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Brian Petersen



Society Despite the State book review by Sydney A
Society Despite the State by Anthony Ince and Gerónimo Barrera de la Torre is a sharp critique of the logic of the state, a tightly...
petersenbri
Feb 235 min read
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Final reflections on the series, what is geography?
The graduate students I have the honor and privilege to work with all contributed an essay to the series What is geography? Over the past...
petersenbri
Nov 30, 20244 min read
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What is Geography? by Kat
This is a bit of an esoteric start, but: when I think of geography, I think of Heidegger. Specifically, I think of his 1954 essay...
petersenbri
Nov 30, 20243 min read
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What is geography, by Griffin
Geography is a term and a field that covers a lot of ground and as such is a social science that is not universally defined and its...
petersenbri
Nov 21, 20244 min read
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What is geography? by Sydney R.
To me, geography is the study of human-environment relationships over various physical, theoretical, locational, and temporal scales....
petersenbri
Nov 11, 20243 min read
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What is geography to me, by Sara
I am new to the structured, academic world of geography. I have been, up until very recently, far removed from the collegiate world in...
petersenbri
Oct 29, 20245 min read
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What geography means to me, by Sydney A.
Even as I enter the second year of my master’s degree in geography, I shy away from the prospect of commenting on my field or its meaning...
petersenbri
Oct 18, 20244 min read
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What is geography? A series from geography graduate students
Unlike some other disciplines, geography has a bit of an identity crisis. Whenever I tell someone that I am in a geography department,...
petersenbri
Oct 18, 20241 min read
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Seeing Like a State Book Review by Sara (and introduction)
I am delighted for Sara O'Donnell to join the lab this fall. Sara hails from Wyoming where she grew up and went to undergrad. She has a...
petersenbri
Jul 8, 20244 min read
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Our new book is out!
Diana, Ryan, and I published our latest book, A Climate Agenda for System Change: from Theory to Social Transformation. The book outlines...
petersenbri
Jan 28, 20241 min read
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Thinking critically about critical thinking
Ten years ago, I watched an amazing film. I loved the film then and see it in a different light now. This film showcases cancel culture...
petersenbri
Jan 28, 20245 min read
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On Political Ecology by Ailin
In September of 2019, I facilitated a class about the ecological footprint with 12 Peruvian high school students as part of my...
petersenbri
Oct 24, 20236 min read
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Brendan's New Book!
Lab alum Brendan O'Brien graduated from NAU in Geography a couple years ago. His thesis focused on housing in the west but took a unique...
petersenbri
Sep 12, 20234 min read
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Sand Talk Book Review by Sydney A (and introduction)
I am lucky enough to have a wonderful new student in my lab this year. Sydney A (we have two Sydneys now!) comes to NAU from South...
petersenbri
Aug 31, 20234 min read
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Congratulations Reilly!
Since coming to NAU I have served on the steering committee for the Sustainable Communities (SUS) Graduate Program. Over the years, I...
petersenbri
Aug 7, 20232 min read
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Cars or people?
While living in Austria, Vienna last fall a friend from Flagstaff sent me a link to an article in the Flagstaff local paper. The headline...
petersenbri
May 28, 20235 min read
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Congratulations Anna and Ailin!
Graduation always proves bittersweet. On the one hand, graduation affords an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments and congratulate...
petersenbri
May 28, 20232 min read
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Sydney's review of Jon Erickson's Progress Illusion
The Progress Illusion: Reclaiming our Future from the Fairytale of Economics, by Jon D. Erickson (2022, Island Press), provides an...
petersenbri
Mar 10, 20232 min read
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What to expect
This blog provides a space for my students and I to say a little something about what we are reading, writing, and thinking about. You...
petersenbri
Feb 23, 20231 min read
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