The geographical lives of commodities: problems of analysis and critique

In two programmatic essays, Peter Jackson has reviewed new critical research on the geographical lives of commodities. This paper offers a constructive critique of his particular reading of this research. It is argued that three major issues require urgent attention if critical geographers and fellow‐travellers are to take their commodity research forward. First, there is too much imprecision in the use of the related terms ‘commodities’, ‘commodification’ and ‘commoditization’. This threatens to render all three terms meaningless or at the very least confusing. Secondly, this lack of conceptual clarity is linked to the problem of superficial engagements with normative issues. It is argued that the recent geographical research on commodities has thus far glossed over important questions of both academic and lay judgement. Finally, the paper suggests that the ‘modest’ role for critical academics envisaged by Jackson and other commodity researchers is only defensible if questions of voice, message and audience are addressed systematically. Overall, the paper presents a menu of explanatory and normative issues that require attention if critical commodity analysts like Jackson are to maximize the potential of their research agenda.     

Smoothing Regional Maps Using Empirical Bayes Predictors

Maps are one of the geographer's basic tools. Suppose the data to be mapped are values of a variable (for example, sudden infant deaths per thousand live births, percentage undercount in a census, etc.) that are known only by region (for example, counties, enumeration districts). From the point of view of pure data summary, a map of the regions coded or colored according to the values of the variable is a very effective way of presenting both the data and the regional geography. However, it is tempting to use such a map for other purposes, such as cluster detection and comparison with previous time periods. This article will concentrate on the important case where the variable mapped is a rate. Since such rates have a nonconstant base, one is faced with a statistical comparison of regional data whose variances may be highly different. Thus, if the regional map is to be used to look for spatial patterns in the data, it is important to map smoothed values that take into account the spatial inhomogeneity of variances, as well as any spatial dependence between regions.     

Review

“DEMOCRACY IN WORLD POLITICS”, By Lester B. Pearson. (Oxford University Press.)     

Usable Pasts Forum: UNESCO and Heritage Tourism in Africa

African Archaeological Review -