Geography in Spain: Fruitful Relationship between Academic Geography and Professional Geography

Abstract

 Since its beginnings, geography in Spain has followed a particular development course, defined mainly by a close and ever evolving relationship between academic geography and professional geography. Over the last few decades, the two geographies have been mutually involved, creating a situation in which the professional practice of geography, originating with cartographers and engineers in the late nineteenth century, has become an increasingly important factor for the renewal of academic research, mostly undertaken in universities. Innovation was possible, on the one hand, thanks to the consolidation of academic geography, which today concerns not only traditional areas of knowledge, but also fields where there is growing social demand, such as environment, landscape management, regional planning, urbanism or risk analysis. All these themes, on the other hand, have opened up new professional opportunities for geography graduates, who have been contributing with their practice in administration and private enterprises to make more people aware of the importance of geography as a useful science.
 The fruitful relationship between the two geographies briefly described above is the main concern of this article, which introduces a mixed approach of science historiography and radiography. After analyzing the evolution of academic geography through doctoral theses and major journals specialized in geography, the author highlights the role of professional geography, focusing on how geographers are entering in new fields of the labor market and are defending their interests as a professional group. The analysis is complemented by reference to successive new plans of studies launched in university geographical education, an important reform accelerated by the so-called Bologna process. The article concludes by pointing out some of the research lines that have great potential for future development with international repercussions.