Anne Buttimer's The Practice of Geography: Approaching the history of geography through autobiography

Abstract

The article examines the autobiographical approach presented by Anne Buttimer in her book The Practice of Geography (1983) and traces its influence on geographical historiography. Anne Buttimer contributed to the history of geography through histories of ideas, biographies, and autobiographical interviews. Derived from the International Dialogue Project at Lund University, Sweden, The Practice of Geography pioneered systematic publication of autobiographical essays and interviews with geographers. The article surveys how her work has inspired further use of autobiographical approaches to the history of geography both within and beyond the Nordic countries, including recent work on theoretical issues. The survey adopts a gender perspective. The article discusses finally some methodological and ethical implications of autobiography.