A. MARTÍN-LOU

2. GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH IN THE CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES

CIENTIFICAS (HIGH COUNCIL FOR

Though Geography was priviliged since the beginning, with two Institutos and two journals, in the 'SOs there was a radical change.

Due to «scale economics», the C.S.I.C. started merging Institutos, mainly those in the Area of Humanities, where Social Studies disciplines were included.

With this new merging policy, and after long negogiations directed by un- scientific reasonings, in 1986 the C.S.I.C.'s Board of Directors created the

«Instituto de Economía y Geografía Aplicadas». The new «Applied Economy and Geography Institut» amalgamated the Institutos of Agrarian Economics, Applied Economics, «Jaime Balmés» of Sociology, «Juan Sebastián Elcano» of Geography and Institute of Applied Geography.

They gathered thus in the same Instituto researchers from different academic trainings: economists, geographers, sociologists, agronomists, and veterinarians, grouped under seemly-agreeing research lines.

Once the two Geography Institutes merged, both publications merged also under the oldest tittle: Estudios Geográficos.

Since the Ministry of Education decided to plan national research giving some priority lines, researchers at the C.S.I.C. (geographers included) undertook to carry out Research Projects, sponsored by different Ministry Departments as well as by the C.S.I.C, along research geographical lines developed in other institu- tions.

C.S.I.C. and University collaboration has never been broken; researchers at the C.S.I.C. have taken part in Doctórate Courses in different Universities, while the University professors do particípate in Research Projects under the direction of researchers from the C.S.I.C.

Unfortunately, Geography's present situation in the C.S.I.C. goes through its worst period. From the existance of two Geography Institutos it has gone to its complete disappearance from the institution chart. Since October 1990, the just created

«Instituto de Economía y Geografía Apiladas» became the «Centro de Investiga- ciones sobre la Economía, la Sociedad y el Medio» (Research Center on Econo- mics, Society and Environment) in the Area of Humanities and Social Studies.

Nowadays, there are seventeen Geography researchers in a Scientific División of Geographical Studies, ñame chosen by the researchers. They hope and wait for the C.S.I.C.'s authorities to find the scientific reason to allow Geography to re- appear in the institution's chart, a place it ought to have kept.

The scientific objects of the C.S.I.C.'s geography researchers are basically analysing society-environment interrelations and its environmental consequences and studying the new problems and situations due to demographic dynamism and its economic, social and spatial consequences (de-population, migrations, intra- region and inter-regions unbalances, etc.). An applied object may be in Regional Development and technology transfer.

Methodologically, they focus on integral analysis procedures that stress dia- cronic dialogue between society and geographic environment, dialogue that both changes the environment and conditions society. Said general approach acts as framework for other concrete and detailed methodologies in sectorial researches.

In the last five years, the researchers have worked on:

- Aging in Spain: process, structure and geographical implications -Applied study on the accessibility to the city of Toledo.

-Basic study of an area-problem: Sierra de Gata.

-Madrid's urban climate.

-Madrid's urban climate: the heat island.

-Geographical analysis of the provinces of Guadalajara, Toledo and Segovia: Use of Remote Sensing Techniques.

-New technologies applied to environmental diagonosis and planning in Spain and Latin-America.

-Environmental conditioning of irrigation agriculture in Western La Mancha.

The projects have been subsidized by the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Instituto de Territorio y Urbanismo, the Comisión Asesora de Investigación Científica y Técnica, and the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica.

Geography's future at the C.S.I.C. shows as very promising, if some mínimum objectives are reached. These objectives are the following: to establish an Unidad Estructural de Investigación del C.S.I.C. for our discipline; to continué relating with the University, both collaborating the researchers in post-graduated teaching activities and working the professors in C.S.I.C.'s researches; finally, we need urgently a more generous research staff training grants policy. Research hardly keeps on without a continous relay of people exchanging experience and knowledge for creativity and dreams.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOSQUE MAUREL, J. (1983).- «Enseñan- CAPEL SAENZ, H. (1977).- «Institucionali- za e investigación en la universidad es- zación de la geografía y estrategias de la pañola». // Coloquio Ibérico de Geo- comunidd de los geógrafos». Barcelona, grafía, Lisboa. Geo-Crítica nQ 8 y 9, 26 y 30 pp.

BOSQUE MAUREL, J. (1983).- «Los estu- CONSEJO DE REDACCION (1987).- «In- dios sobre pensamiento geográfico en troducción». Estudios Geográficos, España ( 1 9 4 0 - 1 9 8 2 ) » . Anales de Geo- XVVIII, pp. 321-332.

grafía de la Universidad Compluten- ^ RIO M I (1975) _ <<La geografía en se, n , pp. . España desde 1940 a 1972 a través de BOSQUE MAURES, J. ( 1 9 9 1 ) . - «La geo- las principales reviras geográficas»,

grafía española. Evolución y situación Estudios Geográficos, 1 4 0 - 1 4 1 , Ma- actual». Madrid, X I Congreso Nacional drid, pp. 1031-1049.

de Geografía^Madrid, septiembre 1989. Q^RCIA RAMON, M^ D. y NOGUE i Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles y FONT, J. ( 1 9 8 9 ) . - «Influencias extran- Universidad Complutense, IV, pp. 5-65. . , c ~ ^ m / i n

r ' ' r r jeras en la geograria española, 1940- CAPEL , H. (1976).-«La geografía españo- 1989: algunos indicadores». X I Con- la tras la guerra civil». Geocrítica 1, greso Nacional de Geografía, Madrid, Universidad de Barcelona, 36 pp. PP- 11-16.

VILA VALENTI, J. (1989).- «El conoci- miento Geográfico de España. Geó- grafos y Obras Geográficos» en PU-

YOL, R. (Coord.), Geografía de Es- paña, nQ 1. Madrid, Edit. Síntesis, 165 pp.

3. INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPING GEOGRAPHIC ACTIVITIES

A. CABO-ALONSO (CO-ORDINATOR) J. BOSQUE-MAUREL

LL. CASASSAS I SIMÓ R. NÚÑEZ DE LAS CUEVAS