Visser, G (Visser, Gustav) On citations, rating games and other pesky animals: Which zoo for South African human geography SOUTH AFRICAN GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, 89 (2): 135-144 2007

[Eugene Garfield]

Email Address: visserge.sci at mail.uovs.ac.za

Author(s): Visser, G (Visser, Gustav) 

Title: On citations, rating games and other pesky animals: Which zoo for 
South African human geography 

Source: SOUTH AFRICAN GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, 89 (2): 135-144 2007 

Language: English 

Document Type: Article 

Keywords Plus: FUTURE 

Abstract: The assessment of research activity linked to the allocation of 
resources according to the results of those evaluations is now undertaken 
in a number of countries. Numerous debates in Human Geography have emerged 
to reflect upon how research assessment systems affect professional human 
geographers and whether or not anything truly positive has been achieved 
through these assessment systems. Within South African Human Geography 
similar debates have not to date been documented. Against this backdrop, 
the key objective of this investigation is to address the paucity of 
critical reflection upon South Africa's National Research Foundation's 
(NRF) rating system and to, assess the position of human geographers in 
this research "surveillance system". It is argued that the NRF rating 
system perpetuates the imposition, of the norms of distantly located 
rating schemes - principally the United Kingdom's Research Assessment 
Exercise (RAE) - upon the South African, academic imagination. In the 
process South African human geography is entrapped; either serving the 
theoretical needs of the disciplibe's Anglo-American heartland, or serving 
local needs and becoming an irrelevance to "international" human 
geography. Human geographies that can "make a difference" to both 
audiences is, it is argued, unlikely. 

Addresses: Univ Orange Free State, Dept Geog, ZA-9300 Bloemfontein, South 
Africa 

Reprint Address: Visser, G, Univ Orange Free State, Dept Geog, POB 339, ZA-
9300 Bloemfontein, South Africa. 

Cited Reference Count: 28 

Times Cited: 0 

Publisher: UNIV CAPE TOWN 

Publisher Address: RONDEBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA 

ISSN: 0373-6245 

29-char Source Abbrev.: S AFR GEOGR J 

ISO Source Abbrev.: S. Afr. Geogr. J. 

Source Item Page Count: 10 

ISI Document Delivery No.: 274HT 

*NATL RES FDN
EV RAT DAT SUPP DOC : 2005 

*NATL RES FDN
NRF : 2006 

*NATL RES FDN
NRF EV RAT SYST FACT : 2005 

*NATL RES FDN
REG GRANTS 7 : 2007 

BERG LD
PROGR HUMAN GEOGRAPH 30 : 764 2006 

BOTES L
UN C ENG COMM 14 17 : 2005 

CASTREE N
Introduction: Professional geography and the corporatization of the 
university: Experiences, evaluations, and engagements 
ANTIPODE 32 : 222 2000 

CASTREE N
Research assessment and the production of geographical knowledge 
PROGRESS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 30 : 747 DOI 10.1177/0309132506071518 2006 

CLIFFORD NJ
The future of Geography: when the whole is less than the sum of its parts 
GEOFORUM 33 : 431 2002 

ELKIN J
SERIALS 17 : 239 2004 

ENSOR L
BUSINESS DAY : 2005 

GREGSON N
Discipline games, disciplinary games and the need for a post-disciplinary 
practice: responses to Nigel Thrift's 'The future of geography' 
GEOFORUM 34 : 5 2003 

HALL CM
TOURISM MANAGE 26 : 633 1990 

HENDRICKS F
SOCIAL SCI S AFRICA : 2004 
JOHNSTON RJ

GEOGRAPHICAL RES 44 : 1 2006 

LOFTUS A
RAE-ification and the consciousness of the academic 
AREA 38 : 110 2006 

MASSEY D
Geography on the agenda 
PROGRESS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 25 : 5 2001 

ROBINSON J
ORDINARY CITIES : 2006 

RYAN C
The ranking and rating of academics and journals in tourism research 
TOURISM MANAGEMENT 26 : 657 DOI 10.1016/j.tourman.2004.05.001 2005 

SHEPPARD E
PROGR HUMAN GEOGRAPH 30 : 761 2006 

SUMNER PD
S AFRICAN GEOGRAPHIC 88 : 213 2006 

VISSER G
IN PRESS TOURISM GEO : 2007 

VISSER G
NRF REPORT OUTCOME E : 2005
 
VISSER G
S AFRICAN GEOGRAPHIC 88 : 99 2006 

VISSER G
UNPUB HUMAN GEOGRAPH : 2007 

WHITEHAND JWR
The problem of anglophone squint
 
AREA 37 : 228 2005 
WRIGHT L
S AFRICAN J HIGHER E 19 : 131 2005 

WRIGHT L
S AFRICAN J HIGHER E 16 : 83 2002