The Geographical Journal

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Alexandru-Sabin Nicula, Remus Crețan, Alexandru Dragan & Bogdan Oancea (2026) entitled: 'Computational Analysis of Contested Monuments and Collective Memory in a Multiethnic City' with a blue banner at the top.

New in The GJ:

'Computational analysis of contested monuments and collective memory in a multiethnic city' by Alexandru-Sabin Nicula et al.

This paper analyses how 4 monuments in Cluj-Napoca reflect Romanian-Hungarian relations & the negotiation of collective memory.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

This blog post is written by two of our recent authors - read their original commentary here: doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

The Geographical Journal | RGS Research Journal | Wiley Online Library The global visibility and political weight of the Olympic Games can inspire climate change action. Yet, at the same time, the Olympics are also significant carbon emitters. To date, however, there is...

New in The GJ:

'Past carbon emissions and future targets for the Olympic Games' by David Gogishvili & Martin Müller

As the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony takes place today, this commentary reflects on the sustainability targets for the Games.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Clare Holdsworth, Daniel Allen, Mark Lucherini & Cameron Causer (2026) entitled: '(No) Pets on University Campuses: ‘Animaling’ Citizenship for Pet-Friendly Spaces' with a blue banner at the top.

New in The GJ!

'(No) pets on university campuses: "Animaling" citizenship for pet-friendly spaces' by @threading-time.bsky.social et al.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Lydia Osei (2026) entitled: 'Youth Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners' Perspectives on the Health Effects of Mercury' with a blue banner at the top. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has gained prominence in the development discourse mainly due to its contribution to national economies; but also, the occupational and environmental challenges associated with the sector. This paper concentrates on the use of mercury at ASM sites, as one of the major concerns associated with a growing sector in Ghana. The paper reveals that youth miners have limited knowledge of the grave health effects of mercury because such knowledge is based on what is transmitted by their older counterparts. Some miners have devised crude ways of protecting themselves against the effects of mercury. The paper proposes that an improved education on the effects of mercury on the health of youth miners could be an essential component of formalising the sector, which will also prove to be a key strategy to achieving the goal of reducing and eliminating mercury from ASM.

New in The GJ:

'Youth artisanal and small-scale miners' perspectives on the health effects of mercury' by Lydia Osei

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

A photograph of a promotional art event in the Himalayas staged by Arc'teryx in collaboration with artist Cai Guo-Qiang showing colourful fireworks exploding in a snaking path pattern up the side of a snow-topped mountain.

New commentary in The GJ:

'Can the Himalayas speak? Firework art, marketing and posthuman ethics of nature' by Yana Wengel & Ling Ma

This piece examines Arc'teryx's use of Himalayan mountain landscapes for a global branding exercise, the 'Rising Dragon' fireworks in 2025.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Abdelbaseer A. Mohamed (2026) entitled: 'Commercialisation and Visitor Perceptions of Cairo's Urban Parks: A Machine Learning Analysis of User-Generated Images' with a blue banner at the top. Urban parks in rapidly growing cities serve multiple functions. However, the interplay between natural aesthetics, recreation and commercialisation remains underexplored, especially in the Global South. This study analysed 3179 user-generated Google Reviews images from 17 public parks in Cairo. We applied topic modelling, K-means clustering and associative word analysis to examine visitor perceptions. Three main themes emerged: Family & Recreation, Natural Scenery & Greenery, and Crowds & Urban Activity. The analysis revealed both distinctive park identities and common commercial features, such as restaurants and ticketed facilities. Clustering highlighted a spectrum of park experiences, from natural, low-commercial spaces to highly commercialised, family-focused destinations. Findings show that commercialisation not only enhances attractiveness and recreational opportunities but also affects accessibility and place identity. This research provides a framework for understanding visitor perceptions and supports sustainable and inclusive park management in urban contexts of the Global South.

New in The GJ:

'Commercialisation and visitor perceptions of Cairo's urban parks: A machine learning analysis of user-generated images' by Abdelbaseer A. Mohamed

This study analyses Google reviews of public parks in Cairo to examine visitor perception.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

The latest RGS-IBG Research Spotlight focuses on work by Rory Coulter in a recently published GJ paper on housing inequality & ethnic disparities in overcrowding.

Read the original paper here: doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

The Geographical Journal | RGS Research Journal | Wiley Online Library Electronic waste (e-waste) in Accra is shown to be plural and ontologically multiple, enacted as livelihood, commodity, hazard, governance object and political actor across dispersed recycling networ...

New in The GJ!

'The plural lives of e-waste: Valuation and contestation in Accra's recycling network(s)' by Ebenezer Gyampoh Amoah

This paper extends conceptualisations of e-waste, exploring how valuation, informality, & governance are co-produced in African cities.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

Are you a physical geographer looking for an editorial opportunity? Join the wonderful team at The Geographical Journal - details below⬇️

Are you a physical geographer looking for an editorial opportunity? Join the wonderful team at The Geographical Journal - details below⬇️

The Geographical Journal | RGS Research Journal | Wiley Online Library Industrialisation has reshaped European rural areas, leading to both depopulation and, in some cases, lifestyle-driven repopulation. Our research highlights supply-side barriers to Alpine repopulatio...

New in The GJ:

'The (im)possibilities of repopulation: How supply-side factors hinder the revitalisation of vacant houses in rural mountain regions' by Bernhard Grüner & Elisabeth Gruber

This paper is part of an ongoing Special Section: 'Depopulating Places'.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

Screenshot of a paper abstract by Keith Richards, Hugh Brammer & Patricia Saunders (2025) entitled: 'Map and Archival Evidence of the Historical Avulsion of the Brahmaputra River' with a blue banner at the top. The Brahmaputra River is one of the world's largest rivers, entering the Bengal Basin from its extensive Himalayan catchment, flowing south through Bangladesh, and joining the Ganges to traverse a complex fan-delta and enter the Bay of Bengal. When Major James Rennell surveyed the river to establish the ‘Route Surveys’ for the East India Company between 1765 and 1777, it followed a different course, turning to the South-East into the Sylhet Basin, and joining the Meghna. Some time after this, it changed its course—it avulsed—and a re-survey was undertaken by Captain Richard Wilcox in 1828–1830 which first showed its present-day southerly route. However, there is uncertainty about when, why, and how this major adjustment occurred, and these questions can only be answered with recourse to archival materials. This paper accordingly pieces together information in the writings of travellers and East India Company officials in the region in the period between 1787 and 1854; evidence of boundary changes in 1806; archival material indicating that the East India Company was concerned enough about declining flow in the ‘Old’ Brahmaputra to consider engineering works by 1845; and contemporary evidence of the widespread impact of severe monsoon floods in 1787; to conclude that the avulsion probably took place rather earlier than often assumed. And intriguingly, it seems that although Rennell left India in 1777, in the first edition of his Memoir published after those floods had occurred (1788), he inserted a brief reference to the Brahmaputra changing its course.

New in The GJ:

'Map and archival evidence of the historical avulsion of the Brahmaputra river' by Keith Richards et al.

This paper pieces together evidence surrounding the avulsion of the Brahmaputra in the late-eighteenth century to suggest its causes.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

@jillhopke.bsky.social and I took a closer look at reporting of the climate risk of soil health degradation due to flooding and drought in the UK press. You can read our research paper (open access) in The Geographical Journal.

The Geographical Journal | RGS Research Journal | Wiley Online Library Risks to soil health from increased flooding and drought due to climate change are a priority risk area for the UK government, but our analysis of two years of UK newspaper coverage on this issue rev...

New publication in The Geographical Journal co-authored by @antalwozniak.bsky.social!! rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Antal Wozniak & Jill Hopke (2025) entitled: '(Not) Covering Climate Risks: A Multimodal News Framing Analysis of Soil Health Reporting in the UK Press' with a blue banner at the top. Risks to soil health from increased flooding and drought due to climate change are a priority risk area for the UK government. Our analysis of newspaper coverage of this issue reveals very little attention to it in the two years following the release of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2022. We conduct a qualitative multimodal framing analysis of a population of 42 news reports and their 117 accompanying images. We identify two major issue frames that include soil health as either a remedy or cause: habitat/biodiversity loss and food insecurity. Both focus on adaptation measures, mostly in industrial agriculture and community- or individual-level gardening. Climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration is a secondary aspect that cuts across both issue frames. Policymakers are largely absent, both in writing and imagery. Visuals are often generic and lack representations of loss. Implications for publicly communicating the climate risk of soil degradation are discussed.

New in The GJ:

'(Not) covering climate risks: A multimodal news framing analysis of soil health reporting in the UK press' by @antalwozniak.bsky.social & @jillhopke.bsky.social

This paper explores the lack of reporting on soil health in the UK between 2022-2024.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

Editorial Assistant for RGS-IBG Journals | Job vacancy An exciting opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the academic peer review and publishing process. Part time, six-month fixed term contract.

📣Work with us! The Society is seeking an Editorial Assistant to support the publication of its academic journals (part time, fixed term contract).

Application deadline: 11 December.

Find out more: https://ow.ly/8tZU50XCI4w

New blog post from two of our recent authors @jayneglass.bsky.social & @markshucksmith.bsky.social - read their commentary 'Reimagining rural policy through mission-led governance' here ⬇️
doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

Thrilled to say that our recent paper is out 🥳🎉

@lborouniversity.bsky.social

The Geographical Journal | RGS Research Journal | Wiley Online Library This article presents the co-creation of River of Hope, an animation exploring climate resilience with youth along Vietnam's Red River. Using zine-making as a participatory creative method, the proje....

New in The GJ:

'Hope in folded pages: Zine-making, decolonial praxis and the power of participatory arts for "a peaceful and sustainable life"' by @parsnipsparsons.bsky.social et al.

This paper details the co-creation of an animation about climate resilience in Vietnam.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

Editorial Assistant for RGS-IBG Journals | Job vacancy An exciting opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the academic peer review and publishing process. Part time, six-month fixed term contract.

🚨 Job opportunity🚨

We are looking for an editorial assistant to work with me on the RGS journals (TIBG, The GJ, Area & Geo) as we move online systems.

🗓6 months fixed term
🕑0.4 FTE
📍Remote working option
❗️Closing date 11th Dec

Please share & apply! Happy to answer Qs.
www.rgs.org/about-us/wor...

Editor role available at Society journal Advert for a new Physical Geography Editor for the Geographical Journal.

📢New Editor sought📢

We are seeking to appoint a Physical Geography Editor to The Geographical Journal. The GJ publishes work which engages with public issues and policy-relevant agendas.

🗓️Deadline: 7 January 2026

For more information, please see this page: www.rgs.org/about-us/our...

Please share widely - new editor opportunity at The GJ ⬇️

Editor role available at Society journal Advert for a new Physical Geography Editor for the Geographical Journal.

📢New Editor sought📢

We are seeking to appoint a Physical Geography Editor to The Geographical Journal. The GJ publishes work which engages with public issues and policy-relevant agendas.

🗓️Deadline: 7 January 2026

For more information, please see this page: www.rgs.org/about-us/our...

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Gregory L. Simon, Nathaniel O'Grady, Kevin Grove, Christine Eriksen, Ksenia Chmutina, Rony Emmenegger, Emmanuel Raju, Deniz Ay, Samuel Lüthi, Timothy Prior, Kathleen Uyttewaal & Filippo Zeffiri (2025) entitled: 'A reparative paradigm for thinking with disasters' with a blue banner at the top.

New in The GJ:

'A reparative paradigm for thinking with disasters' by Gregory L. Simon et al.

This commentary argues for a paradigm shift in disaster research drawing from debates on reparations and reparative thought.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

We are very sad to share the news of Jo Bullard, one of our editors, who passed away last month.

Jo's rich contribution to the discipline is evident in this obituary published by the RGS: www.rgs.org/about-us/our.... She will be greatly missed.

Graphical abstract for a commentary published in The Geographical Journal by Emily Billo & Zoe Pearson. It shows the cover of a book entitled 'Higher Expectations: How to survive academia, make it better for others, and transform the university' by Roberta Hawkins & Leslie Kern.

New in The GJ:

'Universities as spaces of possibility: Towards more creative, caring academic labour' by @geogbmore.bsky.social & Zoe Pearson

This commentary shares insights and provides discussion questions for reading the book 'Higher Expectations' by Hawkins & Kern.

doi.org/10.1111/geoj...

Screenshot of a paper abstract in The Geographical Journal by Sandrine Fréguin-Gresh & Geneviève Cortès entitled: 'Migration, circular mobility and food security in Nicaragua: An analytical framework based on food sourcing and farm household multi-localisation' with a blue banner at the top. This article explores the links between agriculture, circular mobility, migration and food security in the Global South. It focuses on farm households in Nicaragua which, for generations, have engaged in diversified livelihood strategies including mobility and migration. The article proposes an original framework, based on the concept of multi-localised family food systems, to link household socio-spatial practices with food security. Multifactorial and cross-sectional analysis shows that household food security is the result of complex strategies combining agricultural practices, pluri-activity, economic diversification and the circulation of resources linked to migrant remittances and donations from networks and public policies. Although the links between migration, circular mobility and food security are neither linear nor systematic, our findings reveal that not only the maintenance of family farming but also the multi-localisation of households, circular mobility practices and migration play key roles in food supply and security. These findings suggest that public policies and the interventions of development agencies should take a better approach to support the food coping strategies of these multi-localised households, taking greater consideration of off-farm diversification, mobility and migration.

New in The GJ:

'Migration, circular mobility and food security in Nicaragua: An analytical framework based on food sourcing and farm household multi-localisation' by Sandrine Fréguin-Gresh & Geneviève Cortès

doi.org/10.1111/geoj... #geosky

bsky.app/profile/theg...

If you are interested in rural policy or mission-led government, our new Commentary is out in The Geographical Journal 👇
with @markshucksmith.bsky.social