Indigenous Geographies Research Center

Mapping Progress in Indigenous Geography

We do not proclaim the emergence of a new sub-discipline, but we do note that “Indigenous Geographies” is widely used and encompasses a significant body of work that warrants an accessible yet critical inventory.

Since the first International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in 1992, “Indigenous Geographies” has emerged as a vibrant and productive research theme. In recent years, the importance of that theme has been reflected in the development of specialty groups within national disciplinary organizations, publication of several special issues of academic journals, development of study programs, conference sessions, major research initiatives and a wide range of scholarly outputs. Indeed, at a recent joint meeting of the Institute of Australian Geographers and the New Zealand Geographical Society, seven sessions were organized under the banner of Indigenous Geographies; the next highest grouping from other parts of geography comprised only three sessions. Quietly and for several years in succession, Indigenous topics have formed the greatest number of sessions attributed to any one specialism at the Association of American Geographers conference. We do not proclaim the emergence of a new sub-discipline, but we do note that “Indigenous Geographies” is widely used and encompasses a significant body of work that warrants an accessible yet critical inventory.