Samfunnsgeografi

The text outlines the methodological evolution of human geography, moving from early regional descriptive studies to the quantitative revolution of the 1960s and 70s, and subsequently to humanist, Marxist, and postmodernist traditions. It details qualitative tools such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and discourse analysis, while explaining quantitative techniques including descriptive statistics, regression models, and the challenge of geographic dependency. Additionally, it describes GIS as a tool for spatial analysis, distinguishing between vector and raster data and addressing the 'spatial scale' problem.

• Human geography has evolved through several paradigms: early regional geography relied on inductive field observations and descriptive prose; the post-war 'spatial paradigm' introduced the quantitative revolution of the 1960s and 70s using deductive hypothesis testing and statistical models; and later reactions led to Marxist, humanist, and postmodernist traditions.
• Qualitative methods in human geography focus on how the world is experienced and assigned meaning by people, utilizing a limited number of strategically selected units. Key techniques include semi-structured interviews with 'key informants', focus groups—often used in feminist geography to establish solidarity—and participant observation to capture non-verbal social and cultural conditions.
• Qualitative text analysis can employ various perspectives, such as a neo-Marxist approach linking social relations to material expressions or discourse analysis based on Michel Foucault's theories. Discourse analysis posits that language does not merely mirror reality but helps create it, focusing on contradictions, dichotomies, and omissions within texts.
• Quantitative methods use statistical analysis to draw conclusions from larger samples. While descriptive techniques (mean, median, variance, standard deviation) describe variables, regression models are most commonly used to estimate relationships between explanatory variables (X) and outcome variables (Y).
• A critical challenge in quantitative geographic data is 'geographic dependency', where events in one area influence another. If this is not accounted for using spatial regression models, researchers may place too much trust in the results of standard regression models.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used for the collection, processing, and analysis of spatial data. Data is represented either as vectors (discrete objects like points, lines, or polygons) or as rasters (continuous fields of pixels, such as temperature or precipitation).
• GIS users often face the 'spatial scale' problem, which occurs when combining datasets collected at different geographic levels, such as points, census tracts, or municipalities.

APA

Jordhus-Lier, D., & Stokke, K. (n.d.). Samfunnsgeografi. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/d7b6d5f4-5576-42fe-af36-881a95ac16c5/Sammfunnsgeografi.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Jordhus-Lier, David, and Kristian Stokke. Samfunnsgeografi. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/d7b6d5f4-5576-42fe-af36-881a95ac16c5/Sammfunnsgeografi.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jordhus-Lier |first1=David |last2=Stokke |first2=Kristian |title=Samfunnsgeografi |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/d7b6d5f4-5576-42fe-af36-881a95ac16c5/Sammfunnsgeografi.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jordhuslierndsamfunnsgeografi, author = {Jordhus-Lier, David and Stokke, Kristian}, title = {{Samfunnsgeografi}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/d7b6d5f4-5576-42fe-af36-881a95ac16c5/Sammfunnsgeografi.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }