Derek Gregory
Encyclopedia
Derek Gregory Ph.D. (Cantab)
FBA
, FRCC
(January 3, 1951) is an influential British
academic and geographer
who is currently Professor of Political Geography at the University of British Columbia
in Vancouver
. He formerly held positions at the University of Cambridge
.
Gregory is best known for his book The Colonial Present:Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq, published in 2004. This book discusses the actions of Israel
, the United States of America and the United Kingdom
in the Middle East
after 9/11. It reflects how the popular discourse
s found in the media
and in political circles indicate a continued Orientalism
and colonialism
. His writings are heavily influenced by the work of Edward Said
. Gregory is said to be a post-modern geographer.
Earlier works by Gregory have concentrated on political
, cultural
and historical geography
. He has also contributed to theoretical writing on Imagined geographies
and David Harvey
. A book published in 1994, Geographical Imaginations, reveals the cultural expressions which result from perceptions of place
He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1981. He has honoary doctorates from the University of Heidelberg and Roskilde University.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
FBA
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, FRCC
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
(January 3, 1951) is an influential British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic and geographer
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
who is currently Professor of Political Geography at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. He formerly held positions at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Gregory is best known for his book The Colonial Present:Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq, published in 2004. This book discusses the actions of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the United States of America and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
after 9/11. It reflects how the popular discourse
Discourse
Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...
s found in the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and in political circles indicate a continued Orientalism
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
and colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
. His writings are heavily influenced by the work of Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
. Gregory is said to be a post-modern geographer.
Earlier works by Gregory have concentrated on political
Political geography
Political geography is the field of human geography that is concerned with the study of both the spatially uneven outcomes of political processes and the ways in which political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures...
, cultural
Cultural geography
Cultural geography is a sub-field within human geography. Cultural geography is the study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relations to spaces and places...
and historical geography
Historical geography
Historical geography is the study of the human, physical, fictional, theoretical, and "real" geographies of the past. Historical geography studies a wide variety of issues and topics. A common theme is the study of the geographies of the past and how a place or region changes through time...
. He has also contributed to theoretical writing on Imagined geographies
Imagined geographies
The concept of imagined geographies has evolved out of the work of Edward Said, particularly his critique on Orientalism. In this term, ‘imagined’ is used not to mean ‘false’ or ‘made-up’, but ‘perceived’. It refers to the perception of space created through certain images, texts or discourses...
and David Harvey
David Harvey
David Harvey is the name of:*David Harvey *David Harvey , geographer and social theorist*David Harvey , American luthier...
. A book published in 1994, Geographical Imaginations, reveals the cultural expressions which result from perceptions of place
He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1981. He has honoary doctorates from the University of Heidelberg and Roskilde University.