Shaping Interconnected Geography in Central and Eastern European Academia-Key Research Challenges for the Future
["Lamentowicz, Mariusz","Micek, Grzegorz","Strzelecki, Mateusz C","Wites, Tomasz"]
2025-12-11
期刊论文
(2)
Central and Eastern European geography, shaped by its entanglement of natural and social sciences, provides a distinctive lens for rethinking the unity of the discipline. Its historical and institutional hybridity makes the region particularly well positioned to foster integrative geographical perspectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the present, post-transitional state of the discipline in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), to identify its future trajectory and to uncover the significant role of CEE geography in addressing global environmental, social and economic challenges. To facilitate this process, four significant geographical topics have been identified as potentially providing a conducive environment for the partial reintegration of geography. The aforementioned themes encompass a range of topics, including migrations, the green transition, anthropogenic climate change, global tipping points, wetland disturbance, peatland carbon sequestration and cryosphere degradation. Furthermore, we have sought to assess the perspective and significance of geographical unity in addressing global crises that impact human life on Earth. This analysis has enabled the identification of critical issues that necessitate integrated approaches. The necessity for enhanced collaboration between physical and human geography, as well as between nature studies and social and economic explorations, is emphasised. In this regard, it is acknowledged that a more inclusive approach is employed in the field of CEE geography, with contributions from other disciplines such as biology, ecology, physics, sociology and economics being welcomed. These disciplines address processes that span from local to global scales, as well as those that study long-term phenomena, such as history and archaeology. The establishment of robust interdisciplinary networks has the potential to enhance the scientific standing of integrated geography and to strengthen innovative connections between human and physical geography.
来源平台:GEO-GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT