region’s economic diversification efforts, from the first oil boom (1973-1986) through the second oil boom (1998-2008). The goal is to determine the conditions under which natural capital (oil) is converted to non-oil human capital (knowledge) or, conversely, the conditions under which oil abundance crowds out sustainable development capacity. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this project consists of a four-decade analysis of historical and other secondary data analysis, a large-scale employment and human capital survey of foreign and local companies in the region, and key-informant interviews with human resource professionals in the UAE. Secondary data analysis identified a number of promising diversification efforts in the region, especially during the recent oil boom. Yet, these efforts have also stimulated demand for new forms of labor, knowledge and technology. In order to meet these demands, the region has deployed its oil wealth to attract foreign factors of production. Indeed, the Gulf States have sought to leverage their ability to access global human capital markets, learned through the experience of oil development, as a basis on which to construct a new competitive advantage. However, as a result, economic diversification has actually amplified the region’s labor and human capital distortions. Survey and interview results indicate only a marginal change to the region’s overall hiring and employment incentive structures over the past four decades: foreign and local private sector companies remain unwilling/unable to hire and train Gulf citizens, while Gulf citizens remain unwilling/unable to take private sector employment. These patterns, however, vary significantly by region and economic sector. Overall, while strategies to attract foreign investment, trade and migration have succeeded, incentives for local knowledge transfer have not been operationalized. The result is a dual economy: first, a dynamic, market-based economy driven by expatriate labor and knowledge, with little local content; and, second, a distorted, oil-driven public sector which provides employment to the local population. Oil wealth has provided Gulf economies with the capital to create competitive new sources of economic growth, but the challenge remains sustainability: reproducing the labor force in non-oil industries locally.
Advisors/Committee Members: Malecki, Edward J.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: Arab Gulf States; economic development; migration; oil
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27.
Farhan, Bilal.
Evaluation, modeling and policy assessment for park-and-ride services as a component of public transportation.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2003, Ohio State University
► Traffic congestion in urban areas of the United States has increased significantly…
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▼ Traffic congestion in urban areas of the United States has increased significantly since the mid-1970s and is expected to continue this trend in the 21st century. Traffic congestion is a byproduct of car dependency and not the problem in and of itself. Public transportation is recognized as an effective way to overcome car dependency and achieve sustainable cities. An integral component of many transit systems in the United States is park-and-ride services. If well planned, such services could result in increased transit ridership. Market area delineation is an important step when planning for such services. Previous approaches for delineating catchment/market areas, however, are either problematic or have unrealistic data requirements. This research develops a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach for delineating market areas. The results show that this approach performs better than existing approaches. Siting park-and-ride facilities is another essential step when planning for the associated services. Unfortunately, existing location models cannot be readily used for locating such facilities, as they do not simultaneously address at least three key issues: distance decay, coverage standards, and partial coverage of demand. This research develops a general location model that simultaneously deals with these issues. The developed model is general in that it can be applied not only for siting desirable facilities such as park-and-ride lots, but also for undesirable ones. The developed model is extended in order to deal with the issues of siting park-and-ride facilities in the context of an existing system and accessibility of selected facility sites to major roadways. Although selecting appropriate facility locations is critical for achieving more viable park-and-ride services, this by itself may not result in a significant increase in ridership in a given urban area if key supporting elements are not adopted. This research reviews such elements and assesses the potential of Columbus, Ohio (the case study in this research) to achieve successful park-and-ride services. While there are plans to expand park-and-ride services and add elements to the transit system in Columbus, it is not expected that this will result in a significant increase in transit ridership, unless key elements/policies are adopted.
Advisors/Committee Members: Murray, Alan T.
Keywords: Park-and-ride, public transportation, location modeling, GIS.
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29.
Fraser, Alistair.
Geographies of land restitution in Northern Limpopo: place, territory, and class.
Degree: PhD, Geography, 2006, Ohio State University
► This dissertation is concerned with the politics and geography of land restitution…
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▼ This dissertation is concerned with the politics and geography of land restitution in northern Limpopo province, South Africa. Restitution is one of three main elements in South Africa’s land reform program, which began in the mid 1990s and is still ongoing. There is a dearth of research on how the government has pursued restitution in northern Limpopo. Little is known about how claims for restitution have been completed; how and why those involved – ranging from white farmers and restitution claimants to government officials – have negotiated the program; or what will be the outcomes of restitution in the research area. Geographers, moreover, have contributed very little to the literature on restitution as a whole. Using qualitative research methods conducted during nine months of fieldwork in northern Limpopo, and examining the program with concepts of place, territory and class in mind, this dissertation addresses some of the shortcomings of the restitution literature. It details three main findings. First, that the government has pursued imaginative, innovative, yet ultimately authoritarian solutions to the challenge of transferring expensive commercial farmland to the rightful owners. The government has drawn upon the resources and technical expertise of white-owned agribusinesses, whose interest in restitution, although still unclear, is certainly driven by a desire to profit from the situation. Second, that many of the white farmers opposing restitution by refusing to sell their farms, do so as a direct result of their class position; that is, as members of the petty bourgeois, they experience restitution differently from the agribusinesses allied with the government. They construct essentialist, racist spatial imaginaries to defend their interests in staying on the land; explain that restitution is doomed to fail; and affect the overall process by standing in the way of the government’s plan. Third, members of one of the ‘communities’ claiming land in the area are far from united about how they intend to share the windfall from restitution. The Ravele claimants are scattered geographically, which has made their involvement in the political process difficult, and which appears to mean they will struggle to access their share of the income from restitution.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cox, Kevin R.
Subjects: Geography
Keywords: South Africa; Limpopo Province; Venda; Land reform; Restitution; Neoliberalism; Geography; Territory; Class
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