Doreen Massey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Doreen Massey
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Doreen Barbara Massey
3 January 1944 Manchester, England, UK
|
| Died | March 11, 2016 (aged 72) |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford University of Pennsylvania |
| Awards | Victoria Medal (1994) Prix Vautrin Lud (1998) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Economic and Social geography |
Doreen Barbara Massey (3 January 1944 – 11 March 2016) was a British geographer and social scientist. She studied how different places and people are connected. Her ideas helped many people understand the world better. She was a professor of Geography at the Open University.
Contents
Who Was Doreen Massey?
Doreen Massey was born in Manchester, England, in 1944. She grew up to become a very important thinker in the field of geography. Geography is not just about maps; it's also about understanding how people and places interact.
She went to university at University of Oxford and later at the University of Pennsylvania. Her studies helped her develop new ways of looking at the world. She wanted to understand how different parts of the world are linked together.
Her Big Ideas About Places
Doreen Massey was famous for her ideas about "space," "place," and "power." She believed that places are not just fixed spots on a map. Instead, they are always changing and connected to other places.
- Space: She saw space as something active and always being made. It's not just an empty area.
- Place: For her, a place was like a meeting point for many different stories and connections. It's not just a single, separate spot.
- Power: She also looked at how power affects places. For example, how decisions made far away can change a local area.
She thought that places are like "global sense of place." This means every place is unique, but it's also connected to the whole world. Think of your town: it has its own history, but it's also linked to other towns and countries through trade, travel, and ideas.
Different Kinds of Geography
Doreen Massey worked in several interesting areas of geography:
- Economic Geography: This looks at how money, jobs, and businesses are spread out across the world. She studied how industries move and what that means for different regions.
- Feminist Geography: This area explores how gender affects people's experiences of places. For example, how public spaces might feel different for girls and boys.
- Cultural Geography: This studies how culture shapes places and how places shape culture. It looks at traditions, art, and ways of life in different areas.
Her work helped people see that geography is about more than just physical features. It's about people, their lives, and how they connect with the world around them.
Awards and Recognition
Doreen Massey received many important awards for her work. These awards showed how much her ideas were valued by other scientists.
- In 1994, she received the Victoria Medal. This is a very high honor for geographers in the UK.
- In 1998, she was given the Prix Vautrin Lud. This award is sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for Geography."
These awards show that her thinking changed how many people understood geography. She was also a member of important groups like the Royal Society of Arts and the British Academy.
Later Life
Doreen Massey continued to share her ideas and teach at the Open University. She was an "Emeritus Professor," which means she had retired but was still highly respected for her past work.
She passed away on 11 March 2016, at the age of 72. Her ideas continue to be studied and used by students and researchers around the world. She left a lasting impact on how we think about our interconnected world.
